DESCRIPTIVE ≠ PRESCRIPTIVE
October 21
…even David with his two wives… 1Sam. 27:3b
A common error of Biblical interpretation that has led to both heterodoxy (wrong belief) and heteropraxy (wrong behavior) deals with the error of uncritically reading a given Biblical narrative as though it were a prescriptive command, when in fact it may simply be descriptive, relating certain bare, historical facts. Not all historical narratives are to be regarded as emulative examples or inducements to continuing precedents.
The Bible accurately records the actions of men—saved and unsaved, living in various dispensations and eras—as well as the activities of angels—both fallen and elect. It is not necessarily calling upon us to follow their examples, however, simply because it relates what they “did.” These narratives do not, in and of themselves, constitute commands.
The Mormons are WRONG, for example, to assume that polygamy is theoretically “OK” just because the Bible relates the case histories of such worthies as Abraham, Jacob, David, and Solomon—all of whom had plural marriages. In fact, the commanded and universally prescribed pattern for marriage, according to Jesus, is monogamy (Matt. 19:4-6; Gen. 2:18-25).
Likewise, we are not commanded to speak in tongues just because the historical narratives of the Book of Acts and the Pauline Epistles accurately relate that some people (1 Cor. 12:30) in the early church did so. In fact, this practice is definitely NOT normative for today (1 Cor. 13:8). We are not living in the foundational Apostolic Age (Eph. 2:20)! The foundations have already been laid—and there are no living Apostles (Acts 1:22), whose very ministries these miraculous signs were designed to endorse in the first place (2 Cor. 12:12)!
Further, if a behavior was commanded, we must interpret dispensationally—i.e., is this command applicable for today?
Terry L. Reese
BE PORPOISES
October 20
They are not of the world...I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil. John 17:14b-15
We as Christians are in the world but not of the world. We are called pilgrims or sojourners. We are just passing through, not really fitting in. But therein lies the struggle. How do we keep from being overcome by the world and its system? Paul tells us to be not confirmed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2). Easier said than done.
Perhaps this example will help crystalize things for us. The porpoise is not a fish. It lives in the sea, but it is not of the sea. It must stay in contact with the world above in order to breathe or it will drown. Baby porpoises and weak porpoises are helped by the family pod that they are in to stay in contact with the air above. We can see, therefore, that we Christians need to stay in contact with the Lord above. We are doubly helped when newly saved or in vulnerable times by our family pod called the church to stay alive in Christ. We help each other to stay in contact with the Lord above lest the world suffocates us. The Lord is our vital air.
Russ Simpson
THE OLD-FASHIONED “R” WORD
October 19
The Lord is… not willing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
In the old days schools emphasized the “3 R’s” of “reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic.” Hopefully we still do!
In those same old days many churches emphasized the “3 R’s” of repentance, regeneration and revival. We find “repentance” and “repent” 58 times in the New Testament from Matthew to Revelation. Jesus began His ministry preaching, “REPENT, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 4:17). The apostles continued with that same theme (Acts 3:19; 20:21). Finally in Jesus’ letters to the seven churches (Revelation 2-3), 5 of those 7 were commanded to REPENT!
Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a changed heart which leads to a changed life. It’s turning from sin to God. Who needs to repent? In Acts 17:30, Paul told the philosophers and intellectuals of Athens that “God is now commanding men that everyone everywhere should repent.” What does repentance involve? First, we must admit without reservation “I am a sinner” (Isaiah 64:6). Second, we have to realize that Jesus Christ is our only hope (John 14:6). Thirdly, we have a choice to make. Will I personally turn from my sin and trust in Jesus alone to be forgiven, saved and born again (Mark 1:15)? True repentance is changing one’s mind and heart about sin, self and the Savior.
The proof of repentance is an ongoing changed life until we get to glory (2 Corinthians 5:17). All too often the essential need of repentance is forgotten or ignored in today’s Christian circles. If we have not truly realized and repented of our sin, we are only playing a game. I trust that is not true for you!
Bob Kulp
GOD’S WORD RINGS TRUE
October 18
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6
When my wife and I were preparing for marriage, we searched diligently for a place to live that we could afford on my $130 per week salary managing a hardware store. Needless to say, our options were scanty. One place that we looked at to rent was the bottom floor of an old farmhouse, where someone had painted all the light bulbs red, and the hardwood floor rolled up and down like waves on the ocean.
After several such rejections, we began to wonder if we would start out life together in my parents’ basement. We found one place that may have worked had my father not insisted on having his say about it. As we emerged from this place, we were facing the first mountain of our married life, and we weren’t even married yet. As we walked out of the front door, the church across the street began to play a welcome tune from its bell tower, “God will take care of you, through every day, o’er all the way…” It was a solid promise; our Lord soon worked out a deal where my dad bought us a nice home that we rented from him. It was a comfortable and welcome start to our life together, and it began with a melodic divine promise from a bell tower at just the right time. What else would you expect from the One Who cautions us not to worry?
Davy L. Troxel
GOD SEES EVERYTHING
October 17
And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are uncovered and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we have an account to give. Hebrews 4:13
A child in Burma (Myanmar) was permitted by his parents to go to a mission school in order that he might learn to read. By and by they found he was losing faith in the idols. This made them feel very sad. So, the father took the lad to one of the most beautiful of the temples where the fragrance of incense filled the air. There he showed him the glittering images covered with gold and silver ornaments and surrounded by flowers and candles. "Here," said the father "is a god you can see! The Christians cannot show you their God." "Yes,” said the child, “we can see your god, but he cannot see us. We cannot see the Christian's God, but He sees us all the time!”
It's this characteristic of God—His all-seeing ways—that we who work and play and parent must understand and believe.
• When we struggle to maintain a healthy schedule at home despite numerous pressures, God sees.
• When we attempt to potty-train our three-year-old for the umpteenth time, having given up on M&Ms, begging, and tears, God sees.
• When we feel like Hagar, tempted to flee our circumstances, God sees.
• When we do the right thing, though everyone else rails against us, God sees.
• When our spouse injures us, yet we love and forgive, God sees.
• There is no place God can't see. There is no situation He cannot discern. He sees it all.
Like Hagar, in Genesis 16:13, who calls God אֵ֣ל רֳאִ֑י God sees and knows all about you and your circumstances. Jesus said, “Are not two sparrows sold for an assarion? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31).
Ike Graham
FELLOWSHIP WITH JESUS
October 16
Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you,
you have no part with Me.” John 13:8b
When Peter heard these words from his Lord, He was all in. Previously he resisted the idea of Jesus washing his feet, but when he heard that he would not have part with Jesus, he was ready to have his hands and head washed as well. Why? What changed? Peter loved the Lord. Thus, the thought of not having part or fellowship with his Lord was a terrible thought. Peter longed to continue to have fellowship with his Lord. Do we?
In God’s providence, the Lord used Jesus’ exchange with Peter to teach us an important truth about our relationship with Him. You could also think of it this way. Growing up, my mother had a very clear rule, “You must wash your hands before you come to the table for a meal.” My mom loved me and had demonstrated her love by preparing a wonderful meal for me to enjoy. But our fellowship was interrupted by my dirty hands.
The solution was simple: wash my hands and I could come to the table to enjoy the scrumptious meal, and continue to experience fellowship with my mom. My mother didn’t love me any less when my hands were dirty, but my dirty hands were preventing her from having ‘part’ with me. Aren’t we thankful that God has promised to continue to cleanse us day by day as we come to Him? Bask in the fellowship we are able to have with our Savior. “He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
Joshua Steiner
JOY OUTSIDE CIRCUMSTANCES
October 15
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4
Men have pursued joy in every avenue imaginable. Some have successfully found it while others have not. People might surround themselves with personal pleasures which they think will bring them happiness. Eventually they find the pleasure did not last. It is the same with all purely earthly pursuits.
True Biblical joy is different from happiness as we know it. Happiness comes and goes whether things are going well for us or not. Striving for this happiness results in eventual depression and lack of fulfillment. Worse, longing only for worldly happiness could reveal pride in our hearts to only satisfy ourselves at any cost.
Joy, on the other hand, is something we can experience no matter if things are going well or not well. Even if trials and tribulations are coming rapid fire in our lives, we can have joy through our relationship with Jesus Christ.
Paul had joy that the Gospel was being preached (Phil. 1:18). He tells the Philippian believers they can have “joy of faith” (Phil. 1:25). The Apostle desired a joy of knowing that Christians would have unity (Phil. 2:2). A believer rejoices “in the day of Christ” (Phil. 2:16). Any Christian can “rejoice in the Lord” (Phil. 3:1).
Only in Christ are true unity and joy possible. Trust in Him. Rely on Him for your daily strength. Order your life on Biblical principles and you will have the joy of knowing you have invested in eternal, spiritual things. Always look onward and upward no matter what is going on in life (Col. 3:1). And one day, all believers will be able to enjoy the blessings of heaven, and the new Jerusalem, as we worship God for all eternity.
Matt Foreman
COUNTING THE COST
October 14
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:27
Shortly after feeding 5,000+ with five loaves and two fish, Jesus confronted the twelve with the high cost of discipleship. “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23-26). What does discipleship with Christ demand?
Discipleship demands continual DENIAL of one’s self. Jesus is now # 1, and we give up our right to being # 1. “There are always two choices on the shelf: pleasing God or pleasing self.” Discipleship also demands continual SACRIFICE of one’s life (take up your cross daily). Taking up one’s cross is paying the cost of obedience wherever God places you. After all Christ has done for us, it should be a pleasure, a joy and a privilege to obey Him! Finally, discipleship demands continued ALLEGIANCE to Christ. We follow Him wherever He leads, rain or shine, through thick and thin, in sickness and in health, in winning or losing. Once we put our hands to the plow, we don’t turn back.
In Luke 14:28-30 Jesus challenges potential disciples to count the cost of being His disciples. You don’t make a decision for Jesus and continue living the same! Only you can determine whether truly following Jesus as He desires is worth the cost. Don’t just be a fan of Jesus, but instead be His committed disciple. Jesus said, “For whoever wishes to save his life (keep for himself) will lose it, but whoever loses (yields) his life for My sake will find (save) it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:25-26). Is it worth trusting and following Jesus no matter what the cost? You make the call!
Bob Kulp
AND LAST IN THE HEARTS OF SECULARISTS
October 13
You shall not bear false witness… Exodus 20:16
Seeking to undermine the Judeo-Christian basis of our Republic, secular revisionists fashionably disparage the Christian orthodoxy of George Washington and maintain that he was a Deist, rather than a Bible-believing Christian. Deism is an infidel theology that denies God’s participation in the affairs of men and thus rejects the realities of Christ’s Incarnation and Atonement. Was Washington a Christian, affirming the activity of God Almighty amongst men? Did he place his trust in Christ’s redemptive sufferings? Content to allow the reader to draw his own conclusions, I submit Washington’s handwritten testimony of faith recorded in his prayer journal when he was twenty:
“O, blessed Father, let thy Son's blood wash me from all impurities, and cleanse me from the stains of sin that are upon me. Give me grace to lay hold upon His merits; that they may be my reconciliation and atonement unto Thee—That I may know my sins are forgiven by His death and passion…”
“…I have sinned against heaven and before Thee in thought, word, and deed. I have condemned Thy majesty and holy laws. I have likewise sinned by omitting what I ought to have done and committing what I ought not... My iniquities are multiplied and my sins are very great. I confess them, O Lord, with shame and sorrow, detestation and loathing and desire to be vile in my own eyes as I have rendered myself vile in Thine. I humbly beseech Thee to be merciful to me in the free pardon of my sins for the sake of Thy dear Son and only Savior Jesus Christ, who came to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Thou gavest Thy Son to die for me.”
Terry L. Reese
THAT’S MY PASTOR
October 12
And he was well spoken of by the brothers who were in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted this man to go with him… Acts 16:2-3
My wife and I just celebrated our 50th anniversary, and I can say that we still go out together as much as we ever have, except now it is usually to a doctor’s office. It was in just such a place recently that we saw someone from church. After a quick conversation, the nurse called my wife and I to come back to the exam room. As we walked out of the reception area, I heard the lady from our church tell another nurse, “That’s my pastor and his wife.”
I could not have been more blessed if I had been elected president. For that lady to call me her pastor in a room full of people like that could not have been a bigger honor. It said that she trusted me to preach the truth. She sacrificed her time in life to hear me speak each Sunday. And she saw nothing in my wife or me that made her embarrassed to tell the world about it. I could not have wanted a better compliment, and I have to pray that it never goes to my head.
James says a lot about the power of the tongue, and it mostly comes across negatively. But the power can be just as strong in a positive way as well. We should be as quick to use words to God’s glory as we are to criticize or complain. If our tongue can be a forest fire (James 3:5), it can also be a refreshing oasis in this very dry land. Perhaps the greatest aspect of this was that our sister in the Lord has no idea of the joy she brought me!
Davy L. Troxel
WHAT TIME IS IT?
October 11
Knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. Romans 13:11
This verse talks about our “salvation” being “nearer to us than when we believed.” Actually, you were saved when you believed. So, this “nearer salvation” refers to something else. It refers to being saved from the problems, trials and sufferings of this life. This salvation will occur when one of two things happen. When we pass on from this world and open our eyes in the presence of Jesus, we, the now saved, will then be finally saved. When the rapture happens, we, the now saved, will be suddenly changed and transported into the presence of Jesus finally saved forever more. I believed over 50 years ago. I am now 50 years closer to my final salvation than I was. This was written about 2000 years ago. We are now 2000 years closer to the time of the rapture than we were. It certainly is high time that we awake out of sleep and know that it is about time for the Lord to come for us. And, many of us are sleeping. Not literally, but many live as if the things of God make little or no difference. The challenge of this passage is to live and look like a Christian should because it is high time for the Lord to come.
Obviously, Paul is saying that it is going to matter when we see the Lord if we lived like a Christian should or if we lived like the world. It is certainly time to live our lives in a way that is pleasing to Christ, because it may be time today to be with Christ.
Tom Johnson
GOD IS ABSOLUTELY GOOD
October 10
You are good and do good; teach me your statutes. Psalm 119:68
In 1808, Allen Gardiner entered the British Royal Navy. It was while he was in the Navy that he got saved. When he was in China and saw the idolatry of the people, God moved his heart to become a missionary. He eventually went to South America to give the Gospel to the unreached tribes there in 1838. In 1851, at the age of 57, he died of disease and starvation while serving on Picton Island at the southern tip of South America. When his body was found, his diary lay nearby. It bore the record of hunger, thirst, wounds and loneliness. The last entry in his little book showed the struggle of his shaking hand as he tried to write legibly. It read, "I am overwhelmed with a sense of the goodness of God."
Allen Gardiner understood that we are not deserving or worthy of anything; that God owes us nothing. We, on the other hand, owe all we are and have to God.
1 John 1:5 says that “God is Light and in Him there is no darkness at all.” This is another way of saying that God is absolutely good/pure. As a result, all that He does is good as Psalm 119:68 says. Psalm 107:1 says, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.”
How has God been good to you this past week? Did you thank Him for the liquid in your eyeballs so your eyes are not itchy? Did you praise Him for the air that you breathe? I praise God that one day last week the pick-up coming right at us did not hit us. God causes His rain to fall on the just and unjust alike. Psalm 145:9 says, “The Lord is good to all.” Fundamental to the person of God is His goodness. Our English word “good” comes from “God.” Goodness is the essence of God. There is no evil in Him whatsoever (1 John 1:5).
Ike Graham
EYES TO SEE
October 9
Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” John 6:52
My children have learned the inconvenience of getting a nail or screw in a car tire. The other day, after backing the car into a parking spot, I opened my door to make sure I was parallel to the line. In my excitement that I had successfully performed the maneuver, I exclaimed, “I nailed it!” To which one of my children responded with concern, “Did you hit a nail?”
Figures of speech can be hard to understand at times. Sometimes, they are impossible, as John 6 describes. Jesus wanted the Jews to understand that He had come to this earth, not just to provide them physical bread that will only satisfy their hunger for a couple of hours, but Himself, the bread of life that will satisfy their hunger forever (John 6:35). But the vast majority of the crowd did not understand. They completely missed what Jesus was communicating to them. Why? Because the Spirit had not given them life (John 6:63). They were still blind in their sin (2 Cor. 4:4). They had not been given eyes to see, ears to hear, or hearts to understand and believe (cf. Isaiah 6:10 and Luke 10:23).
Praise the Lord that He has granted you the opportunity to come to Jesus (John 6:65). Praise the Lord that He has given you eyes to see and believe the glorious salvation He has provided for us (1 Peter 1:3-12). May we continue to pray with the Psalmist, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law” (Psalm 119:18).
Joshua Steiner
GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT DEFINITIONS
October 8
And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3
I have a little book called Laughter Never Gets Old. It is loaded with jokes, cartoons and humorous writings compiled by Bob Phillips. My favorite section of the book is the seven pages entitled “Daffy Dictionary.” While you may think that you know the true definitions of these words, open your mind to some new ones!
“Archive: Where Noah kept his bees; Benign: What you be after you be eight; Cistern: The opposite of brethren; Dilate: To live long; Fibula: A small lie; Hernia: Pertaining to the female knee; Milk Dud: A cow that won’t produce; Octopus: An eight-legged cat; Polygon: A dead parrot; Sonogram: A telegram from your son; Warehouse: What you ask when you are lost.” Have no fear; Webster’s Dictionary is still correct! However, here are a few definitions that we cannot afford to be confused about as taken from John 3:16.
“For God so loved the world” – Agape love, to give sacrificially to us all
“that He gave His only begotten Son” – Jesus Christ, God’s perfect eternal Son who died and rose again
“that whoever believes in Him” – Faith in Christ alone for forgiveness of sins and eternity in heaven
“shall not perish” – Be lost, separated from God in hell forever
“but have eternal life” – A personal relationship with God Himself now and for eternity
In humility and repentance call to Him in prayer asserting that He is your only hope of forgiveness and eternal life. You will never be sorry that you did, and you’ll want to spend the rest of your life now and in eternity thanking, praising and serving Him! That’s no joke!
Bob Kulp
EVIL AND A GOOD GOD
October 6
The One forming light and creating darkness, producing peace and creating calamity; I am Yahweh who does all these. Isaiah 45:7
One of the questions that almost everyone has asked is, “How can God be good when there is so much evil and suffering around?” Maybe you have asked that question yourself. There are a number of truths that we must keep in mind as we seek to answer this important question. Let’s just look at three.
First, God cannot sin, or even tempt someone to sin. James 1:13 declares, “…God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.” Second, man is completely responsible for his sinful thoughts and actions. James goes on to describe the process, “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully matured, it brings forth death” (1:14-15). And finally, God is in control of every single detail, He is sovereign. Psalm 135: 6 declares, “Whatever Yahweh pleases, He does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and in all deeps.” Taking all of these truths together we arrive at the understanding that God, who is merciful and gracious, has designed a plan that may include suffering and pain, for our good and His glory. Many times we will not be able to understand why He does what He does. But we can rest assured that He has a good reason, and if we had the opportunity to see what He sees, we would acknowledge that His plan is best, even when He sends calamity into our lives. Meditate on the verses surrounding Isaiah 45:7, as you ask God for strength to trust Him.
Joshua Steiner
DOOR
October 5
Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and the Lord closed it behind him. Gen. 7:16
I've had the fortune to go many times to see the life-sized Ark near Cincinnati. I was impressed with the large ramp up to the one and only large door. Once God closed it no one could get in. Later Jesus said He was the door of the sheep (John 10:1). Using any other entry method made you illegitimate.
Coming home after a fishing trip, it suddenly dawned on me, my wife was at the store, and I had forgotten to take my key. I remembered that a window in the back, if wiggled just right, would open. I got a lawn chair and boosted myself up. As I put my first leg through, the chair tipped away and left me straddling the window sill, quite uncomfortably I might add! With some difficulty I bent my torso and got my head inside. There was still a drop of 3 1/2 feet to the floor. My wife had placed the cat food and water bowls there so I had to pitch myself forward with a thud. When I recounted my experience to Joanne, she calmly said, "I left the door open for you!"
I now say to you with all the zeal I can muster, "USE THE DOOR!" God has it wide open for you now.
Russ Simpson
GOD IS NOT FEMALE
October 4
God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:24
In 1972, Helen Reddy accepted the Grammy Award for her song, "I am Strong, I am Invincible, I am Woman." She said, "I'd like to thank God, because she made everything possible." In our day, some even refuse to define male and female. Jesus made it clear that God is neither male nor female. He declared: “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). Why then does God refer to Himself as male? Here are 5 reasons:
1) Because He is a Person. As a person, God designates Himself as a male for communication purposes to us.
2) Because, as a person, God emphasizes His Position as king. In God’s plan, males are stronger than females. As the most powerful male, God is king.
3) Because, as male, God is Provider. He is the originator of all good things. He holds all the resources of heaven. And He is a good Father (cf. James 1:18).
4) Because, as male, God is Protector. He is our protector. If an earthly father will spare no effort to help and protect his children, how much more will the heavenly Father love, protect, and help His children? See Matthew 10:29-31.
5) Because, as our Father, God’s Parenthood is emphasized. He is “Our Father.” We are His children (1 John 3:1-2).
Have you expressed to your heavenly Father how much you love Him? Tell Him your gratefulness for His communication, power, provision, protection and close personal relationship. Worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Ike Graham
PRAY FOR THE PERSECUTED
October 3
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10
November 2, 2025 is promoted by Voice of the Martyrs, a Christian organization which informs its readers about persecution around the world as well as helping, supporting and encouraging persecuted believers worldwide, as the Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. While persecution to us here in the USA is limited, it is a way of life to millions of committed Christ followers on our planet in over 50 countries.
How do we pray for them? The Voice of the Martyrs suggests ten requests. 1) That they will sense God’s presence daily (Hebrews 13:5); 2) That they will know others are praying for them (2 Timothy 1:3); 3) That they will experience God’s comfort (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17); 4) That they will see God opening doors of evangelism (Colossians 4:3); 5) That they will boldly share the Gospel (Acts 4:20); 6) That they will mature in their faith (Colossians 1:28-29); 7) That they will be granted wisdom and protection in their covert ministry work (Acts 9:23-25); 8) That they will remain joyful amid suffering (Acts 5:41); 9) That they will be able to forgive and love their persecutors (Matthew 5:44) and 10) That they will be deeply rooted in God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
How much has your faith in Christ cost you? These persecuted believers around the world are our examples and “veterans of spiritual wars” that we should honor and pray for fervently. “Finally, brothers, pray for us … that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men, for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful who will strengthen and guard you from the evil one” (2 Thessalonians 3:1a, 2-3). Pray for the persecuted!
Bob Kulp
LOVE LOST
October 2
But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Revelation 2:4
This is a letter written by the Apostle John under the instruction of the one in control of the church, Jesus Christ, to a real church that existed around 100 AD. This is a hard working church that doesn’t tolerate evil, and one that correctly discerns those who are false Apostles according to verse 2. And, verse 3 adds that they have not fainted over the years. This sounds like a perfect church. But, the Lord notices a motive problem. It is not what they do, but why they do it. They have left their first love. What does that mean? Well, it means that what they do is not done out of love for Christ. Maybe they do these things out of tradition, maybe habit or maybe because they enjoy what they are doing. It could be that they do these works to please the pastor. But, it also could be simply to add new people to the church so they can boast about their attendance or increased offerings. If these kind of things are our motivations, we have also grown cold in our relationship with Christ. We should do these things because we love the Lord, and it pleases Him to see us doing these things. We are obeying His revealed will for us because His great love for us obligates us to obey Him in all things. That is why we did things when we were first saved. We were excited about Jesus and wanted to serve Him and tell others about Him. Verse 5 tells us to remember that, repent from our laid back apathy and do what we did at the first when we were in love with Christ.
Tom Johnson
THREE!!!
October 1
…baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19
D.W. Miller (Understanding Baptism) offers an illustration clarifying the language of Matthew 28:19 by employing an apple, a child, and a pail. On every occasion, when commanded to dip the apple in the name of Billy, and of Sally, and of Mary, the child ALWAYS triply immerses the apple! Try it!
Dr. James Boyer (Brethren Baptism Notes) offered a similar illustration employing silver dollars. Observing the grammatical construction of the passage, he asks: “How many dollars will you need if you are asked to put a dollar ‘into the hand of Peter, and of James, and of John’?” The answer, of course, is THREE; three hands, three dollars! Try it on someone!
C.F. Yoder (God’s Means of Grace) offers an analogy involving the distribution of handbills. If asked to deliver a notice to the house of Mark, and of Luke, and of John, understanding that each have their own house, how many will you deliver? THREE, of course!
Another pair of helpful analogies come to us from D. Vaniman, referenced by T.M. Hodge (Could it be Three?):
“If I should tell [a] boy to dip my pencil into the water, and into the milk, and into the wine, he could not possibly obey the command short of dipping the pencil three times—once into each substance. Again, if I command the boy to write his name into the book of Matthew, and of Mark, and of Luke, he will at once see that he must write his name three times to do as commanded—once in each book.”
Jesus issued a clear and simple command that was universally understood by God’s people for centuries. Why all the confusion today?
Terry L. Reese