What must I do to be saved?

God has always expected His people not only to worship Him, but also to serve Him by serving others. One of the terms used to describe each group of Christians is “body.” This term helps us understand how each group of Christians is to function. Each physical body has a head that controls what the rest of the body does. The same is true with the church. Christ is the head of the body and all Christians in a particular location form the body. Just as the physical head gives orders for the other parts of the physical body, so Christ, as the spiritual head gives order for the work that His spiritual body should carry-out. What is the work of the church – the body?

    First and foremost, the church must carry out the work of evangelizing. Since Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), it is logical that Christ would expect His body to preach the gospel to those who are not in His spiritual body.

Three times inspired writers recorded “The Great Commission” which is the command to evangelize. Matthew’s record says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (28:19). Mark’s account is even more specific when it says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (16:15). Luke tells where it started and what was to be preached when he said, “that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (24:47).

The church is not just to evangelize but is to be “the pillar and support of the truth” (I Timothy 3:15). God has not given the truth to any other group. Neither has He given responsibility to any other organization to be the pillar and support of truth. The church is to proclaim truth to the whole world. The church must be the defender of the Bible! It seems that work is a greater challenge today than any other time in history!

The work of evangelizing can be done in many different ways: (1) Public preaching, (2) One-on-one teaching, and (3) Mass communication through the printed page, radio, television and social media. Everything the church does should ultimately be to bring the lost to Christ that they may be saved eternally.

    Second, the church must edify itself to remain strong and faithful in evangelizing the world. Probably, the greatest passage to tell us about this kind of work is Ephesians 4:11-16. Christ established several different offices in the church, “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (v. 12). “Building up” means to edify. Paul stresses that there is a work for each member. “From whom the whole body being fitted and held together by what every join supplies, according to the proper working of each individua part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:16).

Paul gave more details about how the body was to do this in I Corinthians 12 where he explains that not all members have the same function but that each member of the body has the ability to edify the body (I Corinthians 14:12, 26).

Again, this may be accomplished through several different means. There can be regular Bible study classes where people are edified by what they learn. There can be social events where Christians are strengthened (Acts 2:46). There can be seminars and special speakers brought in, to build-up the body of Christ so that the church as a whole and individual members of the church can be motivated to be more faithful and more motivated to evangelize. The social events of the church can also be evangelistic tools for bringing non-Christians into a Christian activity.

    Third, the work of the church is to provide for those who have physical needs. Paul urged the churches of Galatia to do that by saying, “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (6:10). Notice, we must do this when we have the opportunity. That opportunity may not come again.  Notice we are to do this for those who are not Christians, but especially for those who are Christians.

The first century church is a good example of this. “And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need” (Acts 2:44-45). Paul said that helping those in need was a way to tell that one is converted. “He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need” (Ephesians 4:28).

When the church in Jerusalem received funds from the churches in Achaia, Macedonia, and Galatia, they not only distributed it to the poor among them, but also “to all” others – those who were not Christians. (2 Corinthians 9:13).

Conclusion

God expects us as individuals to be busy in the kingdom, but He also expect His church to fulfill the work He gave her to do! Brethren, is the church you are a member, doing the work God gave the church to do?  If not, why not?

Wayne Burger

Louis XIV was the king who famously said, “L’etat, c’est moi” (I am the state). In one sentence, he summarized the idea that the government existed in himself. He was the “end all and be all” of his society. King Louis XIV was a loquacious man in his youth, but in his older years, he became much more self-controlled relative to the use of his tongue.

But he did so with ulterior motives. He used this practice to make other people uncomfortable around him. His people, even his court, did not know where they stood with him and what he might say or do next. No one knew what he wanted to hear. It was his way of keeping people under his control.

When King Louis XIV wanted to hear a matter confronting his kingdom, his ministers would debate the issue among themselves. When they had finished debating the issue, two of them would choose one side of the debate and present it to the king, each taking a turn. Before the king, they would again take turns presenting their side of the matter. But they did not know how to present it to the king.

How should the matter be worded? Would they make him angry or could they win him to their side? When would they present the matter (some people are more agreeable in the morning hours, others in the evening)? How should they present their faces? It was a serious issue to present the debate before the king.

It is said that King Louis would listen in silence and make sure his face showed no signs of agreement or disagreement. At the end of the debate, he would look at his ministers and say, “I shall see.” Then he would leave. They would not hear from him again about the matter. The only way they knew which side he took was the subsequent policy he would implement. The matter would not be brought up verbally again.

We do not serve a king like Louis XIV. God could have told us much more than He did, but what He has revealed to us is sufficient to allow us to live our lives pleasing to Him (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Because God is love (1 John 4:8), there will be no surprises on the day of judgment. The words that Jesus has given us are the words by which we will be judged (John 12:48). That’s why it is so important for us to study, meditate on, and obey to the best of our ability the message from God.

Paul Holland

This pilgrimage of life has been, and still is for that matter a grand, exciting and interesting adventure, but like a wanderer home from his travels, my soul thrills at the thought of going home to my eternal abiding place. I love the message found in 2 Cor. 5:6-9, “Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight—we are of good courage, I say and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”

This fleshly body in which we now dwell will one day be no more. It is perishable and will return to the dust (Ecclesiastes 12:7). When that happens, as a faithful child of God, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens awaiting us (2 Corinthians 5:1-2, John 14:1-3). Each day we live, we realize more and more that this earthly frame does not endure very well. Psalms 90:10 tells us that even if we live to be 70 or 80 years of age, our days will be labor and sorrow. Each passing day takes its toll and we simply grow weaker as age creeps up on us. Sicknesses and diseases and trials of all kind strike our human frame causing us to groan, being burdened (2 Corinthians 5:4). We need to just pause and pray that God will grant to us the strength, comfort and peace we need to enable us to grow stronger in our faith and have the ability to overcome all obstacles that we encounter on our journey as we press onward toward that goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:14, John 14:1-3, Phil. 4:5-7, Heb. 4:16, 1 Thess. 5:17). Then, after praying, rise up and do what we can do to make it possible for God to answer our prayer.

I know not how you feel, but the one thought that really lifts me up each day is that I love the Lord with all my heart (Mark 12:30, Isaiah 12:2) and I am heaven bound (2 Cor. 5:1, 1 John 5:11-13). I am going to cling to him for dear life and with joy in my heart make the most of each day knowing that I have been redeemed through the blood of Christ, my sins have been washed away and I have been forgiven (Colossians 1:12-14, Hebrews 10:22-23, 1 John 1:7-9, Phil. 4:4). Now, I ask, how do you feel about all this as you reflect on your life?

What deep emotions should be stirred up within us as we think about going home to be with the Lord. Going home to a city where for ceaseless ages there will be no pain, no heartache, no tears, no sickness, no death. It is truly a land where joys shall never end and we will never grow old. That beautiful home tugs ever so gently at my heart strings every day. What more is there to say? God so loved the world that he gave his son and by believing in him and obeying him we gain eternal life with the redeemed of all ages (John 3:16, Romans 5:8, Hebrews 5:7-9).

We all know that the day is coming in which our heart will beat for the last and the sun will set on our life (Eccl. 9:5, Heb. 9:27). Our major concern should not be on when, where or how that will happen. The best thing we can do for ourself and others for that matter, is to make sure that when that happens, we are ready to exit this world and enter the world that will never end. To God be the glory forever and ever!

Charles Hicks

Larry Morganti of Florence, South Carolina, is a Vietnam War Veteran.  He served in the 311th Squadron of the Air Force as a crew chief on a C-123 cargo plane from October 1967 to October 1968.  While serving in that capacity, Morganti lost his “dog tag” – a metal piece of identification for military personnel – during a rocket attack.  Thankfully, even though he lost his military ID, Morganti survived the war.

Over two years ago, Morganti’s dog tag came into the possession of a Swedish construction worker, Kristoffer Hansen.  A friend from Vietnam had discovered the dog tag with his metal detector and sent it to Hansen to add to his collection of military memorabilia.  Recognizing that there was a good chance that its owner was still alive, Hansen began looking for Morganti.  He found him two years later through Facebook.

Last month, Morganti received his dog tag in the mail along with a letter from Hansen thanking him for his service.

“It was real surprising. In fact, for a second, I didn’t believe it,” Morganti told WPDE. “It’s such a far-fetched idea to find tags 56 years old and then another two years to bring them to me.” *

YOU may be surprised to learn that God is looking for you to give you a new identity.

You and every other person in the world have been created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27).  Each of us has marred that image due to our sin (Romans 3:23), and sin has separated us from our Creator (Isaiah 59:1-2).

But God loves us so much that He wants us to be reconciled to Him so that each of us can be a part of His family and have a new identity: child of God.

To be reconciled to God, our debt of sin had to be paid.  God gave His Son Jesus to pay the price for our redemption.  Jesus died on the cross for our sins so that we can be forgiven and be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

God will save, add to His family, and give eternal life to those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  He will continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7-9).

The Apostle Paul wrote to Christians in Galatia: “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27).

In Christ, we have a new identity that brings with it eternal blessings.  We are children of God.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1).

YOU can be a child of God if you will accept His offer on His terms.

— David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from “Vietnam veteran reunites with lost dog tag after 56 years: ‘I didn’t believe it’” by Andrea Vacchiano of Fox News, www.foxnews.com.

Matthew Discipling

Mark Baptism

Luke Repentance

John Faith

Acts Evangelism

Romans Full Gospel

1 Corinthians The gift of love

2 Corinthians Reconciliation

Galatians Jesus Rescues us

Ephesians God’s wise plan of salvation

Philippians To live is Christ, to die is gain

Colossians From darkness into the kingdom

1 Thessalonians Receiving the Word

    2 Thessalonians Worthy of God’s kingdom

1 Timothy Church Leadership

2 Timothy Retain sound words

Titus Saved by grace unto eternal hope

Philemon Share your faith

Hebrews The blood of the covenant

James Faith and works

1 Peter Suffering for the gospel

2 Peter Entering the eternal kingdom

1 John Confessing the Son and your sin

2 John Do not go beyond Christ’s teaching

3 John Walking in the truth

Jude Contending for the faith

Revelation Faithful unto death

David Carr

Many of us begin a new Bible reading plan at the start of the year. With a few clicks on the Internet, one can find all kinds of helpful reading plans: chronological, daily New Testament and Psalms, plans that go in the order in which someone supposes the books were written, and on and on it goes. A great turning point in my own faith came when I did a New Testament in 30 days plan; I have printed it in the opposing column [below, paul].

As Christians, we are people of the Book. Though the Bible doesn’t say much in the way of commanding or demanding that we read it, what it does say assumes that believers are consistent readers of it.

We find powerful examples of this in the Gospel of Matthew. In addition to the many occasions upon which Jesus quotes from the Old Testament (which, of course, at the time, was the only Scripture the Jews possessed), twice Jesus cites the ignorance of the Scriptures as the cause of Jewish failures.

In Matthew 19, the Pharisees come to Jesus and ask him a question about divorce. The rabbis had long debated the question and two prevailing opinions held sway. By asking the question, the Pharisees hoped, at the least, to weaken Jesus’ popularity with the people by dividing them. Jesus answers, not by first going to the Law of Moses, but to the order of creation. But he also introduces his answer with these words, “Have you not read?” (v. 4).

Jesus knew very well the Pharisees had indeed read the book of Genesis. His words here called them to greater study.

The second occasion appears in Matthew 22, this time with the Sadducees. Using a question about Levirate marriage, the Sadducees hoped to show the absurdity of the resurrection – a doctrine they denied. Jesus’ response packs a serious punch: “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God” (v. 29). He goes on to use the same phrase he used with the Pharisees, “have you not read?” (v. 31).

The Gospel writers note the authority with which Jesus speaks during his ministry (cf. Matthew 7:29; Mark 1:22, 27; Luke 4:32, 36). Yet, Jesus also appeals to Scripture and assumes God’s people have read it! Is it any wonder, then, that we should be people of the Book?

Clay Leonard

Last week we began a consideration of Matthew 5:8, the beatitude where Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” As we conclude our thoughts today, we especially want to give attention to a few additional passages pertaining to this great theme.

1. Romans 6:17 – “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed.” What comes to your mind when you think about obedience to Christ? When the apostle Paul thought about the obedience of the Roman Christians, he gave thanks unto God! Paul did not see obedience to Christ as a plague, but a reason for rejoicing and for giving thanks! It wasn’t a cold sort of obedience that He referred to but an obedience that complied to the will of the Father with a good and genuine heart. It did the right things with the right attitude or motivation. Obedience to Christ in deed and in heart is a privilege and blessing in this life and eternally.
2. Matthew 22:36-40 – “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” The two greatest commandments of the Law: (1) Loving God and (2) Loving neighbors. How do we love our neighbors? By reciprocating the love God has shown you and the way we would want to be loved (see Mt. 7:12). In order to do that, one must have a pure heart!
3. Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” In order to guard the purity of the heart we must focus our heart and mind on good things. There is  so much evil out there. If we aren’t careful it can consume us. Read and meditate on the holy Word of God like the Psalmist. Psalms 1:2 says, “but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
4. Hebrews 4:12 – “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” God’s evaluation of a man is at the heart level. Someone might say, “I thought the things that a Christian does matters?” Of course they do, but if the heart is right, those things naturally follow. Live your faith and your life at the heart level before God, and evaluate your faith according to the purity of your heart.

FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD

What is the blessing of the “pure in heart”? “They shall see God” (v. 8). I think that a good way of seeing this blessing, as well as the others in the beatitudes, is understanding that the blessings begin in this world, but that doesn’t mean they end there. God’s faithful people begin to get a small sample of heaven, a powerful inward blessedness (a blessedness in the spiritual realm). They don’t visibly see God in this life, but they see Him by faith. They understand and are able to live with a sense of His presence. A sense of understanding that He is yet in control. What an amazing blessing that is!

The Hebrew writer says in Hebrews 12:14-15, “Strive for peace with everyone, and for holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.” Strive after holiness. That’s a challenge in our world! Why strive after it? Because no one will see the Lord who does otherwise! While Jesus, in Matthew 5:8, may be giving emphasis to the fellowship that can exist with Him in this life, we can be assured that this fellowship is required to see Him when this life is over. Purity of heart is a major factor in where one will reside eternally.

Daren Schroeder

When I do pre-marital counseling, I usually use the book Magnificent Marriage by Drs. Nick Stinnett and Donnie Hillard (who was my professor of Marriage and Family at Faulkner) and Nick’s wife Nancy. In that book, they encourage spouses to envision a wonderful future together. The same point is relevant for the parent and child relationship.

One of the verses which we like from the OT deals with the idea of hope and a future: Jeremiah 29:11. The prophet states: “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” We need to bring this same optimism into our parenting relationships.

My mom was very optimistic and she frequently set our minds into thinking about the future. I wish I could count the number of times my mom would say, “Son, you won’t remember this 100 years from now!” Mom helped me put challenges into the broader perspective of life. She helped me not to trip over the immediate issues of life, but to anticipate a future when the current frustration was not a concern anymore. It’s another way of saying, “Don’t sweat the small stuff; and it’s all small stuff.” There’s a lot of truth in that too.

When you parent with one eye on the future, you can envision your child using his or her positive qualities in a great context of service to others and service to Jesus Christ. As Christians, we all try to see the good in our children. Put that goodness in the context of future service and you can help your own children to envision a great future in their careers and service to Christ.

We do something similar when we say, “You’ll make a great husband / wife someday.” The disadvantage with that statement is that it could create the expectation that the child must get married one day if he or she is going to be happy. But we can say, “You’ll be successful one day, with that attitude of…”

A side effect of this type of communication with your children is that they begin to embrace that optimism and hope now. It affects their things now. In that context, it may become even easier to help your children choose a career path for themselves that you and they see is appropriate for them.

Emphasize their strengths and you all will be a great future. It is a joy to be a Christian parent.

Paul Holland

Tokyo, Japan is a very large city.  Wikipedia states that there are 14 million residents in the city limits, and the Greater Tokyo Area is inhabited by 40.8 million, making it “the most-populous metropolitan area in the world”.  Those numbers boggle my mind!

Transportation is naturally an important part of city life in Tokyo.  Recently 2,700 passengers on one train were subjected to a 15-minute delay when someone reported seeing a snake on one of the cars.  All passengers were asked to disembark while a search was made.  Upon finding nothing, the train was boarded again with the exception of the car in which the snake had been spotted.

At the end of the day a more thorough search was made of the car, and an 8-inch non-venomous Japanese rat snake was found hiding under a seat.  The snake would be returned to the wild, authorities reported.  Imagine that: 2,700 schedules disrupted by a harmless small snake!

The snake we read about in Genesis 3 was anything but harmless.  Furthermore, it was a serpent that could speak.  His words in Genesis 3:1 – “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’” – caused Eve to question God’s motives.  The serpent then claimed God was hiding something wonderful from the woman: “God knows that in the day you eat of [the forbidden tree] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5).  Who wouldn’t want to be like God?  Eve wanted that, and she proceeded to eat the fruit (Genesis 3:6).

The most damaging words the serpent spoke were these: “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4).  God had told Adam that eating of the forbidden fruit would bring death.  The serpent deceived the woman into believing a lie, and the rest is history.  A Pandora’s box of misery, suffering, death, and sin were opened that day, all because of a snake.

What – or who – was that snake in the Garden of Eden?  Revelation 12:9 removes any doubt about his identity as it tells the aftermath of a war that took place in heaven: “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world.”  Satan is much more than a serpent; somehow, he took on that appearance to sneak up on Eve.  But John tells us that Satan’s work was not finished at Eden; he continues to deceive the whole world.

In 2 Corinthians 11:3 Paul brought the reality of this snake closer home: “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”  1 Peter 5:8 sounds the same warning for us to be on guard: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

Jesus came to bring abundant life to all (John 10:10).  Sadly, however, life will become endless misery for millions, all because of a snake.  James 4:7 gives us the hope we need: “Therefore submit to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

Come to the light God offers!  Study His word, the Bible.  Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24).  Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Copyright, 2024, Timothy D. Hall

How wonderful would it be if, when we are feeling anxious, we were able to reach into our hearts, grasp ahold of our anxiety, remove it, and throw it away? Better yet, give that anxiety to Someone who could deal with the problem? That, in effect, is what Peter is telling us to do in 1 Peter 5:7 and it is what David is telling us to do in Psalm 55. Let’s study the text…

GIVE AWAY YOUR ANXIETY WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE COMPLAINING – 55:1-3:

Observe here that David feels anxiety because of his enemy, pressure from the wicked (ver. 3). They bring some kind of trouble down on him. They are angry at him. They hold a grudge against him. And he feels like complaining (ver. 2). These troubles, for David, have caused a distraction. He is not focused on God and on the good as he should.

When you feel like complaining, give away your anxiety.

GIVE AWAY YOUR ANXIETY WHEN YOUR HEART IS ANGUISHED – 55:4-8:

Observe the emotions David feels in this paragraph. He mentions “anguish” in his heart, terrors of death (so he’s afraid of dying), fear and trembling and horror (ver. 5). In fact, he says that he is “overwhelmed” in horror!

We need to give away our anxiety when our heart is anguished.

GIVE AWAY YOUR ANXIETY WHEN YOU ARE TROUBLED BY SIN – 55:9-11:

Notice here what causes David’s anxiety… Violence and strife in the city (ver. 9). Iniquity and mischief (ver. 10). People who are destructive as well as oppression and deceit (ver. 11).

When sin troubles you – whether your own sin or the sins of others – give away your anxiety.

GIVE AWAY YOUR ANXIETY WHEN YOUR FRIENDS BECOME “ENEMIES” – 55:12-15:

When I was in junior high school, my best friend was named Darren. But also when I was in junior high school, the person who aggravated me the most and disrespected my spirituality the most was also named Darren. They were the same people. When you expect friends to support you and then they don’t, it causes anxiety.

When your friends become your enemy, you’ve got to give away your anxiety.

GIVE AWAY YOUR ANXIETY IN PRAYER TO GOD – 55:16-21:

Certainly David has mentioned praying to God in verses 1-2. He brings it up again in verse 16 – “As for me…” He knows that God will save him. David’s trust is in the God who delivers. Notice in verse 17 that David mentions praying three times a day – just like Daniel does in 6:10 – evening, morning, and at noon. We don’t know if David is talking about praying at his meals, but that’s a good time to pray to God, just pray to help God get you through the next few hours. Sometimes that’s what we need to do to deal with our anxiety, just get through the next four hours. We don’t need to try to endure the challenges of life all at one time, just one hour at a time. David is confident – verse 17 – that God will hear his voice.

To give away your anxiety, pray to God.

GIVE AWAY YOUR ANXIETY AS YOU TRUST GOD TO SUSTAIN YOU – 55:22-23:

David then – as he nearly always did – turns his attention to his people and speaks directly to them: “Give your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you.” Pray to God. God will never allow the righteous to be shaken. He has the ability to stabilize our faith and strengthen our hearts. If our faith is not stabilized or our hearts feel weak, it is because we are not spending time with God and His word.

Give your anxiety away, giving it to God, and trust that He will sustain you.

Paul Holland