The CLBC Journal |
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The Benefits of Biblical Wisdom In our application of the Proverbs, we see not only instruction to gain wisdom and the source of it, but, also, the benefits knowledge yields to those who seek it. In the first chapter we saw the exhortation to fear God and obey parents. In the second chapter, Solomon teaches that wisdom leads to God. Pro 2:1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; Pro 2:2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Pro 2:3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; Pro 2:4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Pro 2:5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. We learn that wisdom is pleasant and leads to good ways. Pro 2:10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Pro 2:11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: He Leadeth Me Beside The Still Waters Most of us probably do not have a beautiful, formal garden in which to walk, pray or just read our Bibles while we contemplate the will of God for our lives. Just as one does not have to be inside a Church sanctuary to pray and worship, one does not need a garden in which to find peace and solitude while doing the above mentioned devotionals, but we find that both lend themselves to an enhancement of our experience.  Both the garden and sanctuary seem almost "proper" places to be with the Lord.The Psalmist says, "He leadeth me beside the still waters." One cannot recite the 23rd Psalm without realizing the inner peace the writer, David, was experiencing as he penned those words. The affirmation that the Spirit of God was present and leading him in a quiet, tranquil place for the restoration of his soul is purposefully expressed here. Like many of you, I do not have a formal garden, but I do have access to a couple of city parks within walking distance of my home. One has a river running through it, the other has a rolling landscape with small, wandering streams of water. Both have many large trees and shaded picnic tables where one may sit and read on a warm summer day. There are many places we can be alone with God and His Word, but I find a walk beside the still waters to be one of my favorites. I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Middle East Military Conflicts Each time a conflict breaks out between Israel and one of her Arab neighbors, the Christian community watches intently anticipating the possibility of the beginning of the final war referred to in Scripture as the battle of Armageddon. Others may refer to this same, final conflict as World War III. While the sequence of events leading up to this horrible event are frequently discussed in Christian circles and many books are written to warn us of the signs preceeding it, I think it should be noted that while some predictions may be more accurate than others none offered may be totally correct. While none would disagree that this final battle will, without a doubt, be the most destructive and bloodiest ever fought on planet Earth, there is quite a bit of disagreement over two other connected events. They are known as "The Great Tribulation" and the "Rapture." The Great Tribulation will be a period of time lasting seven years that will see the rise of the antichrist and the wrath of God poured out upon the Earth. Most Christans believe the climax of this period will be the final war of the age known as the battle of Armageddon and that it will be fought mainly in the valley of Megiddo, which is in Israel, but the entire world could be involved. The close of this age, ending with the final struggle between good and evil, will usher in the one thousand year reign of Christ on the Earth. There are some particulars concerning these events that many Christian theologians do not agree on, and the foregoing is a very simple offering of the main theme. For example, some teach that the one thousand year, millennial reign of Christ will not be on the Earth at all. Finally, the last topic we will discuss briefly is the rapture. This event will be evidenced by the disappearance of Christians, "The Church," from Earth as the Apostle Paul teaches in I Thessalonians chapter 4 and Matthew writes in his Gospel chapter 24, v v 40 and 41. However, the scholars are also in disagreement on the timing of this event. Most teach that it will occur before the beginning of the Great Tribulation. Others believe in a mid-tribulation disappearance of Christians occurring before the final three and one-half years, while a few believe it will be a post-tribulation rapture. The latter I believe to be a small minority. With so many different opinions and teachings, one fact stands out above all others: They certainly cannot all be correct. I would, also, then, respectfully add to this the very high probability that NONE may be. Theories remain theories until proven to be truth, but however these events unfold we are warned in the Scriptures of their inevitability. With Israel in the center of the world's stage most of the time, whatever takes place there is worthy of our attention. The Importance of a Testimony Many professing Christians of our day seem to be lacking a very fundamental prerequisite for claiming salvation and the name, Christian. That prerequisite is a testimony of God's saving grace actively working in their lives. From the day we accept Jesus as Lord and savior we have much to boldly proclaim to the world. Our testimony is a witness to God's love and power in our lives of which the world must be made aware. In Paul's letters we see that no matter how bad his circumstances the furtherance of the gospel was always his first consideration. Whether he was shipwrecked, persecuted or imprisoned, there was no pity party for Paul. He saw Christ at work in every situation and being content and secure with his testimony, boldy preached the gospel of Christ to his persecutors and captors. What we learn from his example brings us both joy and encouragement. The Joy we see comes from his staying focused on Christ instead of his circumstances. The encouragement comes from seeing what a person with a testimony can and must do without fear or hesitation. The worldliness of many congregations today rests on this lack of a testimony. Members are not proclaiming a testimony simply because they do not have one. Church rolls made up of many unsaved persons make it nothing more than a "social club" focused on a fellowship of entertainment rather than a fellowship in Christ. However, most have deluded themselves into thinking they are one and the same, often due to having a large membership and appearing to be successful. This is a great concern for all Bible believing Christians. The memberships are large, the buildings are full, and wealth is often present, but in many cases there is no genuine testimony of Christ's salvation. The church does not stand out as a beacon of truth, because there is no marked difference between it and the world. What is on the inside is the same as the outside. 2Co 1:12 For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward. Guilt, Grace and Gratitude If we were to outline, or provide an overview of a formal, Sunday morning, liturgical service we could certainly use guilt, grace and gratitude as the three main topics for such an outline. In a typical, liturgical service a confession of sins immediately follows the beginning invocation. This confession affirms what the apostle Paul states in his epistle to the Romans. He makes the point of guilt in 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" and shows the penalty for sin in 6:23a, "For the wages of sin is death." Then in the second part of that same verse, 6:23b, we see the grace of God in His gift of eternal life, "But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Following the corporate confession the service proceeds with an absolution, pronounced by the minister, assuring the congregation of forgiveness of sin for all those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The confession and absolution are known as the preparatory portion of the service. The service continues with the service of the Word. In this portion reading from the Scriptures, a sermon, responsive readings, the singing of Hymns, prayers and the reciting of an appropriate creed such as the Nicene or the Apostles' Creed is performed. Usually, the offering is received and presented to the alter before the benediction and the reciting of The Lord's Prayer. This will conclude the worship service if there is no communion. If there is the service of Holy Communion, it will immediately follow the offertory. During the service the gratitude of the congregation for God's mercy and blessing is expressed in their worship of Him through the singing of Hymns, prayer, preaching, the participation in Holy Communion and offerings. From this structure we see the adherence to the Word of God in guilt, grace and the expression of gratitude. The opposite of a liturgical worship service is known as a free service which is observed by many post reformation churches. This type service abandons a strict adherence to a structured worship. There is no beginning invocation or preparatory confession and absolution in a free service. Also, missing from most of these services will be the responsive readings and nearly all participation by the congregation except for the singing. It becomes more of a spectator type worship service with the pastor being the M.C. (emcee) or "star of the show." The congregation's evaluation of the service is based more on the pastor's personality and "style" than on any other aspect of the service, because the service is focused on him instead of the Word and guilt, grace and gratitude. Removing the Candlestick In Revelation Chapter Two we see another ministry of Jesus' as he walks in the midst of the candlesticks which represented the seven churches in Asia. Rev 2:1b These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks: From here he instructs John to write letters to the churches concerning their conduct. Most of these letters have a similar construction in common. Only the Church at Philadelphia received no criticism while the other letters contained a compliment, a complaint and finally a warning to repent. One of the penalties was having the the Church's candlestick removed from its place. Rev 2:5b Or else I will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. A church's conduct is just as important today as it was then. Many function as "organizations" or "clubs" with entertainment as the heart of their "ministry", but they no longer preach the truth and their candlestick was removed long ago. Jesus still checks the lampstands to see if a church's candle is burning. God can be trusted One of my favorite Hymns is, "Great is Thy Faithfulness." The words remind us that God is unchanging, "Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not; As thou hast been thou forever wilt be." Such security those words bring to the heart of the believer whether spoken or sung. Scripture also teaches us of God faithfulness. 1 John 1:9 tells us that, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." How blessed we are to have His Word. Our Holy God does not make promises He cannot or will not keep. His Word, the testimony of true believers, and the great Christian Hymns testify to us that the God of the Bible can always be trusted. Jesus, The Light of the World Jesus said, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." One of the most amazing things to be noted about light is the fact that it rules over darkness. It is always superior to darkness. When light is introduced into a dark room, the black, confining darkness must shrink back into the corners and under the furniture and allow the brilliant light to expose all that is within the room. In John 8:12 above, Jesus tells us that when we walk with Him through life, His sinless, shining glory will light our way and expose the obstacles in our path. In the wonderful light of Jesus' love, satan's lies are exposed and we may walk that straight and narrow path without fear of stumbling in the darkness. About This Journal This weblog is a read only journal added to this site for the purpose of posting Christian content selected or written by me. At this time there is no comment capability built into the journal. Many of the articles posted here will be from our newsletter, The Christian Life Counselor, a monthly publication of this ministry. Also, I am happy to announce I have learned that other Christian webpages and weblogs are linking to this journal. Are You Special? * Genesis 1:27 tells us that God created man in His own image. That makes us very special indeed! * God told the prophet Jeremiah that He knew him before he was formed in his mother's womb. Certainly, that applies to all of us. Basic Struggle One of the most basic struggles of the human heart seems to be the matter of accepting the Bible as the Word of God. Of course it is much easier to not read it if you doubt what it says is truth. Conversely, some would not read it because they fear it is truth. However, once you have cleared that hurdle, you realize that it is the very counsel that is needed daily by God's people. God's people delight in God's counsel for it is the "light to our path" and "makes us wise unto salvation." Man did not walk away from creation knowing all he would ever need to know. It was God's intention to always counsel man and that man should always seek it. Forgiveness Why must I forgive? One reason might be because I expect to be forgiven. Certainly, the best reasons are biblical. "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Mat 6:14,15) "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (I Joh 1:9) The lesson here is simply this. God expects me to forgive as He has forgiven me. I am expected to see that I have no right to withhold forgiveness when I have been so freely forgiven. Forgiveness is an action before it is a feeling. We may not feel like forgiving, but we must do it anyway and without reservations. You may not have felt like getting out of bed this morning, but you probably did anyway. Relationships often bog down when placing blame and exacting punishment replace love and forgiveness. We simply cannot know love without forgiveness. When I have experienced forgiveness I know that I am loved. A spirit of unforgiveness is a hinderance to love and healing. REVENGE will get you even with your enemy, but FORGIVENESS will put you above him. (Used with permission from The Christian Life Counselor. Author: Jerry L. Ginther) |
