What must I do to be saved?

Perhaps not all of us can teach a class, but there are a number of ways in which we can help those who do teach and make our Bible classes of greater profit. Here is a list of some things you can do:

1. BRING YOUR CHILDREN (Don’t just send them). With things the way they are in the world today, your children need all the help they can get — especially spiritual help. There is no better place for them than the Bible classes.
2. BRING/ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO ATTEND. Use your half-empty automobile to bring others (children or adults) to our Bible studies. We cannot expect others to come unless we first invite and encourage them. Remember, we have classes for all ages.
3. PARENTS, HELP YOUR CHILDREN WITH THEIR BIBLE LESSONS. No doubt you are concerned about whether your children complete their school homework assignments. Are you as concerned about their Bible lessons? Do you know what they are studying? Do you ever discuss the Bible with them? Encourage your child to prepare the lesson if one has been assigned.
4. PARENTS, ASK YOUR CHILD’S TEACHER HOW HE/SHE IS DOING IN THE CLASS. Perhaps there are some things you could do to help. Are you as concerned about your children’s spiritual progress as you are his/her secular education?
5. OFFER A FEW WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT TO YOUR TEACHER (or to the teacher of your child). By so doing, you will not only let teachers know that you care, but will bolster their confidence and inspire them to greater efforts.
6. STUDY, STUDY, STUDY! You can attend every class that meets, but unless you study (preferably, both before and after) it will be of little benefit. There are too many who let the teacher do all of the studying. Do you suppose that might be one reason why there are not more who are able to teach?
7. PARTICIPATE IN THE CLASS DISCUSSIONS. When you study your lesson and become enthusiastic about it you will find it difficult not to participate. Participation is a sure sign that the learning process is in motion.
8. VOLUNTEER TO TEACH. Good teachers for Bible classes are always in demand. Let someone know if you desire to be of help.
9. PRAY FOR THE TEACHERS AND THE RECEPTION OF THE LESSONS.
10. ATTEND EVERY BIBLE STUDY. These periods of study will make both you and the congregation stronger. We all need to continue to grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord (2 Pet. 3:18). Can you think of a better or more important way to spend an hour? Above all, don’t let their labor be in vain. Do all that you can as a student of the Word and as a servant of the Lord.

– by Bob Dickey

Three boys were playing on the beach.  A man came along and said to them, “Would you like to have a race and the winner receive a prize?”

The boys agreed.  The man told them that his race was to be different.  “I will go a little farther down the beach,” he said, “and when I give you the signal, you will start to run.  The one whose footsteps form the straightest line in the sand will be the winner.”

The race commenced.

• The first boy kept looking at his feet to see if his steps were straight.
• The second lad kept looking at his companions to see what they were doing.
• The third boy just ran on with his eyes steadfastly fixed on the man at the finish line.

Who won the race?

The boy who kept his eyes on the man and ran toward him made the straightest path in the sand.  He was the winner.

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2 NASB).

The Christian life is likened to a race.  The winner of the race receives eternal life in heaven.  The Good News is that there isn’t just a single winner.  All of those who run the race faithfully to the end will receive the prize (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

The key to victory is to keep your eyes on Jesus.  The verb means to look away from all other things and focus on One: Jesus.

Look to Jesus, for He is the One who made our salvation possible.  He died on the cross for our sins so that we can be forgiven and receive the gift of eternal life (Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 2:24).  He “endured the cross, despising the shame” so that we can have an eternal home in heaven.

Look to Jesus as the Supreme Example (1 Peter 2:21; 1 John 2:6).  Others may lead us astray, but Jesus won’t.  Seek to follow His steps, and He will lead you in the right direction.

Look to Jesus, for He is “the way, the truth, and the life” and no one goes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).

God will save 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 into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  This is how we enter the race.  Then, we must finish the race faithfully.  As we fix our eyes on Jesus and walk (or “run”) in the light of His Word, His atoning blood continues to cleanse us from sin (1 John 1:7-9).

Fix your eyes on Jesus and follow Him through your trusting obedience.  He will lead you to victory.

On your mark… Get set… Go!

— David A. Sargent

We often make comments like: “Can things get any worse than this?” Or “How long is God going to wait before He sends Jesus back again?” And we mean by that, “Hasn’t God gotten sick and tired of the world as it is?”

To answer those questions: #1 – Yes, things can get worse. #2 – I don’t know. #3 – Apparently, not yet. In 2 Peter 3:15, in the context of people arguing that Jesus isn’t coming back any time soon because He hasn’t come back and everything seems to be pretty normal, the apostle Peter says that we need to consider the “patience of our Lord as salvation.” In other words, God has not yet sent Jesus because God is waiting for more people to hear the gospel and more people to obey the gospel, and to repent of their sins.

I’m guessing that those same questions that we ask ourselves, the Christians in the first century were asking themselves. The lesson we are learning from chapter 9 in this study is that God is waiting and desiring for man to repent (2 Peter 3:9).

WHAT’S HAPPENED IN CHAPTER 8:

Trumpet #1 (8:7) – While this is a metaphor for God’s wrath on the Roman Empire, it is also a message about God’s grace. He’s not destroying everything. Not yet.

Trumpet #2 (8:8-9) – God is attacking the maritime trade of the nation of Rome.

Trumpet #3 (8:10-11) – We see both God’s wrath and His mercy – He has not yet destroyed all of mankind who persecutes His people.

Trumpet #4 (8:12) – It is simply a metaphor for God’s wrath and His mercy.

THE FIFTH TRUMPET – 9:1-12:

The locusts, are of course a metaphor, an emoji, taken from the eighth plague on Egypt (Exo. 10:1-20) from Exodus. But these locusts in John’s vision are quite different. These locusts have power.

In fact, these locusts / scorpions are not given power by God to kill anyone. They can only torment for five months. Just like the time of 10 days given in Revelation 2:10 is figurative for a short period of time, so here “five months” is a figurative period of a short time, but longer than the persecution Christians would experience.

The picture of these locusts are “like” horses prepared for battle. God is going to bring the Parthians against Rome and eventually they will defeat Rome. That’s how God will not just bring Rome to its knees but destroy Rome as a force against His people. They wore crowns of victory on their heads, crowns of gold. Their faces were like human faces; their hair was like the hair of women; their teeth were like the teeth of lions.

THE SIXTH TRUMPET #6 – 9:13-19:

How big of an army is God going to bring against the Roman Empire? According to the Brookings Institute, China has the world’s largest army at 2.8 million. The US has about half that number. Other countries with armies larger than 1 million are: Russia, India, and North Korea. How big is the army God is going to bring against the Roman Empire? Christians in the first century were probably thinking that very thing: What size army is God going to have to assemble in order to bring down the Roman Empire?

“The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.” Literally the number is “two myriads times myriads” with “myriads” being 10,000. So, it’s 20,000 times 10,000. So the number is designed to encourage Christians that God will take care of the problem! The Roman Empire’s army at this time was estimated to be about 150,000 with a reserve corps of about 150,000. So God’s “army” is going to be 700 times larger than the world’s most powerful military at that time.

The Lord has always tried to teach mankind that He can “save by many or by few” (1 Sam. 14:6).

God’s mercy limits the scope of His wrath because, in the words of Paul: “God wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). But, the flip-side of this idea that God wants all men to be saved is that all men will not be saved because all men will not repent. God has punished / killed 1/3 of mankind. But that destruction – as we saw with Pharaoh and the Egyptians – punishment does not always motivate hard-headed and hard-hearted people to repent…

The verb “to repent” is used 34 times in the NT, 1/3 of those are in the book of Revelation. And the command to “repent” is given first and foremost to Christians who were not living according to the gospel and not teaching the gospel accurately: 2:5, 16, 21-22; 3:3, 19.

CONCLUSION:

1. God will judge evil.
2. God wants the wicked to repent.

Rich Reality from Revelation #5: God wants all men to repent.

Paul Holland

Paul wrote to the Roman Christians and said, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death?” (Ro. 6:3). Paul was one hundred percent sure that “All” Christians in Rome had been “baptized into Christ.” All means ALL!

Paul wrote to the Galtian Christians and said, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Ga. 3:26,27). Again, Paul was positive that all who had become “sons of God” were “baptized into Christ” through faith. If “All” does not mean “ALL” then what does it mean?

It means that “all” who were a member of the church, who were “sons of God,” who had “clothed” themselves with Christ,” had done so through baptism.  Not “All” who had only believed, or “All” who had said a prayer, or all who had made a confession, but “All” who had been baptized. Would this teach that baptism was not necessary for some? Would an honest heart say that “All” does not mean “All”? Again, this time to the church in Corinth, we read, “For by one Spirit we were All baptized into one body” (1 Co. 12:13). Are you a part of the “All” who have been baptized, or a part of the “none” who have been taught otherwise?

-Dennis Doughty

    The attacks on 9/11 hit the United States in symbolic ways. If terrorists really wanted to bring the US to its knees, they would hit our power grid or oil refineries. 

    This gives some idea what the Egyptians faced when their river turned to blood. The Nile meant everything to them: transportation, nourishment, even an object of worship.

GOD’S DEMAND:

    When God performed his miracles along the Nile, God struck ten mighty blows against not only the Egyptians but also their gods (12:12; Num. 33:4).

    The story of the first mighty blow begins with God’s demand: Exo. 7:14-16.

    The way God dealt with Pharaoh shows that his demands are nonnegotiable. Every time Pharaoh encountered God, he was confronted with the same God making the same demand. God never changed his terms or issued a counteroffer.

    The reason God required Pharaoh to let his people go was very simple. Ultimately it was the same reason for everything that God requires. It was for his own glory. The verb “to know” is used 45 times in the book of Exodus. God wanted Israel to know that He was their God; He wanted Egypt to know He was the God of Egypt as well.

    God often used signs and wonders, especially in the life of Christ and the early days of the church in Acts, to prove that he is Lord. One of the reasons Jesus performed so many miracles was to prove his lordship: Matt. 11:4-5.

EGYPT’S DISTRESS

    The result of Pharaoh’s failure to meet God’s demand was great suffering in Egypt: Exodus 7:20-21. Divine judgment is not an idle threat. God always makes sure that his enemies get what they deserve.

    Ultimately, however, it was God’s power that turned the life-giving Nile into a blood-red river of death. There was blood everywhere.

    Remember how important the Nile was to the Egyptians’ life and economy. Americans trust the NASDAQ as much as the Egyptians trusted the gods of the Nile. Some Americans worship nature almost as much as the Egyptians did. One day, God will humble this country as He did Egypt. 

PHARAOH’S DISOBEDIENCE

    When the Egyptians’ gods were taken away, they hardened their hearts and refused to worship the God of Israel: 7:22-24. But all the magicians could do was “replicate” the miracle of the blood; they could not take away the blood. In other words, they made the punishment worse, not better. 

    The supreme example of Satan’s self-defeating efforts is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. At the time of the crucifixion, it must have seemed like Satan’s greatest triumph: the Son of God suffering, bleeding, and dying on a wooden cross. But putting Christ on the cross was actually Satan’s own suicide. 

    Exodus 7 closes with the pathetic picture of Pharaoh’s servants digging feverishly for ground water: 7:24. We do not know if they were successful. The text leads us to believe, in my opinion, that the judgment was thorough and they did not find any water. Not for a week (7:25).

    As we study Revelation through the year, we’ll probably not study chapter 16, although I will summarize it. The book of Revelation describes the seven angels who will pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the enemies of God’s people, who in Revelation are the Romans. In Revelation 16:3-7, John uses the “river of blood” to denote God’s judgment on Rome, as He had done against Egypt. Yet, as with Pharaoh and the Egyptians this action did not bring the Roman pagans to repentance (16:9). 

    If it teaches us nothing else, the book of Exodus teaches us not to trust in other gods because they will not save us.

    A river of blood will either destroy us or the shed blood will save us. It depends on which G/god we serve.

Paul Holland

When Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel he also presented a challenge to the children of Israel.  He said, “How long go ye limping between the two sides? if Jehovah be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him” (1 Kings 18:21).  God has always expected His people to declare themselves.  This same challenge needs to be presented to those who would identify themselves as the people of God today. If we are going to serve Jehovah then let’s do so.  There is no room in the kingdom of God for half-hearted, lukewarm service (See Revelation 3:14-19).  To those members of the body of Christ who are not faithful in their service to the Lord, we ask, “How long go ye limping between the two sides?

– by James Hahn

Previously James has alluded to problems of the tongue (see 1:19, 26). Now he brings this matter into focus. He begins our text by giving a peculiar sounding warning: “Not many of you should become teachers…” (v. 1). Of course, teaching the Word of God is a commendable pursuit to say the least. But being entrusted with the Word of God is no light matter (see 1 Thes. 2:4; 2 Tim. 4:1-4).

Now carefully consider the flow of the text from chapter two, remembering of course that the chapter divisions are man made. James has just given emphasis to what must have been a problematic misunderstanding regarding faith apart from works at that time (see 2:26). Why the warning about the seriousness of teaching in 3:1? Surely it must at least be somewhat related to the warning just given one verse earlier! Teachers are responsible for the Bible teaching that proceeds from their mouth’s and must speak “oracles of God” (1 Pt. 4:11) and be sure that the word of truth is rightly handled (2 Tim. 2:15).

Verse 2 brings to light just how easy it is to stumble with our words. This fact alone calls us (especially those who teach God’s Word) to exercise great care with the words we utter. Possessing a high degree of proficiency in this area is certainly a mark of great spiritual maturity.

In verses 3 through 5 James uses analogies to put this matter into proper perspective. He alludes to two things that are controlled by such a small member: the bit in a horses mouth and the rudder of a ship. In both cases, the course of the thing is controlled by something that is disproportionately small in comparison to the overall thing (the horse and the ship). Yet, these two very small members direct the whole. The tongue is like these in that it is a very small member of the human anatomy, yet it is often extremely challenging to control, and can easily taint all of one’s being (see v. 6; compare James 1:26-27). We should not be surprised that the unrighteous tongue is said to be “set on fire by hell.” The good thing here is that when the devil lights a fire in our mouth it can be extinguished by simply shutting it!

However, the magnitude of difficulty is further emphasized through the acknowledgement of man’s ability to tame animals, but the “restless evil” of the tongue, is quite another matter! James’ warnings in this section should not be viewed as giving no hope for controlling one’s speech, but emphasizes the great challenge he faces.

The final few verses of this text shows the inconsistency that Christians need to avoid. Christians should not, or must not, use the tongue for praising God and cursing their fellow man. This is obviously inconsistent, especially since their fellow man is made in the image of God! As a spring does not bring forth both fresh and salt water; a fig tree does not bear olives; a grapevine does not produce figs; and a salt pond does not give fresh water; so the Christian’s tongue does not utter professions which are contrary to the truth of God nor the love of God.

Remember what James said about the tongue in chapter 1: “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless” (v. 26).

Daren Schroeder

In southern Chile there is a volcano named Calbuco. The volcano erupted at least once every 16 years, and usually more often than that, from 1893 to 1972. Then Calbuco sat dormant for more than 40 years, until April 22–30, 2015. The eruptions in 2015 were so violent that smoke and ash shot more than 6 miles into the sky. People were terrified and had to evacuate their homes, leaving several villages looking like ghost towns. Though the volcano had been dormant for more than 40 years, the danger was always there.

In Matthew 5:21–26, Jesus addresses one of the most common issues Christians face: anger. Jesus prefaces his teaching on anger by citing the sixth commandment, “You shall not murder” (cf. Exod. 20:13). In this section of the sermon, Jesus draws out two earlier claims in practical terms. First, he says he came to fulfill the Law and Prophet (Matt. 5:17). Second, he says his disciples’ righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees (v. 20). This teaching on anger and its relation to the sixth commandment demonstrates both claims.

Jesus addresses three matters that violate the heart of the sixth commandment: anger, insults, and grudges. Cain’s anger led him to kill his brother Abel (Gen. 4:5–8). Insults involve an improper value judgment made by the one doing the insulting. Specifically, Jesus says, “whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council” (NKJV). The NASB offers this rendering for “Raca” – “good-for-nothing.” Insulting someone else amounts to dishonoring an entity made in God’s image; murder takes this mindset to its natural conclusion. Finally, Jesus condemns grudges. From a moral standpoint, treating someone as though they are dead amounts to killing them in our hearts.

What can the Christian do? We have to move out of the shadow of Calbuco. We cannot nurture anger in our hearts and imagine we will somehow avoid deadly eruptions. James says we should “be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger,” and “receive with meekness the implanted word” (James 1:19; 21). Quoting from Proverbs, Paul writes, “‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:20–21).

If we will: listen more and speak less; focus on each individual as a person loved and valued by God, so much that He sent His only Son to redeem this one (cf. John 3:16); frequently let God’s Word into our hearts, then we will find we have moved out of the shadow of our own anger, and into God’s delightful presence.

Clay Leonard

The headlines read, “Thousands of Baptisms Invalidated.” Apparently, a Catholic priest in Arizona used the words “we baptize you..” instead of “I baptized you…” resulting in the invalidation of thousands of baptisms, according to the Catholic Church.

This news story raises a couple of questions that I have heard Christians sometimes ask.

Are there specific words that must be spoken at the time of one’s baptism?  While we almost always say something when baptizing someone, the truth of the matter is that there is no formula that must be stated when one is baptized. The expression, “I baptize you into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” is what we are to do, not what we are to say! There is not a single verse in the Bible that gives instruction concerning what the one administering the baptism must say.

Can the administrator invalidate one’s baptism? For instance, what if he says something wrong, as in the news story? Or what if he is secretly a charlatan and not a genuine disciple of Jesus? Again, the Bible places no importance on the administrator of baptism, but upon the understanding of the one being baptized. Imagine what it would require to have security in one’s own salvation if the character of the baptizer was essential. If this were true, I would need to know the genuine character of the person who baptized me, as well as the person who baptized him, and follow that line all the way back to Pentecost! Consider this line of reasoning…

1. It is possible for one to know he is saved (1 John 5:13).
2. However, it is impossible for the one being baptized to know the genuineness of the one doing the baptizing. We can’t know what is hidden in another man’s heart (1 Corinthians 2:11).
3. Therefore, the genuineness of the one doing the baptizing is not essential for one to know that he is saved.

The important thing in baptism is what the one being baptized understands. He must have “faith in the operation/working of God” (Colossians 2:12) and “obey from the heart” (Romans 6:17). As for the administrator, God’s word gives no instructions as to who this is to be and what he must say or know.

by Steve Higginbotham

When we think about Jesus and material possessions, perhaps we think of passages like Luke 8:3 that tell us He lived from the financial support of Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and many others. Or His own words: “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Luke 9:58). Jesus lived humbly. Despite this, how often do we reflect on Jesus’ giving?

• He gave Himself. Scripture says this explicitly in several places. He gave Himself “for our sins” (Gal. 1:4;). He gave Himself “for me” (Gal. 2:20). He gave Himself “for us” (Eph. 5:2; Ti. 2:14). He gave Himself for the church (Eph. 5:25). He gave Himself “for all” (1 Tim. 2:6). No matter how you look at the cross, it must be described in terms of His giving. This gift was the most significant act of all history. The writer of Hebrews says “we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (10:10). Isn’t it interesting that Paul praises the unexpected generosity of the Macedonian givers, in part, by saying “they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God” (2 Cor. 8:5). Gracious, generous giving is impossible without our first giving ourselves to God. Submitting ourselves to Him in utter dependency, yielding our will and desires, is a prerequisite for Christlike giving.
• He found it more blessed to give than receive (Acts 20:35). This was His mentality and outlook. His default position was doing for others, not having others do for Him (Mat. 20:28). Paul, speaking with the Ephesian elders, reflects back on this character trait of Jesus, saying, “In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” What is Paul talking about? In the context, he is talking about material things like gold, silver, and clothing (33), material needs (34), and helping the weak by working hard (35). He’s not referring to the Sunday collection (cf. 1 Cor. 16:1-2), but an attitude of heart instead. Again, the Macedonians embodied this attitude. Paul is still speaking of them when he writes, “Each one must do as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). We should grow to the point where it brings us joy to give to God. Isn’t that how Jesus gave Himself for us? Study Hebrews 12:1-3 closely!
• He gave with grace (2 Cor. 8:9). Most lexical definitions of “grace” include the word “gift,” “favor,” and “benefit.” These are undoubtedly giving terms and, when Paul uses it in 2 Corinthians 8:9, a financial term. Paul says, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” He ties Christ’s gracious giving to his admonition that Corinth be gracious givers, too. He urges them to complete this gracious work (6), to abound in this gracious work (7), and co-participate in this gracious work (19-20). For Jesus, grace meant giving up something to meet the needs of others. For us, gracious giving means giving up something to supply the needs of others. Like with Jesus, we prove the sincerity of our love by gracious giving (8).

Should we give out of duty and obligation? Not entirely and certainly not primarily. Should we give out of gratitude? That’s certainly better than guilt. How about giving out of an effort to imitate our Savior? When we are giving, it is not merely “to the church.” It is giving to the head of the church, the one who gave everything to purchase it (Acts 20:28). Remarkably, sacrificial giving is a tangible, explicit way for us to give like Jesus. Could there be a stronger motivation?

Neal Pollard