What must I do to be saved?

Forgiveness is liberating. When I gave my sermon on forgiveness from Luke 7 a few months ago, it did not surprise me that that sermon was well received.

Jesus came to give us an abundant life (John 10:10) and a part of living an abundant life is forgiveness. We can be free physically but in the prison of our own hurts, or we can be imprisoned physically but free from the guilt of our past.

Joseph was in Egypt, sold into slavery by his brothers out of envy. He had not talked to his loved father for quite a few years. But then the midwife’s voice rang out: “Joseph, it’s a boy!” And Joseph named that little fellow “Manasseh.” The reason is given in Genesis 41:51 – “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” Forgiveness! Leaving the past behind.

What had Joseph forgotten? The abuse of his brothers. The slavery in the house of Potiphar. The lies of a lustful vengeful woman who sent him to prison. The chief butler whose memory was not quite Joseph had hoped it would be. It’s all different now! He’s on top. He’s the boss. Part of the secret of his rise to the top is his willingness and ability to forgive.

Joseph could have allowed himself to fall into the pit of bitterness, retaliation, vindictiveness, and vengeance. Many have. Joseph did not. Joseph was enjoying a real freedom that many people simply do not experience – the freedom within. He was not held back; he was free to rise. And rise he did with the blessings of God.

THREEFOLD FORGIVENESS:

Sin is common to man; if we say that we have not sinned, we are liars (1 John 1:8). Therefore, we need forgiveness from God (Matthew 6:9-12). We need to forgive others (Matthew 6:12). We need to forgive ourselves (Philippians 3:13).

Accept God’s forgiveness in Jesus Christ. Then share it with others, including yourself.

Paul Holland

Magdala was a populous town in Galilee known for its dye works and factories.  The most famous citizen in scripture from this wealthy town was a lady named Mary. We first read of her in Luke’s account of the women who followed Jesus and his twelve; “women who had been healed of evil spirits and sickness: Mary was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out.”  These women ministered to Jesus and the twelve and “were contributing to their support out of their private means (Lu. 8:2,3).

Some have wrongfully associated Mary with the “sinful woman” who anointed Jesus feet with her tears (Lu. 7:37-39) and concluded that Mary was a prostitute.  No such connection is made in scripture.  On the contrary no woman, other than the Lord’s mother, demonstrated a greater devotion to Jesus. She stood by His mother at the cross and was honored to be the first to see the resurrected Savior (Jn. 19:25/20:18).

Mary had been set free from the tortuous demons that possessed her.  With the utterances of the Lord’s voice, the demons fled, and her deranged mind was again at peace. So grateful she was for the physical and mental healing that she devoted the rest of her days to serving Him. Oh, that we who have been cleansed from the demons of sin by his death, be so devoted to Him who set us free. Might that we, who have also been healed, be like “The Magdalene,” and give to the risen Lord the best of the rest of our lives.

-Dennis Doughty

First, the Bible: “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). When Rachel and I first moved to Romania, we read Stephen Covey’s books The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families. In his books, he states that we should “begin with the end in mind.” In other words, keep the long-term goal in mind as we begin our project.

That is absolutely true when it comes to parenting based on biblical principles. Keep the long-term goal in mind and don’t get distracted and overwhelmed in the short-term crises that children bring. Our grandson is eight months old. We see them every week, if not every other week (if someone is sick). He changes and matures almost every time we see him. The changes might be subtle, after all, he is only 8 months old, but he is changing. However, he isn’t talking yet. Change comes slowly; development takes time.

When we are training our children to be faithful Christians and productive citizens, the development takes time. But we have to keep that long-term goal in mind. We are working at training our children to develop patterns of thinking and patterns of behavior. Learning about relationships takes time; learning to solve problems takes time; learning to express emotions properly takes time.

Do not be the kind of parent who reacts to the situations that pop-up in life. Yelling at your kids is usually not productive and can often be counter-productive. It can signal to your kids that you are not pleased with them as a person. It can strain your relationship. It can set your future relationship on a very negative path.

Remember when your children make mistakes, even sinful choices, that you are helping them develop their character. Don’t settle for immediate solutions to problems if that would create a long-term inappropriate behavior or expectation. What are we trying to train in our children? Obedience to authority. Humility toward God and toward others. Respect. Responsibility. How to work with others.

Keeping the goal in mind – sending our children back to God (Psa. 127:35) — should dominate our parenting decisions.

Paul Holland

First, the Bible: “He who gives an answer before he hears, it is folly and shame to him” (Prov. 18:13). In 21:23, the wise man shares this: “He who guards his mouth and his tongue, guards his soul from troubles.”

I got into trouble in school for talking too much. One time (maybe more than once), I had to write this poem 100 times: “A wise old owl sat in an oak. The more he heard, the less he spoke. The less he spoke, the more he heard. Why can’t I be like that wise old bird?”

My dad use to say (he probably did not realize he was quoting Mark Twain): “It’s better for people to think you are dumb than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” Often times, fewer words are better.

Andy Warhol was a famous artist but he says he learned from another artist, Marcel Duchamp, that talking less about your work is better than talking more. The less he talked, the more people talked about it. And it was their talking that gave more value to the paintings.

A new Russian czar came to the throne in 1825 named Nicholas I. A rebellion broke out as people were wanting Russia to modernize. He sentenced one of the rebels to death, a man named Kondraty Ryleyev. The noose was tied around Ryleyev’s neck and the floor was dropped. Then the rope broke and he lived. Typically, this was seen as an act of God and the criminal was pardoned.

But Ryleyev did not know how to control his mouth. “You see, in Russia they don’t know how to do anything properly, not even how to make rope!” Nicholas I was in the process of pardoning the man until he heard what his response was. Nicholas sentenced him again to be hung, replying to Ryleyev’s outburst: “let us prove the contrary.”

We have the tendency to be taken more serious, more studious, more circumspect, if we listen more and talk less. It might even save our souls since the Savior said, “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matt. 12:36-37).

Paul Holland

Perhaps you have heard people question the relationship that existed between David and Jonathan, as to it being an immoral situation. Is there anything to this idea?

Before we dive into answering that question, let me just say that we never have anything to be scared of when we investigate the Scriptures. We may even do ourselves a disservice by not looking into such matters. We need to search the Scriptures and see what is so (see Acts 17:11). And while we may be pretty sure of ourselves concerning this situation, we do need to have enough humility about us to realize there are things we could have misunderstood.

Ok, so the particular passage appealed to concerning the relationship of David and Jonathan is 2 Samuel 1:26. There David says, “I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women.”

To the modern American ear what David says concerning Jonathan sounds awkward at best. I think all of us would agree with that. Let’s make just a few observations about this passage and this relationship.

First, context, context, context. David is lamenting his best friend who has just died in war. In the verse under consideration, David says that he is distressed (he is grieved deeply). Very possibly there is no other time as emotive than the time of deep mourning. While mourning naturally brings sadness, it often brings some of the most heart-felt reflections as well. If you think you have an appreciation and affection for someone now, just wait until they pass on. Keep this principle in mind with the David/Jonathan relationship.

Secondly, and I do not concede this for a second, but if it could be proven that David and Jonathan had an illicit relationship, that by no means would endorse such behavior. Frequently the Bible provides painfully honest accounts of even some very good servants of God. And sometimes it does so without specifically expressing condemnation of the action. But this does not mean the action is endorsed by heaven. You may recall in Judges 19 when a Levite was so disturbed by Gibeah’s crime that he took the woman’s dead body and cut it into twelve pieces and sent it throughout Israel. Although the Bible records this event, it doesn’t mean it was moral. Again, I leave no room for the relationship of David and Jonathan being an immoral one, because there is no evidence for that, but even if it was, that doesn’t mean it was endorsed by the Lord.

Thirdly, David and Jonathan were simply brought very close to each other through life’s circumstances. Going through fiery trials together often produces a very close bond.

Fourthly, we certainly know that David was not adverse to women, even to his downfall concerning Bathsheba a little later on (see 2 Sam. 11-12). But even at this particular time, David had two wives (see 2 Sam. 2:2). That’s another discussion!

In the fifth place, note what David said earlier concerning Saul and Jonathan in verse 23: “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided…” The language here is similar to that of our passage in question (v. 26), but nobody questions this relationship. Though this kind of language may sound strange to our ears, it doesn’t seem to be that unusual within the historical setting.

Lastly, look back at verse 26. David says that Jonathan’s love was “extraordinary.” What does that mean? It means that it was beyond the ordinary! And then he adds, “surpassing the love of women.” It seems David is saying that the type or quality of love he enjoyed with Jonathan was not like the love that God has granted between a man and a woman, it is something greater… an even higher love.

Hopefully these thoughts help us concerning the question we began with, and also challenges us to foster a love more like David’s. Perhaps this love is more like the love that will be enjoyed eternally in heaven (ct. Mt. 22:30).

Daren Schroeder

Alexander Hamilton was George Washington’s Secretary of Treasury. Thomas Jefferson was the Secretary of State. Hamilton believed in a strong central government. Jefferson was opposed to a strong centralized authority that would impose on the role of the state.

The Federalist Party under Hamilton believed that anything was allowed that had not been expressly forbidden in the U. S. Constitution. Thus, he wanted a centralized federal bank. Jefferson believed (his purchase of the Louisiana Territory notwithstanding) that everything was forbidden unless it was expressly authorized in the U. S. Constitution.

When we don’t limit ourselves to the powers expressly given to us in those documents that define who we are as a people, then we eventually evolve into something quite different, distinct from what we were originally.

The Hebrew word often translated “heart” refers both to the emotions of man and to his intellect. We simply cannot do anything enthusiastically unless we do it from our hearts. We may not always do what our brains tell us to do, but we will always do what our hearts lead us to do.

This is why the Old Testament deals so much with loving and serving God from the heart. Consider these passages from Deuteronomy on the heart: 6:5; 7:9; 10:12, 16; 11:13; 30:6. The uncircumcised heart, in the Old Testament, was a heart that refused to obey.

So, consider these passages that emphasize the relationship between the heart and obedience: Psalm 37:31; 40:8; 51:17; 119:10, 112. The heart that is given to God fully, then, is a heart that will obey and will not pass beyond what obedience is required. To word it another way, obedience means a heart that will not add to what God has commanded.

“You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you” (Deuteronomy 4:2). Seven verses later, Moses commands: “Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.”

In the New Testament age, under the guidance of Christ’s apostles, the Christian assemblies were commanded to sing from the heart. It is our heart that motivates us to worship. But our hearts have to be submissive to the Word of God. Temptations will always come along to see if we will remain submissive to the word of God or if we will do what our self-centered heart desires. Again, obedience to God involves not adding to what God has commanded.

Thus, when Paul talked to the Christians in Corinth about their attitude toward God and toward one another, he uses their singing as an illustration of that unity that should prevail in their assembly: “What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also” (1 Cor. 14:15).

To the saints in Ephesus, Paul said, “be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord” (5:18-19). Please observe that if Paul had limited his command to “making melody,” then any source of “melody” would have been authorized. But, he limited his command to “singing” and “with your heart.”

Then to the Christians in Colossae, Paul wrote, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (3:16). Again, this “song service” is limited to that which “teaches and admonishes,” showing us the purpose of the song service is educational. Paul also says it is the heart that is to do the worshipping.

Let us limit ourselves to the instrument which God has authorized in our song service: our hearts.

Paul Holland

God knows the future! The idea of knowing the future probably seems like something that belongs in fiction to us. I’m not sure I would want to know the future even if I could, especially if I had no ability to change what would happen. In fact, it would be quite depressing to know about all of the tragedies that have not yet occurred if you had no ability to prevent them.

In Isaiah 39 we find an example of God’s knowledge of the future. King Hezekiah foolishly shows all of his wealth to a Babylonian prince, and God delivers a prophecy of things to come through Isaiah in vv. 3–7. The prophecy tells of ransacking, destruction, and captivity for Hezekiah’s descendants. I’ve always been a bit baffled by the way Hezekiah responds in v. 8. The king basically says, “That’s just fine as long as it doesn’t happen in my day.” Some people live in the past. All they seem to think about are the glory days. I’m not being unkind. I realize that as time goes by, we realize that maybe we took things for granted and we miss them once they’re gone. Some people live in the future.

When I was a child, I couldn’t wait to become a man. I thought it would be so cool to have my freedom. I wanted to drive, and have money to spend however I wanted, etc. I realize now that I should’ve cherished my childhood a little more. The fact is, though, that most of us are focused on the here and now. That was certainly Hezekiah’s view.

We must recognize tomorrow may not come. In Hezekiah’s case, God had revealed to him elements of the future. The same is not true for us. We don’t know what tomorrow holds. We don’t even know if there is a tomorrow. The Bible is very clear about this (see James 4:13-17).

In 2004, Tim McGraw released a song entitled, “Live Like You Were Dying.” The lyrics describe a man who gets diagnosed with cancer and the way that changes his lifestyle. He does more fun things. He also loves people better than he has in the past. The idea of the song isn’t so bad. It’s as likely as not that we will die the way we’re currently living. Jesus knew he was about to die, and he washed his betrayer’s dirty feet (John 13). Jesus didn’t “put on.” He had lived as a servant, and he died as one. We’ve come to expect tomorrow, yet we have no promise that it will come. Since only God knows the future, we must indeed live like we’re dying. Only then will we be ready for death no matter when it comes.

Clay Leonard

2 Kings 4 chronicles several miraculous works of the prophet Elisha, the successor of Elijah. As we read in 2 Kings, and really anywhere in the Bible, we ought to ask ourselves, why has inspiration chosen to reveal this? With that in mind, let’s briefly consider some of these events.

1. The Widow’s Oil (4:1-7). Here we have the account of a widow who cried out to Elisha in desperation. She was down to possessing one jar of oil. Elisha instructs her to collect some containers from her neighbors and begin pouring her oil into one container after another. She did so, until all of the containers were filled. Then Elisha tells her to sell the oil to pay her bills and then live on what remains. While we understand the story with relative ease, it is another matter as to understanding the meaning and relevancy of the story. In other words, why is this story in the Bible? But instead of getting ahead of ourselves, for now, let’s just say that it goes beyond God’s prophet having mercy on this widow.
2. The Wealthy, Hospitable Shunammite (4:8-17). This woman (and her husband) take in Elisha and prepare a little room for him to dwell in when he is in the area. Out of gratitude for what had been done for him, Elisha asks what he should do for her (or them). Elisha is informed that she has no son, and little prospect of having one because of the age of her husband (and, presumably her). In verse 16 the prophet said to her, “At this season, about this time next year, you shall embrace a son.” The verse then records her response. She said, “No, my lord, O man of God; do not lie to your servant.” She says in a sense, “Come on. Tell me the truth.” Verse 17 says, “But the woman conceived, and she bore a son about that time the following spring, as Elisha had said to her.” She conceived and she bore a son according to the word of the prophet. Just like he said she would.
3. The Raising of the Shunammite’s Son (vv. 18-44). The next account involves the Shunammite’s boy, who by this time is of some age. (The quiet passing of many years suggests that this event must be significant.) We are told of the boy suffering from a terrible headache while working in the field. The father sends him to the house, to his mother, and he dies. For our purposes we won’t recount all of the details of the story here, but the mother quietly summons Elisha. Upon his arrival, he finds the boy dead as he was informed. He then prays to the Lord on behalf of the boy and in a miraculous way resuscitates him. We’ll not elaborate on the purpose of revival at this point.
4. The Stew of Death (4:38-41). This event involves some deadly stew being served to the  sons of the prophets during a famine in the land. Undoubtedly, because of the destitute  times, stew had been made from usually vegetables (what could be found). Inadvertently,   the chef had served up toxic stew. We aren’t given much information, but somehow the partakers are aware that something is badly wrong. So Elisha, the “magic chef,” adds some flour and heals the stew. He advises that the meal continue. It did… and no one was  harmed. The word of the prophet could be trusted, even with one’s life.
5. Feeding the One Hundred (4:42-44). Elisha instructs twenty loaves of bread (and some grain) to be given to one hundred men. These were probably more like rolls than the large loaves we are accustomed to, so like the times when Jesus fed the multitudes, the amount was seemingly woefully inadequate. But yet Elisha basically says, “Let dinner be served, and we’ll have leftovers.” The men ate, and just like in the cases of Jesus feeding the multitudes, we are told about the leftovers after dinner. Now note what verse 44 says: “So he set it before them. And they ate and had some left, according to the word of the Lord.”

How did things work out? “According to the word of the Lord.” How do things always work out? The way God says they will!

The word of the Lord is “perfect,” “sure,” “right,” “pure,” and “true” (see Ps. 19:7-9). Since that is the case, “More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold, sweeter than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward” (Ps. 19:10-11). We have every reason to trust every word of God. The only thing standing before God doing anything He says He will do, is possibly some time. Live according to the Word of the Lord!

Daren Schroeder

First, the word of God: “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able” (1 Cor. 3:1-2).

The apostle Paul as well as Jude (verse 3) had to change their approach to their audience based on extenuating factors. For Jude, it was the threat of false teachers. For Paul, it was the maturity level of the Christians in Corinth. Our children change as they mature. They begin life being extremely dependent on mom and dad, then they grow to the point they are crawling and walking and running, often away from mom and dad. There’s a funny cartoon that has made its way around Facebook showing a parent trying to put their child on the bus to go to school and the child is holding on to the front porch post. A second cartoon shows the child trying to leave for college and the parent is holding on to him, trying to keep him home.

As your child grows, you have to grow and mature with him or her. You have to develop different ways of rearing, training, disciplining your child. You don’t spank a sixteen-year-old (for example). As our daughters matured, Rachel and I learned different ways to punish them. While I would not recommend this in general, we learned that taking away Jewell’s books and writing tools was a good way to discipline her!

Just your budget will change as the kids get older (I remember putting “clothes” into the budget when the girls became teenagers!), your approach to training them should also change. You give a five year old only a little freedom; but a teenager needs much more freedom. Mom and Dad have to adjust to that change.

Moms and Dads will start as authoritarians and then change into mentors and then become friends. The change is based on the maturity and development of the child. And, of course, the development of one child is independent of the development of another child. So parents might be authoritarians with one child but mentors with a different child.

As your child grows, communicate with your spouse and adjust your parenting to suit the needs of your children. Continue studying the Bible and praying and you’ll gain the wisdom need to parent your children biblically.

Paul Hlland

In Ephesians 1:18, Paul says, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints…” What a prayer! This is exactly the message that the downtrodden and discouraged need to hear.

Many people have lost (or are losing) hope these days, and with the attitudes of some people, it’s not hard to see why. The core of the gospel message the apostle Paul preached was the resurrection. In his greatest defense of the resurrection in Scripture, Paul said “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19.) He was right!

However, we do not just hope in this life, do we? I know it’s hard when you consider going in to work today with the thought that it might be your last because you are going to be fired, laid off, or the plant is going to close. It is also hard to go work or school when you know (or feel) that your boss or teacher has it in for you. Maybe a co-worker makes your life miserable. Perhaps there is trouble in your family that threatens to destroy not just the family’s happiness but even your health. These are painful afflictions, but they can be overcome.

Remember Paul’s prayer. He prayed for you that the eyes of your heart would be enlightened (opened); that you would see the hope you can have. There is a hope associated with the calling of Jesus Christ. If you are a Christian, you have hope. You might not realize it and it may not feel like it, but that is the essence of the prayer; that you will realize it! And something else you can hang your hat (I mean, hope) on is the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. Do you realize that as a faithful Christian, God considers having you on His team as riches for Him?

Christians have a good life, do we not? No, it might not all be peaches and cream, but it doesn’t have to be. What makes our life so good is that there is a better one on the way! We do not just hope in Christ in this life only. Many people do pity us, but it is misplaced pity. They don’t need to worry about us because we have hope. So many do not. In giving words of comfort to the Thessalonian church about their dear departed loved ones, Paul said he didn’t want them to grieve as those who don’t have the hope we have will grieve (1 Thessalonians 4:13).  We do have hope. Praise Jehovah God!!

I want you to take this hope with you. As you head out into the world, no matter your destination, there is nothing that can separate you from the love of God if you will remain faithful to Him (Romans 8:38, 39). He is yours if you are His.

Donnie Bates