Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Have Faith in God
Have Faith in Godby Pastor Lee Roberson, D.D."And Jesus answering saith unto them-Have faith in God." —Mark 11:22This statement of the Lord Jesus needs to be written upon all our hearts.As we rise to face each new day, we should "have faith in God." As the day comes to a close and we review what we have tried to do, again there should be that sense of committing everything to God. Whether in sunshine or rain, it will help us to have these inspired words before us: HAVE FAITH IN GOD.Notice that Jesus did not say, "Have faith." All about us there are would-be advisors who tell troubled people to have faith. The statement is incomplete unless it reads, "Have faith IN GOD."
I trust that in this simple message I can help you to lift up your eyes unto the Lord from whence cometh our help.
Illustration:A traveler in southeastern France was told if he would climb a certain hill, he could see the Alps several miles away. He did, but could see nothing but the mists rising from the plains below. Then someone said, "Look higher." He did so, and towering within his delighted vision were the snow-white peaks.
Let us, too, heed such a command and look higher unto the hills and beyond for our help.
Faith is made up of belief and trust. Many people believe God, but they do not trust themselves into His keeping and care; consequently, they are filled with worry and fear.
Worry is nothing but practical infidelity. The person who worries reveals his lack of trust in God and that he is trusting too much in self.
Let us learn today that in all true faith there is complete committal to God.
Illustration:
A party of visitors going through the national mint was told by a workman in the smelting works that if the hand were dipped in water, the ladle would pour its contents over the palm without burning it. "Perhaps you would like to try it," said the workman to a man standing nearby.
The gentleman said, shrinking back, "No, thank you. I prefer to take your word for it."
Then turning to the man's wife, he said, "Perhaps, madam, you would like to make the experiment."
"Certainly," she replied. And suiting the action to the word, she bared her arm, thrust her hand into a bucket of water, and calmly held it out while the metal was poured over it.
Turning to the man, the workman quietly said, "You, sir, believed, but your wife trusted."
Now, let us consider this text in the light of God's past performances and His promises for today and the future.I. HE DID NOT FAIL MEN IN OLDEN DAYS
Sacred history points out to us that no man who had faith in God was ever disappointed.
Turn to Hebrews 11—the great faith chapter. That~ word "faith" occurs some twenty-five times in this chapter alone. Some seventeen people are mentioned as examples of what faith in God accomplished. I wish that we had time to consider every one of these names in God's ‘Hall of Fame'
In Abel, we have the worship of faith.
In Enoch, the walk of faith.
In Noah, the witness of faith.
In Abraham, the wandering of faith.
In Sarah, the waiting of faith.
In Moses, the work of faith.
In verse 32, we have the success of faith as exemplified in Gideon's life. The song of faith given us by Barak, the supplications of faith by David, the sweet singer of Israel, and the singleness of faith as made known in Samuel.
Through flood and fire, stones and swords, destitution and death, affliction and torment, God delivered His people.
I like to read about Elijah and his faith. First, God answered his prayer and brought fire from Heaven, consuming an altar of wood, stone, sacrifice and water, then answered his faith by sending a downpour of rain upon a parched and destitute country.
What a joy to read about Daniel, a young man whose faith towered above all others, just as Mt. Everest towers above all other mountains in the world. Nothing was able to daunt the faith of Daniel. The threatening of an enemy could not shake him; the prospect of the lion's den did not move him from his course. Daniel had faith in God. Sacred history records that God did not fail him.
Nothing but encouragement can come to us as we dwell upon the faithful dealing of our Heavenly Father in centuries gone by. Faith in God has not saved people from hardships and trials, but it has enabled them to bear tribulations courageously and to emerge victoriously.
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs tell us that men and women with faith in God faced every conceivable torment and death without faltering. In the early centuries when persecution was meted out without mercy, men were known to sing and smile as the fires consumed their bodies.
Doesn't your very heart burn to have such faith in God as the spiritual giants of the olden days had?
II. HE IS ABLE TO WORK MIRACLES TODAY
Let us read the verses which follow our text:
"Have faith in God,
"For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith
"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. "— Mark 11:22-24.
These words are shocking to our modern, materialistic minds; but Jesus said what He meant and meant what He said. Nowhere in this Bible do we find a statement canceling this prayer promise. On the other hand, the Bible is full of promises supporting this statement by Jesus.
Note:
When George Mueller began his mighty work of prayer, he based his faith upon this promise. At first he prayed, then waited for God's answer, then gave thanks. But as he read and re-read these words, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them," he began thanking God for His answer even at the time the request was made. If we pray in faith believing, this is as it should be.
It gives me unusual joy to shout out these words, "God answers prayer!"
This is a faithless old world. Men and women are hardheaded, pleasure-mad, money crazy. They write up their successes and say, "The power and might of my hand have done these things." God has been ruled out; consequently, the thrill and romance of true living are gone for most people.
If you are a child of God, know that every promise in the Bible is yours. The Bible is a gold mine, waiting for someone to take out its riches.
Most of us are too much like the woman who received a letter, but in her distress, went to a friend to try to secure some money before opening it. The friend said, "Why, I sent you money yesterday!" "Dear, dear," replied the poor soul, "that must be the letter I put behind the looking glass."
There are people putting God*s letter to mankind in some hiding place and failing to make use of the promises meant for them.
What is your need? Take it to the Lord in prayer.
III. HE WILL TAKE CARE OF THE FUTURE
A Salvation Army girl said, "I don't know what's in the future, but I know the Lord is, and I know I am in Him."
It is true that most of our worries are about things that never happen. We anticipate trouble. We cross bridges before we get to them. We spend sleepless nights thinking about things which will likely never come to pass. People become chronic worriers. Even Christians worry until it becomes a habit.
Someone said, "Worry is the interest we pay on trouble before it is due.
Are you worried about the future? Then listen to these Scriptures.
"Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. "—Ps. 37:5.
Are you a Christian, yet worry about provisions for the future? Then hear these words of the psalmist:
"I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. "—Ps. 37:25.
Jesus said,
"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, not gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?"—Matt. 6:25,26.
Paul says to us,
"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. . . . But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. "—Phil. 4:6,7,19.
Another kind of faith that I want to tell you about today is saving faith. Without this saving faith, man looks into the future and cries, "Where will I spend eternity?" Without saving faith, all that I have said this evening avails nothing.
What is this faith that is the foundation of time and eternity? It is faith in Christ, God's Son. Phillips Brooks' definition of faith has been helpful to many people: F-A-I-T-H means Forsaking All, I Take Him.
Yes, to be saved there must be an acceptance of Jesus and a committing of oneself to Him. This done, salvation is sure and eternity is settled. We can then say with the Apostle Paul, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."
The blessed thing about this salvation is that we can have it at the very moment we receive the Lord Jesus. After possessing it, fear of a dark future is taken away and peace comes in.
Illustration:
When Cannon Wilberforce was in this country, he told how a miner, having heard the Gospel, determined that if it promised his immediate salvation, he would not leave the presence of the preacher until he was in possession of that salvation.
After the meeting was over, he addressed the minister in his rude speech,
"Didn't ye say I could have the blessing now?"
"Yes, my friend," answered the preacher.
"Then pray with me now, for I*m not going away without it."
And they did pray, both the minister and the man. Waiting before God until the miner heard silent words from the still small voice of the Spirit and knew that he was saved. Then he started up, saying, "I have got it now!" His face was all aglow as he repeated, "I have got it now!"
The next day a terrible accident occurred in the mines. When the preacher reached the scene, the dead and dying were on every side. Searching among them, he came upon this big, brawny fellow whom he had seen the night before. He was dying, also. But when he recognized the minister, his eyes flashed with their new light as he said, "Oh, I don*t mind to die, for I have got it! I have got it! It is mine!"
END
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Logic Must Prove the King James Bible
Logic Must Prove the King James Bible
mond, Indiana for over 42 years)
Matthew 24:35, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."
I'm not attacking the Catholic church tonight. I'm not a Catholic. Maybe you noticed the sign out in front of our church that says, "First Baptist." I never think I'm being unkind if I have the same thing on the inside that we have on the outside. I want you to listen carefully. I'm going to state some facts about the Catholic church. They are facts; they are not railing accusations. They are facts, and any Catholic who is honest will tell you that what I'm going to say is true about the Catholic church. It is not a matter of my making false accusations; it's a matter of record.
I am also going to say some things about the Charismatics tonight. I'm more Catholic than I am charismatic. I've got more respect for the pope than I do the P.T.L. Club, and I mean that. However, my respect for the pope is not really soaring! Don't get mad now. I want to help you. I'm simply saying that I'm going to give you some facts. I'm going to give some facts about the Charismatics, and if a charismatic is honest, he will agree with the facts I'm going to give. There will be no accusations, no gossip and no slander; I will just give facts that any charismatic would give.
Also, I'm going to say some things tonight about Protestantism. In fact, I may not miss anybody tonight. Everything I say will be factual. I will be the kind of thing with which even the people about whom I speak will agree. So I want you to listen. With the battle raging as it is about the King James Bible, I think that any pastor ought to alert his people.
When I was a boy, from the time I remember-- I remember back when I was two and three years of age-- until I went into the paratroopers in World War II when I was 18, my mother would read to me for 30 minutes every night from the Bible. Then she would hold it up and say, "This is the Word of God!" She did not say, "The manuscripts from which we got this are the Word of God." My mom didn't even know what a manuscript was. She just knew she had a Book that was the Word of God. That's all she knew. So, she said, "This is the Word of God." I would look at it, and I would have to say three times, "Mama, the Bible is the Word of God. The Bible is the Word of God. The Bible is the Word of God."
I have Mama's Bible-- the same one she read-- in my office. I've had it there for years. I don't know how old it is, but I suspect it is 55 or 60 years old. It is the same Bible she used to hold up. I was thumbing through it the other day. On the inside, it says on the title page, "King James Bible." That's what it says. You know it worked. It's amazing how well Mama did before she found out that it wasn't the Word of God.
I've been going to Baptist churches for 51 years. Every pastor I've ever had preached from the King James Bible. He always said to the crowd, "Open your Bibles and let's hear what the Lord says." These pastors were not unfortunate enough to have sat at the feet of those with lower education-- which calls itself "higher education."
It is amazing how well this nation did when we didn't know how ignorant we were. (Are you listening?) This is my fifth pastorate. I've seen miracles in my pastorates. I've preached over 41,000 times, and I've never yet preached a sermon that wasn't preached from the King James Bible. I really don't know what I've missed. To be quite frank with you, I've seen fellows who preach from other Bibles, and I somehow get the idea THEY are missing something. Dr. Evans, I've never seen a fellow really whoop it up about any other Bible. I've never heard a fellow say, "Blessed be God, let's look in the Book. Let's look in the Douay Version."
Did you ever go to mass and have the priest get up and say, "Hallelujah for the Word of God!" Don't get mad at me! I'm telling the truth. If you don't believe it, go next Sunday and see. He will usually use that prayer book and not a Bible.
Follow me. I've taught you about the Textus Receptus, Westcott and Hort, those manuscripts from which came the Douay Version that the Catholics use and the American Standard Version, which is highly overrated. The Westcott and Hort manuscripts came from the Vatican manuscripts that were hidden in the Vatican for years-- from whence came the Catholic Bible.
The Textus Receptus manuscripts are those from which we have gotten the King James, and they have been the evangelistic manuscripts, if you please. I won't go into that. I'm a Textus Receptus man. I haven't got a bit of patience with Westcott and Hort. Not a bit! In fact, I really have a hard time not being bitter against my Greek professors in college who taught me from Westcott and Hort Greek manuscripts. It upsets me greatly.
This is the message. The question at hand is this: Where is the final authority for church building and for Christian living? There are four different final authorities in American Christendom. I'm not talking about Mormonism and those who have other books. I'm talking about Christendom. There are four basic final authorities.
1. SOME VIEW THE CHURCH AS THE FINAL AUTHORITY.
This is fact. Any honest Catholic priest will tell you that the Catholic position on the final authority is that the church has final authority. If you want to go a little farther than that, if the pope speaks ex cathedra, he is the final authority. Ask any Catholic or read any Catholic doctrine, and both will tell you that. I'm not trying to be critical. I'm telling you the truth. If a Catholic priest were standing here, he'd tell you the same thing.
Our Catholic friends believe that the church is the final authority. If the pope speaks ex cathedra, that's God speaking. I'm not being critical; I'm being factual. There is a second final authority.
2. SOME VIEW EXPERIENCE AS THE FINAL AUTHORITY.
In other words, "It happened to me, so it's true. I was there when it happened, and I ought to know. I had an experience. I saw Jesus. I saw a vision. I have a word of knowledge." This is the charismatic position. Ask them. They will say, "I have a message from God, so this is God talking. God gave me a message." (The foolish thing about that is, if that is true, you had better start writing more Bible.)
When this happens, people believe the final authority comes from experience. God has supposedly given someone a message. Someone talks in tongues, and somebody else interprets what God said. However, the truth is, all that God has ever said to man is right here in this Book. This is it. This is God's complete revelation to man!
By the way, that is the basis of the whole thing: What is the final authority? There has to be some place, ladies and gentlemen, where we can say, "This is it, and what this says is the final word." So, our Catholic friends say the church is the final authority. Our charismatic friends go beyond the Bible and say human experience is the final authority.
3. SOME VIEW HUMAN REASONING AS THE FINAL AUTHORITY.
That's what liberal people say. "Every man is searching for the truth, and every man gets a portion of it; so, nobody is wrong, and nobody is right. We are all searching, so it doesn't seem to me that God would make a Hell; therefore, there is no Hell. It doesn't make sense to me that God would let anybody go to Hell, so God wouldn't let anybody go to Hell. It doesn't make sense to me that God would regenerate anybody, so there is no such thing as regeneration." That's what most of our Protestant friends believe, and all the humanist crowd believes it. That's what the liberal believes. That's what 95% of all the people in the seminaries in America believe. That's what 95% of all the faculty and students in religious colleges in America believe-- the final authority is the human mind or human reasoning.
The average Protestant church in Hammond believes that. "I don't see how there could be a place with golden streets. If I don't see how there could be, there isn't one." That is idolatry in its most pagan form. "My mind is my God. What I can't conceive of, I won't believe. What I can't understand, I won't accept. So, I'll trim the Bible down to fit what I can believe. I just can't believe there is a God of wrath, so there is no God of wrath."
All right, we have the first three answers to the question, "What is the final authority?" The church is, according to our Catholic friends. Human experience is, according to our charismatic friends. Human reasoning is, according to our liberal and Protestant friends.
4. SOME VIEW THE BIBLE AS THE FINAL AUTHORITY.
Every church in America in Christendom who had services this morning had a preacher who stood up and preached what he believed. He either preached that he believed that the final authority is the church, or that the final authority is human experience, or that the final authority is human reasoning, or that the final authority is the Bible.
The only authority that we as independent Baptists believe is the Bible. There was a day when I could say Baptists, but the truth is, most of the Southern Baptist colleges and seminaries are staffed by professors who don't believe that the Bible is the final authority. I may as well say it all. There's not a single Southern Baptist college or seminary to which I'd recommend anybody to go any more. None! I went to a Southern Baptist college and seminary. Thirty-five years ago, I heard a professor in my seminary say that he didn't believe the resurrection. He said that the resurrection was a bunch of blindfolded spirits in a vacuum. He said it. I was there. Think what they are saying now!
Consequently, independent Baptists believe that the only final authority for practice and doctrine of the Christian and the church is the Bible. I cannot speak ex cathedra. I cannot speak and say, "This is truth." All I can say is, "The Bible is truth." You see, I can't say, "I'm going to speak now, and this is God speaking through me." I don't much like people to pray, "Dear God, put the words in the mouth of our preacher." I think you can say, "Lead our preacher"; but if God puts the words in my mouth, we'd have more Bible.
See, I have no power in this church but the power of influence. Sometimes I wish I had more. Sometimes I wish I had power to make you ladies dress like I think you ought to dress. Sometimes I wish I had the power to make you adults have rules about your teenagers that I think you ought to have, but all I can do is influence you. I have no power. Officially, I have one vote in this church; that's all. I have no vote at deacon's meeting and one vote as a member of this church. The only power I have is my vote and the power of influence.
It was a good day for me when I decided that I was going to make my final authority the Word of God. I was taught in Southern Baptist schools to believe that the Southern Baptist program was it. One day I decided to just read my Bible and reorganize my church. I did. I decided to get the book of Acts and read it word for word to see what the New Testament church was all about. I cast aside all the tradition I had been taught, all the jargon I had been taught, all the catechisms to which I had been taught to swear allegiance, and I decided I was going to try to find out what kind of church the New Testament church really was.
Dr. Curtis Hutson gave the best compliment to First Baptist Church of Hammond that has ever been given in the SWORD OF THE LORD. He said that he was here for Pastors' School. He told how many conversions and baptisms we had the Sunday before. Then he said, "If God were writing the book of Acts today, He would write about the First Baptist Church of Hammond." That's the ultimate compliment.
You see, I decided that I was going to get my Bible down and decide what I thought the New Testament church was scripturally; then, that's what I was going to have in my church. I believe with all of my soul that the First Baptist Church of Hammond is as near as is humanly possible to being what the church in Jerusalem was 2,000 years ago. Where did I get that? I got it from the Bible. Do you know why we are scattered abroad winning souls all over this area? It's because the church in Jerusalem was "scattered abroad," and they "went every where preaching the word." (Acts 8:4) Do you know why we go house to house, knocking on doors? We do it because it says in Acts 5:42, "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." We do it because that's what they did in the Bible.
Somebody says, "Well, we have different kinds of churches. You have a soul-winning church, and we have a deeper-life church." In the first place, it's a lie. There's no life as deep as a soul-winning life. However, they say, "We just have different kinds of churches." No, we don't. WE have a church, and you don't! Brother, the Bible is our charter to exist. If the Bible is not your final authority in practice and doctrine, then you are not a church. You might have the word "church" on the outside, but you are not a church.
Since the Word of God is our authority,-- hear me carefully-- we simply must have it. That's a profound statement. We've got to have it! I mean, shall we have an authority we can't find? Would God tell us His Word is the final authority and leave us without His Word? We must have a copy or we may as well join our Catholic friends and let the church be the basis for truth. If we have no Word of God, and if the Bible is not the Word of God, then we have only three other alternatives. We've got to say the final authority will be the church, or human experience, or human reasoning.
I'm saying, if we have no Bible that is the Word of God, then we have no way to go to the Book for the final authority. If one word in this Bible is not true, we don't know which one it is; so, once again, the mind of man or experience or the church is going to have to decide which one is true and which one is not true. If we are going to believe that the Word of God is the final authority, we've got to have a copy of it.
Let me ask you a question. Would God call a man to preach His Word and not give it to him? God calls a man and says, "I'm calling you. Spend you life preaching the Gospel. Preach the Word!" So, wouldn't He give him a copy of His Word?
I've said this so often, and I'll say it again and again. I would step down from behind this pulpit tonight and never walk in it again to preach if I didn't have the Word of God in my hand. I would not waste your time nor take your money unless I could say to you, "You have the Word of God. I have it, and it is preached here." I'm an honest man. This is what I've said before, and I'll say it again. If I did not believe that the Book I hold in my hand tonight was God's Word, I'd find out where it was. I'd go there and get a copy, print some copies for you and give you a copy. I mean, brother, if we don't have the Word of God in our hands, we have no place to go except to the human mind, human experience or the collective human mind which is the church. God would not reach down and give a divine call to a man and say, "I call you to preach My Word, but there is no copy of it any more."
I don't like a statement of faith that says, "We believe the Bible is the Word of God in the original manuscripts." In the first place, there are no original manuscripts anywhere in the world tonight. None! If the Word of God was only the original manuscripts, there is no Word of God available for mankind today. If I did not believe the Bible I hold in my hand was the Word of God, and I believed there were some manuscripts, I'd get on an airplane, fly to where they were, break in the building if I had to, get the original manuscripts, make copies of them and give you a copy. I'm not going to stand here as an imposter preaching a Book that is not the Word of God and giving you instructions on how to live from a Book that is not the Word of God! I'm not going to do it! I'm just not going to do it!
Would God tell His people to live by the Word and not give it to them? Let me say this. Of all the nations on the face of this earth, America is the center of world evangelization. America is the only hope for the world to have the Gospel. Do you think that God would not give His Word to America? The countries of this world look to America for missionaries. They look to America for preachers. Every great movement of God in the world today was founded by a ministry or movement that was propelled by American evangelization. The mission movement was founded basically, by Hudson Taylor. Now, wait a minute. Of all the nations on the face of this earth, it just seems to me that God would give the key nation the Word of God.
Check the history of Christianity in America, and see how well we've done without all these extra Bibles. Check the history of the church in America from 1950 back, before every little preacher had the misfortune to sit at the feet of a college theologian. Do you know what? We won't have people who are just theologians teaching Bible at Hyles-Anderson College. Every teacher of Bible at Hyles-Anderson College is a preacher. We won't hire a theologian. No way! You say, "Are you opposed to theologians?" No, I'm just leery and wary of them. I am wary of those who dare to sit in judgment on the Bible. Brother, it seems to me if there is any place in the world where you ought to have your faith in the Bible stabilized, it's a Christian college or Christian seminary. Wherever the truth is, that's where you get your faith shaken.
That's one reason why some things bother me. It bothers me when people say, "We believe that the Bible, in the original manuscripts, is the Word of God." If that's true, we have no Bible. Did you hear what I said? We have no Bible. One day they did, but WE don't.
Dr. Ed Hindson of Liberty Baptist College said concerning 1st John 5:7, "Thus, according to John's account here, 'there are three that bear record in heaven.' The rest of verse 7 and the first nine words of verse 8 are not in the original and are not to be considered as part of the Word of God." I'd like to ask Mr. Hindson a question: "When did you see the original?" How does he know they are not in the original? Look at me now. How does he know? The only way an honest man can say they are not in the original manuscripts is to have seen them, and they are not available. Now, he could say they are not in some of the manuscripts that are considered the most ancient. I personally think he was saying that they are not in the Westcott and Hort. I can't prove that.
Before I get too rough on him, look at your Scofield Bible in 1st John 5:7, the verse Dr. Hindson quoted. Folks, I have no axes to grind. I have nobody's feelings to hurt. I've just got to have the Word of God; that's all. I've got to have it! The Bible says the Word of God is what we are supposed to preach. The Bible says, "Preach the Word."
Now, look at your Scofield Bible—1st John 5:7, "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." Now look at that little "o" there in front of verse 7. Look in the center reference, and find the "o". Mr. Scofield says, "It is generally agreed that v. 7 has no real authority, and has been inserted."
I'd like to ask Mr. Scofield when he saw the original. He never saw it. Somebody who thought he was intellectual told that to somebody who thought he was intellectual who told somebody who thought he was intellectual. Listen, we don't want the intellectual community to think of us as being nincompoops, but I'd rather have a nincompoop with a revelation from God than to have an intellectual without a revelation from God.
We've got to have a final authority! If this Book is not true, then the church or human reasoning or human experience is the final authority. Listen! There are only two-- God and man. If God is not the final authority, man is the final authority. If we have no final authority in a book, then man has got to discern what God says; if man discerns what God says, then man becomes the final authority instead of God. So, Mr. Scofield had problems the day he came to this verse. How does he know? Pray tell me, what in the world he could have ever seen that would make him say that? He didn't see anything. He sat in somebody's Bible class and some Dr. Mess-'em-Up or Dr. McFuddle or Dr. Broad Stomach stood up and said, "Well, in the original manuscript..." which sounds scholarly; but nobody in our generation has seen them. Dr. So-and-So hasn't seen them, the professor in the seminary hasn't seen them and the college Bible professor hasn't seen them. Either what I hold in my hand is the Word of God, or we don't have any Word of God. I don't believe God would leave us without His Word. I don't believe that. I JUST DON'T BELIEVE IT!
We need a Bible that we can understand and a Bible that is God's Word. It looks like anybody would agree that if God gives us the command to preach the Word, He would give us the Word to preach. That's logical. If God wants to say to a nation, "You are the custodian of world evangelization for a generation or two or three or four," it looks like God would give that nation the Word of God.
What is it? I would say it ought to be the one that has worked. Which one has worked? The one I hold in my hand right now. I has worked! It will work!
I'd like to say the same to our friends in the charismatic movement. You say, "Why do you stress it?" I stress it because the charismatic crowd is trying to teach our crowd every day that they've got something we don't have. Tonight, before I walked into this pulpit, one of our fine ladies came and told me of one of our men who has been swept aside. One of our good faithful men has been swept aside by the charismatic crowd. As pastor of this church, it is my job to warn you of wolves who are dressed like sheep.
If we don't have a Bible that's the Word of God, we've got to go to human reasoning. If God says to a church, "Build your church on My Word," God's got to give us His Word. Listen, God wouldn't be God is He told us to do something we couldn't do. Everything that God has ever commanded us to do, He has given us the wherewithal to obey that commandment. God has never commanded man to do anything that was unreasonable or impossible for man to do. When God calls a man to preach and says, "Preach the Word," God would have to give him a Word to preach. If God says to a church, "Build your church on My Word," to be God, He's got to give that church the Word of God.
Our Methodists seminaries say, "It's not verbally inspired." There was a day when John Wesley started that movement. He said the Bible was inspired, and they had the fire back in those days!
The Presbyterian seminaries say, "The Bible is not the Word of God," but John Calvin believed it, and they had the fire! John Knox and others believed it!
I'm saying that we've either go to admit this is the Word of God or we have to flee to the church, or to human reasoning or human experience as being the final authority. If there is no Word of God today, we have no other recourse. If God has not given us His Word, we have to decide what is God's Word. That's human reasoning.
By the way, basing a doctrine on human experience is idolatry. Basing a doctrine on the church being the final authority is idolatry. The church is the idol. Letting the pope speak ex cathedra and saying that it is God Who is speaking is idolatry. You're making him as God.
Human reasoning says that what we can reason, we'll believe. That's idolatry. So the truth is, you've got one choice of two. Either this Bible is the Word of God or we have no other place to turn but to idolatry. Did you hear me? Either this is the Word of God, or there is no place to turn but idolatry. Our three choices are human reasoning, human experience or the church, and they are each a form of idolatry. They are all three the same because making the church the final authority is done so by human reasoning. That means Catholicism is humanism, and the charismatic movement is humanism. It is man saying, "I was there. I felt it. God spoke, and here's what He said." That's human reasoning. It's humanism. So either this is the Word of God, or there is nothing left but humanism.
I'll tell you this. To whatever degree this Book is not believed, that society has the exact proportionate belief in humanism because there are only two choices available: God and man. If God hasn't told us what to do, man has got to tell us what to do. When a country does not believe this Book, it is totally humanistic. When a country leans away from this Book, it leans toward humanism. When a country is divided about this Book, it is divided about humanism.
I just don't believe that God would say, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature," (Mark 16:15) and not give us His Word to take with us. I just don't believe that God would say, "Train up a child in the way he should go," (Proverbs 22:6) and write the words of God "upon the door posts of thine house," (Deuteronomy 11:20) and "teach them your children," (Deuteronomy 11:19) unless there were a Word of God.
I don't think God would say, "Start a Bible college. Send out young men to proclaim the truth," unless God had given us the truth. I just don't believe that God would send young men to the mission fields without the Word of God. I don't think God would send Rick Martin halfway around the world to proclaim His Word without giving him a copy of it. I don't think God would send young men out from this church to build soul-winning churches without giving them His Word.
With all of my soul, I believe that the final authority for faith and practice for a church and for a life is the Word of God. I do not believe that I'm the final authority; nor the bishops or the cardinals-- nor are the Cubs or the White Sox!
Not long ago, then there was no pope, a fellow said, "I think Ernie Banks ought to be the next pope." "Why?" "Well, the Cardinals have had it long enough. It's time the Cubs got to have a pope!"
I'm not the final authority. "El papa" is not the final authority. He can wave his magic wand all he wants to. He can rustle his skirts all over the country. I'm simply saying, the Bible is the final authority, not man. I don't care what he is called, it is not man!
You say, "You're criticizing the pope." Whatever I've said about pope, I've said about me. FIRST I said, I'M NOT the final authority. THEN I said, "HE'S NOT the final authority." So our people have as much right to get mad as you Catholics do. Mr. Oral Roberts is not the final authority. The Bible is the final authority. I just don't believe God would leave us down here without a copy of His Word.
How can we know which is the real Bible? Well, you can scratch off the Revised Standard Version because the liberals put that one together. You can scratch off any Bible that came from Wescott and Hort because that comes from the Vatican manuscripts. I'd suggest you find the one that has worked.
Find the one that widows have read; find the one over which they've wept and prayed for their children. Find the one that dear mothers in the history of our country have read, loved and taught. Find the one for which faithful evangelists have given their lives and for which missionaries have circled the globe. Find the one that has caused people to leave home, family and friends to carry its message. Find it! Find the one Dwight Moody used. Find out which one Billy Sunday used. Find the one the great soul-winning churches in America use.
Find the one tested by time. Find the one that Adolph Hitler said he would destroy, but couldn't! Find the one about which Thomas Paine spoke when he said, "Within one generation, the Bible will not be printed anymore." However, as soon as he died, the same printing press on which he printed that garbage was used to print more Bibles. Find the one they can't destroy. Find the one that has stood the test of time. Find the one that liberals have tried to destroy, Hitlers have tried to burn, Mussolinis have tried to outlaw and Khrushchevs and Stalins have tried to burn! Find it! The Bible says, "My words shall not pass away." (Matthew 24:35) Find the one that has stood the test of time!
Don't find one that has a hippie on the outside of it and bunch of hippie jargon on the inside of it. Find the one that has stood the test of time! You say, "I don't understand those 'thees' and 'thous.'" "Thee" means "you." "Thou" means "you." "I" means "me." "We" means "us." You know it, and you know you know it! Not only that, but the Holy Spirit of God lives inside of you, and He's the author of this Book. If you can't understand a part of it, ask Him to teach you, and He will do it. He wrote it! We've got to have a Bible! We have got to have a Bible!
You say, "Boy, that's right. I'll tell you what, I believe it from cover to cover." Try OPENING the covers. "Boy, I believe every word of it." QUOTE a few of them! If we had Scripture quoting tonight, we've got Sunday school teachers here who know only, "Jesus wept," and if somebody said that verse before your turn came, you'd say, "He got mine." Read it! Memorize it! Study it! Love it! Teach it! Preach it! Live in it! It's the Word of God! You can depend on it.
Every jot and every tittle shall come to pass. Not one comma and not one punctuation mark shall pass away. Matthew 5:18, "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Matthew 24:35, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." I checked those words, "pass away," a little bit; a synonym for that phrase would be, "My word will always be alive." There never will be a day when somebody says, "Beloved, we are gathered here in the presence of 'Gawd' and these witnesses to remember the word of 'Gawd' that died." We never will! It will always be there. It always will.
I can't believe that God would give us a Great Commission and tell us to teach it, preach it and spread it, and not give us the truth to teach and preach and spread.
[added comment: the following is sang to the tune of The Old-Time Religion]
It was good for our fathers;Let us pray.
It was good for our fathers;
It was good for our fathers;
And it's good enough for me;
It was good for my mama;
It was good for my mama;
It was good for my mama;
And it's good enough for me.
More Life Changing Sermons by Dr. Jack Hyles:
Sunday, December 26, 2010
EASTER, OR PASSOVER? - Jack A. Moorman
EASTER, OR PASSOVER?
By Jack A. Moorman
By Jack A. Moorman
Conies, Brass & Easter, Answers to twenty-one "problem" passages in the King James, Authorized Version. pp. 15-17, By Jack A. Moorman
| THE CRITIC SAYS: "A most unfortunate translation! In each of the 28 other New Testament passages the Greek ‘pascha’ is translated `Passover.' The same is true of the Hebrew pesach, it is always `Passover.' Why this one exception in Acts 12:4? Further, the word `Easter' was not used in the Christian sense until much later." • "And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread. And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quarternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people" (Acts 12:3,4). ANSWER: You may be surprised to know that the word "passover" did not even exist before William Tyndale coined it for his Version of 1526-31. His was also the first English Bible to use "Easter." Previously the Hebrew and Greek were left untranslated. For example, in Wycliffe's Bible, which was based on the Latin, we find pask or paske. An article which appeared in The Trinitarian Bible Society Quarterly Record states: "When Tyndale applied his talents to the translation of the New Testament from Greek into English, he was not satisfied with the use of a completely foreign word, and decided to take into account the fact that the season of the passover was known generally to English people as `Easter' ... Tyndale has ester or easter fourteen times, ester-lambe eleven times, esterfest once, and paschall lambe three times." "When he began his translation of the Pentateuch, he was again faced with the problem in Exodus 12:11 and twenty- one other places, and no doubt recognizing that easter in this context would be an anachronism he coined a new word, passover and used it consistently in all twenty-two places. It is, therefore, to Tyndale that our language is indebted for this meaningful and appropriate word" (date of article not known).The English version after Tyndale followed his example in the Old Testament and increasingly replaced "Easter" with "Passover" in the New Testament. When we come to the Authorized Version there remained but one instance of the word "Easter"—Acts 12:4. It is precisely in this one passage that "Easter" must be used, and the translation "Passover" would have conflicted with the immediate context. In their rush to accuse the Authorized Version of error many have not taken the time to consider what the passage actually says: "(Then were the days of unleavened bread.)...intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people." To begin with, the Passover occurred before the feast of unleavened bread, not after! • "And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the Lord. And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast of unleavened bread–seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten" (Num. 28:16,17). See also Mark 14:12; 1 Cor. 5:7,8, etc. Herod put Peter in prison during the days of unleavened bread, and therefore after the Passover. The argument that the translation "Passover" should have been used as it is intended to refer to the entire period, is ruled out by the inclusion of "these were the days of unleavened bread." Scripture does not use the word "Passover" to refer to the entire period. Peloubet's Bible Dictionary says: "Strictly speaking the Passover only applied to the Paschal supper, and the feast of unleavened bread followed" (p. 486). Therefore, as the Passover had already been observed, and the days of unleavened bread were in progress, and yet Herod was still waiting for "after pascha," we can only conclude that the word must be taken in a broader sense. History in fact does indicate a pagan and Christian interchange with the word through the translation "Easter." A.W. Watts writes: "The Latin and Greek word for Easter is pascha, which is simply a form of Hebrew word for passover–pesach" (Easter–Its Story and Meaning, p. 36). Thus, the word came to be associated with both Christian and pagan observance. And it was to this latter that Herod was referring. In an excellent study, from which some of the above has been drawn, Raymond Blanton explains (in quotations from Alexander Hislop) that Easter is Isthar, the queen of heaven and goddess of spring. Blanton says, "The `pascha' that Herod was waiting for was evidently the celebration of the death and resurrection of Tammuz, the Sun god. The sunrise services today are a continuation of that pagan worship." "...the great annual festival in commemoration of the death and resurrection of Tammuz, which was celebrated by alternate weeping and rejoicing and which, in many countries, was considerably later that the Christian festival, being observed in Palestine and Assyria in June. To conciliate the Pagans to nominal Christianity, Rome, pursing its usual policy, took measures to get the Christian and Pagan festival amalgamated, and, by complicated but skillful adjustment of the calendar, it was found no difficult matter, in general, to get Paganism and Christianity to shake hands" (Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, p. 105).Continuing his quotation from Hislop, Blanton shows: "The term Easter is of pagan origin. It bears its Chaldean origin on its very forehead. Easter is nothing else than Astarte, one of the titles of Beltis, the queen of heaven" (p. 103). The connection between the word Easter and Tammuz is thus: "The wife of Tammuz was Isthar (Astarte), who is called Mother Nature, who being refreshed by spring rains brings life. When Tammuz died, she followed him into the underworld or realm of Eresh-Kigal, queen of the dead. In her deep grief Astarte persuaded Eresh-Kigal to allow her messenger to sprinkle Astarte and Tammuz with the water of life. By this sprinkling they had power to return in the light of the sun for six months. After which the same cycle must be repeated. "Thus, the goddess of spring or the dawn goddess is responsible for the resurrection of Tammuz. Easter is a joint worship of the two. This Satanic myth is interwoven with the sun's cycle of vernal equinox (dawn) and autumn equanox (sunset)." (from The Flaming Torch, Jan-Mar. 1987) Dake’s Bible adds, "Easter . . . is derived from Ishtar, one of the Babylonian titles of an idol goddess, the Queen of Heaven. The Saxon goddess Eastre is the same as the Astarte, the Syrian Venus, called Ashtoreth in the Old Testamnet. It was the worship of this woman by Israel that was such an abomination to God" (1 Sam. 7:3; 1 Ki. 11:5, 33; 2 Ki. 23:13; Jer. 7:18; 44:18) (p. 137 N.T.) This was the "pascha" that Herod was waiting for before releasing Peter. As an Edomite, he and his people had a long association with Babylon and her mystery religion (cf. Gen. 14:1-4). |
Conies, Brass & Easter by Jack A. Moorman
is available from:
Fundamental Evangelistic Association
P.O. Box 6278
Los Osos, California 93412
(805) 528-3534 : Fax (805) 528-4971
P.O. Box 6278
Los Osos, California 93412
(805) 528-3534 : Fax (805) 528-4971
The Four Lions - Dr. Sam Gipp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbJzh0HZ7VE
Friend To Church Ministries
Samuel C. Gipp, Ph.D.
3166 Wildwood Circle
Massillon, OH 44646
330-685-2578
http://www.samgipp.com OR http://www.daystarpublishing.org .
DayStar Publishing
P.O. Box 464
Miamitown, Ohio 45041
Phone: (800) 311-1823
Friend To Church Ministries
Samuel C. Gipp, Ph.D.
3166 Wildwood Circle
Massillon, OH 44646
330-685-2578
http://www.samgipp.com OR http://www.daystarpublishing.org .
DayStar Publishing
P.O. Box 464
Miamitown, Ohio 45041
Phone: (800) 311-1823
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Canada passes Codex food law that permits police to trespass, seize private property without warrant
Canada passes Codex food law that permits police to trespass, seize private property without warrant
http://www.naturalnews.com/z030809_Codex_Canada.html
by Jonathan Benson, staff writer(NaturalNews) The Canadian Parliament recently passed its own form of legislation S. 510, the draconian U.S. "food safety" bill that threatens to eliminate the freedom to grow, sell and buy clean food. Bill C-36, deceitfully branded by the Canadian mainstream media as a "consumer protection" law, is actually part of the larger CODEX Alimentarius food tyranny plan. It eliminates the law of trespass and allows Canadian police to invade private property and confiscate whatever they wish without a warrant.
Massive outcry from natural health product companies and consumers killed several previous versions of Bill C-36, including C-52 and C-6. Proponents of the new bill say it will protect consumers by banning the producing, importing, advertising or selling of any products that pose an unreasonable danger to consumers. But in actuality, Bill C-36 is nothing more than the same affront to health freedom that the previous versions were.
Passed on December 14 by the Canadian Senate, Bill C-36 allows government authorities and health inspectors to invade personal property and arbitrarily confiscate any items deemed "unsafe". It completely bypasses all existing privacy and confidentiality laws that protect citizens from such unlawful interference, and restricts citizen access to courts for due process in such matters. And perhaps worst of all is Canadian citizens are now considered guilty until proven innocent rather than innocent until proven guilty as has long been the standard.
Several Canadian Senators, including Elaine McCoy, Josephy Day, Celine Hervieux-Payette, George Furey and Tommy Banks all spoke out against the bill as a violation of civil liberties. Banks even told the Natural Health Products Protection Association (NHPPA) that the bill "is undoing 400 years of common law."
In accordance with CODEX Alimentarius guidelines, Bill C-36 will harmonize Canadian law with international law and trade restrictions concerning food. So whatever outside groups like the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations (UN) decide concerning food safety will now hold sway over Canadian law.
To read Bill C-36 for yourself, visit:
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublica...
Sources for this story include:
http://www.suite101.com/content/bil...
http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/20...
Geotagging: Beware Posting Photos Online From Smart Phones
Beware Posting Photos Online From Smart Phones
The personal photos that you post online and e-mail to others using your smart phone could reveal secrets without you knowing it.
http://www.justnews.com/video/26137719/index.html
SPECIFIC DATES WITHIN... THE OCCULT CALENDAR
SPECIFIC DATES WITHIN...
THE OCCULT CALENDAR
1. Winter Solstice - 13 weeks
a. December 21- 22
-- Yule - When the sun begins its northward trek in the sky, and days began to grow longer again, pagans celebrated the Winter Solstice by burning the Yule log.
Since the sun had reversed itself and was now rising in the sky, pagans believed this was a sign that the human sacrifices carried out in Samhain (Halloween) had been accepted by the gods.
We continue to sing:
We continue to sing:
"Deck the halls with boughs of holly ... troll the ancient Yuletide carol ... See the blazing Yule before us. Fa la la la la la la la."["Pagan Traditions of the Holidays", David Ingraham, p. 71]
The Roman Catholic Church later changed the day of celebration to December 25, calling it Christmas.
Consider the pagan roots of our popular symbols of Christmas:
Consider the pagan roots of our popular symbols of Christmas:
Early American Christian Pilgrims refused to celebrate this day.(1) Christmas Tree - The sacred tree of the winter-god; Druids believed the spirit of their gods resided in the tree. Most ancient pagans knew the tree represented Nimrod reincarnated into Tammuz! Pagans also looked upon the tree as a phallic symbol.
(2) Star - Pentalpha, the five-pointed star. The pentalpha is a powerful symbol of Satan, second only to the hexagram. The star is the sacred symbol of Nimrod, and has nothing whatsoever to do with Christianity.
(3) Candles represent the sun-gods' newly-born fire. Pagans the world over love and use candles in their rituals and ceremonies. Certain colors are also thought to represent specific powers. The extensive use of candles is usually a very good indication that the service is pagan, no matter what the outward trappings might be.
(4) Mistletoe is the sacred plant of the Druids, symbolizing pagan blessings of fertility; thus, kissing under the mistletoe is the first step in the reproductive cycle! Witches also use the white berries in potions.
(5) Wreaths are circular, and so they represent the female sexual organs. Wreaths are associated with fertility and the "circle of life".
(6) Santa Claus - Former Satanists have told me that "Santa" is an anagram for "Satan". In the New Age, the god, "Sanat Kamura", is most definitely an anagram for "Satan". The mythical attributes and powers ascribed to Santa are eerily close to those possessed by Jesus Christ.
(7) Reindeer are horned animals representing the "horned-god" or the "stag-god" of pagan religion! Santa's traditional number of reindeer in his team is eight (8); in Satanic gematria, eight is the number of "new beginnings", or the cycle of reincarnation. The Illuminati views the number "eight" as a symbol of their New World Order.
(8) Elves are imp-like creatures who are Santa's (Satan's) little helpers. They are also demons.
(9) Green and Red are the traditional colors of the season, as they are the traditional pagan colors of winter. Green is Satan's favorite color, so it is appropriate it should be one of the traditional colors for Christmas; red is the color of human blood, Satan's highest form of sacrifice - for this reason, Communism adopted red as it main color!
(10) December 25 is known as the "nativity" of the sun. This date is the birthday of Tammuz, the son, the reincarnation of the sun god. Traditionally, December 21 is known as Yule. The Roman Catholic Church moved the celebration of Yule to December 25.
(11) December 25 is also known to the Romans as "Saturnalia", a time of deliberate debauchery. Drinking through repeated toasting - known as 'wassail' - was a key to the debauchery of this celebration. Fornication was symbolized by the mistletoe, and the entire event was finished with a Great Feast, the Christmas Dinner.
(12) Even the name, "Christmas" is pagan! "Christi" meant "Christ", while "Mas" meant Mass. Since all pagan Masses are commemorating "death", the name, "Christmas" literally means the "death of Christ". A deeper meaning lies in the mention of "Christ" without specifying Jesus. Thus, Antichrist is in view here; the pagans celebrate "Christmas" as a celebration of their coming Antichrist, who will deal a death blow to the Jesus Christ of Christianity.
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/cienciareal/cienciareal20.htm
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
THE BODY - Pastor Jack Hyles
THE BODY
(Chapter 24 from Dr. Hyle's excellent book, Blue Denim and Lace)
Nothing happens accidentally. Discipline and character always accompany success. The same is true with physical strength and health. One does not have a strong body accidentally. To be sure, some are more gifted than others in this respect, but many strong and healthy people have dissipated their bodies, whereas many people with care and discipline have caused their bodies to outlast their expected usefulness. Remember that one serves the Lord with his body. When health is gone, usefulness is gone, then we will be of no value to God or to others. Several simple rules will help you to have a stronger body.
1. Let God have your body.
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." (Romans 12:1) I was not a big boy as a child, I did not have an extremely healthy body. I did, however, take my hands and say, "God, they are Yours." I took my feet and said, "God, they are Yours." I touched my eyes and said, "God, they are Yours." I did the same thing with each member of my body. It is amazing what God can do with a little bit.
2. Dedicate your body as a temple.
"Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" (I Corinthians 6:18, 19) This teaches us that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. We should take the same care of the body today that the Jews did of the temple in the Old Testament. The Bible seems to imply that the body sins are the worst sins. Could this be because the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? Our bodies should be as dedicated to God and His service as were the furnishings of the Old Testament temple.
3. Keep your body clean.
Since the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, it should be kept clean both outwardly and inwardly. Regular baths should be taken. Proper deodorant should be used. Men should shave carefully. The hair should have regular care. The teeth should be kept clean. Nothing was kept more immaculately clean than the Old Testament temple. Since the body is the temple of the New Testament, it should be likewise clean. Certainly this should apply to morals. Adultery, necking, petting, and promiscuous behaving between the sexes should certainly be out as far as God's people are concerned. Keep the body clean. There is something about a clean body that God can use.
5. Keep your body straight.
It is very important that a Christian should learn how to walk properly and sit properly. No Christian should be slouchy. In our family altar we have taught our children such habits. We have had our girls to practice walking across the room. We have taught them to walk like girls and sit like girls. We have taught our boy to walk with a manly walk and sit with a manly posture. Keep the body straight. It is God's. let it be a good testimony.
6. Keep your body coordinated.
This is of vital importance. A person should know how to handle his body with dexterity and coordination. At this writing I am 41 years of age. I have played sports all of my life. I have kept my body in fairly good condition, and because of this, I was able to save my sister's life. She and I were crossing a street in South Bend, Indiana, where I was preaching in a Bible conference. A car turned left, not seeing us. I saw the car and jumped back. My sister did not see it. The car was about to hit her when I almost subconsciously grabber her and pulled her from the path of the car. It barely scraped her and knocked her to the cement, but tests for injuries proved negative. She would probably not be alive today were it not for my coordination.
My coordination also saved my own life once. In Word War II, I joined the Paratroopers. On my fifth jump the parachute did not open. I was one second from the ground when I quickly pulled my reserve chute. It opened and saved my life. Certainly a man with manly coordination can reach more men for Christ. For both men and women coordination should be a must for the body.
7. Keep the body properly fed.
Remember, food is fuel. It is tragic that we feed our dogs better than we feed our own bodies. We carefully choose the food for our pigs, horses, and cows, and then gulp down most anything for self. Proper vitamins, Bible foods, and Bible stimulants should be taken by the Christian. The Christian, of course, should not be guilty of drinking liquor [I personally disagree. Getting drunk is a sin, not merely drinking], smoking, etc. I have found it helpful not even to use coffee or carbonated drinks. Why not try honey or orange juice for a stimulant?
It is also wise for a Christian to fast occasionally. Occasional fasting is certainly physically helpful to the body. Sometimes a Christian should pray and fast.
Many times I have been preaching and found myself developing a bit of voice trouble. When such times occur, a juice fast often is the answer. Much throat trouble is caused by the stomach. To say the least, a Christian should put the proper fuel in his body so that he may use it to the glory of God.
8. Keep the body rested.
It is important that the body receive the proper amount of rest. This rest should be done at regular hours if possible. Much of what is commonly called "fellowship" by preachers should be sacrificed for rest and work. I have found it wise to avoid late-hour snacks as well as late, heavy thinking. Sometimes a few exercises before going to bed are good to relax the body and make it rest better. certainly we should not develop the habits of sluggards. Yet we should realize that the body is the Lord's and needs to be rested regularly.
9. Keep the body under subjection.
Appetites are good servants but not good masters. No appetite should control the body. Let the Christian always yield to his body to Christ and be master over his own appetites.
10. Keep the body strong.
Exercise is very important to the body. I find that I can do more work when I do regular calisthenics and exercise. I find it is good to run some as well as to do calisthenics. Now there are as many suggestions for this as there are people, but I find if I run a mile or so a day and do about fifteen minutes of heavy calisthenics, my lungs are in better condition for preaching, and I have a healthier body to use for the glory of God.
With proper dedication of the body, proper cleanliness, neatness, coordination, food, rest, exercise, and control, one can live longer to the glory of God.
INDEX
http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Books,%20Tracts%20&%20Preaching/Printed%20Books/Dr%20Jack%20Hyles/Blue%20Denim%20and%20Lace/blue_denim_and_lace-chap_24.htm
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