What’s “Right” With It?
Today’s Passage – 1 Thessalonians 1 – 5
“Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:22)
It seems like it is getting harder and harder in these perilous times that we are living in to promote Biblical separation. Christians, especially in America, have become very worldly. It is very difficult to spot a Christian in the crowd today as we just do not stand out like we used to. Christians today ask the questions, “what’s wrong with this or what’s wrong with that?”, but maybe we really should be asking “what’s right with this? or what’s right with that?”. The verse above reminds us that we are not supposed to be just inside the fence when it comes to abstaining from sin, but we are really supposed to be way inside, as far away from the fence as possible. We are not supposed to be anywhere near things that may even appear to be evil. It is often not a decision between right and wrong; but between good and best. Christians ought to be willing to take the higher path; go the second mile.
Now, before you start attacking me, I am well aware that we are not under any law, but are under grace. I also know that we are saved by faith in Christ alone, and not because we live a separated life. I also know that God loves carnal Christians just as much as He loves separated Christians. But, make no mistake about it, it is God’s will for us to be a people, not only separated from things that are clearly sinful, but also things that even appear to be wrong. Why do you think that is? I have given this subject a lot of thought through the years; but I believe it has to do with our purpose for living here on the earth. We are here to glorify God. We are His ambassadors. If we would be completely honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that when we partake in things that are wicked, or even close to the line, we are doing so to gratify our own fleshly desires. We are certainly not doing these things because we feel that they will help us lead more people to the Lord.
Christian, be careful. God wants to live through you. God wants to reveal Himself to the people around you through your life. Be careful about how you represent Him. The things you do; the things you say; the clothes you wear (or don’t wear); the entertainments that you partake in; your faithfulness to church services; etc. All of these things should be considered. Remember, it is not about you; it is all about the Lord, and the people the Lord wants to reach through you. I think we would all do better with this if we would all spend a little more time asking the Lord, “what’s right with it?” should I wear this? should I go here? should I participate in this? If God gives you the green light, than go ahead; but if you don’t have peace about it, refrain. Remember, the peace and blessing that God will give you will far exceed any temporary pleasure that comes from a wrong decision.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from 1 Thessalonians by Phil Erickson with 4 comments.
The Importance of Discipleship
Today’s Passage Colossians 1 – 4
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 2:6 & 7)
Perhaps the biggest problem in our churches today is the lack of grounded Christians in them. We have many people who will receive the Lord Jesus as their Saviour, but precious few who will get plugged in all the way, enough to where they mature in the faith. That is why so many today are being beguiled with enticing words (v 4); and spoiled through philosophy and vain deceit (v 7). We need to somehow get our converts to be “stablished in the faith”.
Discipleship is the key. Of course, I believe the best discipleship program is Sunday School, Sunday Morning, Sunday Night, Wednesday Night, and Soulwinning. If a young Christian was to participate in all of these services and activities, they would certainly grow in the Lord. However, I also believe that a good discipleship curriculum is also helpful. We have used a variety of discipleship material through the years, but now we use a program called “Daily in the Word” which is produced by Missionary John Honeycutt, and is published by Striving Together Publications. It is very thorough, and is designed to be done “one on one”; although, at times, we have done it in small group settings. However, I must confess that we have had a difficult time keeping people in the program. We have had many start it through the years, but few have finished it. It really depends upon the dedication to the Lord by the disciple; as well as the love and commitment of the discipler. The discipler must care a great deal about the disciple, and must be willing to sacrifice much in order to help the disciple “finish his course”.
I know that there are many people in our church that read this blog regularly, who have never completed the discipleship program. I want to make a promise to you: if you will make it a resolution in this year to make every effort on your part to learn and grow in the Lord; then I will make every effort to see to it that you get a discipleship coach that will love you, and set aside time every week to teach you the foundational principles of Christianity, and will help you in your walk with Christ. I promise you this also: if you will do it and complete the course, your life will never be the same. God will take you and your family to new heights.
Let me know if you’re interested. If you attend another church, and you are interested in discipleship, talk to your pastor. I am sure that your church would be glad to provide you with the tools that you need in order to grow in the Lord.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
The Mind of Christ
Today’s Passage – Philippians 1 – 4
I apologize for not posting on Friday. I was “down for the count” with a bad tooth from Thursday until last night. Praise the Lord, I am much better today.
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” (Philippians 2:5)
“For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16)
I just want to jot down a quick thought from the Scriptures this morning that, I hope, will be a blessing to you. Jesu is God. As God, He is equal with the Father in everything. Jesus is omniscient, meaning that there is nothing that He does not know. There is nothing that escapes His mind, unless He chooses to not remember it. But here in our text, the Bible is not referring to omniscience, but rather it is referring to Christ’s attitude. He had the mind of a servant; not the knowledge of a servant, but the humility of a servant. As God, He could have demanded that all of humanity bow the knee to Him. He also could have demanded that every creature in the universe should serve His every desire. But that is not what He did, is it?
It is funny how little, sinful man who is a servant, and has no right to boast at all, is always trying to magnify himself; trying to make himself look better in the eyes of other men. Yet Jesus, who deserves all of the glory, humbled Himself, even unto death. Why, because He loves us. If He demonstrated His love through a form of humility, ought not we do the same thing. We are so full of ourselves. God tells us here that we should have the same mind; the same humble attitude that Christ demonstrated when He came to this earth to be born of a woman; to live a selfless life of service to men; and finally to die a horrible death on the cross in order to atone for your sins and mine.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 4-6.
Ephesians 6:10-20: Pray For Me
Good morning. Are you ready to take on the world today? It’s a battle we face every day. Our war starts with the flesh. Our flesh is either too tired, or it’s too cold and wants to stay warm under the covers. Eventually your body does drag itself out of bed, takes a shower, gets dressed, and has breakfast. Now it’s ready to face the world, right?
Wrong!
Take a look at the passage in Ephesians 6 about putting on the whole armour of God. If I had a favorite punctuation mark it would the colon found at the end of verse 17. This little colon is going add explanation to putting on God’s armour. What was missing from the scenario above? Prayer. Ephesians 6:18 says, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints…”
We should always start the day with prayer. Would you go to work naked? Could you drive to the store without a car? How do you think you can face the world without prayer? You can’t, and neither can I. You need your prayer, all the saints need your prayer, and I need your prayer. Start your battle with the world today (and every day) in prayer.
Then pray for me. Pray for me what Paul requested: “And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6:19-20)
This is how we all ought to speak. Will you join me? Please pray for me this morning while you are putting on the whole armor of God.
Peace. (Ephesians 6:23)
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
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Today’s Passage – Ephesians 1 – 3
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
We’re Almost There
Today’s Passage Galatians 4 – 6
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. (Galatians 6:9)
As a child I was very impatient. I would tire of things very easily. Sometimes my family would pack up the car and travel up to Cornwall, New York to visit my Aunt Francis. The ride was really only a little over two hours, but for me it seemed like it took forever to get there. My mom and dad would always try to encourage me by saying, “we’re almost there”. As I grew, some of that impatience stayed with me. I get bored easily. I am always looking for something new to do, and often have a difficult time simply finishing some of the projects that I have started. Paul encourages this church in Galatia to keep going also. When the church was new, they were doing great; but somewhere along the line they became influenced by those who attempted to put them back under the law again. Paul reminds them in this letter that they were no longer to live according to the traditions and ceremonies of the law; but instead were to live by faith, following the leadership of the indwelling Holy Ghost of God. He encourages them to not be weary in well doing, meaning that they were not to get tired of doing right. They were on the right path, and they needed to stay on it.
Sometimes it is not easy to live a life of faith, especially in this world that we live in. The world around us does not understand that we who belong to Christ have a Person in us and with us Who desires to guide us and teach us to walk in a way that glorifies God, and points others to Christ. This life of faith is an abundant, fruitful, and fulfilling life; but it oftentimes goes against what our flesh wants to do. I must confess there have been many times when I have yielded to the desires of my “old man” rather than choosing to “walk in the Spirit”. God has always managed to get me back on track, but I have always had the feeling of regret when I have yielded to my will instead of God’s.
So my advice to you is to keep going, we’re almost there. Don’t be weary in well doing. Don’t give up trusting the direction of your life to the will of God. Don’t be weary in loving people. Don’t be weary in shining the light of the Lord to the world around you. Don’t be weary in serving in your local church. Stay with it! Don’t quit! Keep going! Keep running the race until you have reached the finish line. We will all (Christians) be out of here soon, and I do not think that we will be weary when we get to Heaven.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts From Galatians by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
We Are Free
Today’s Passage – Galatians 1 – 3
“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” Galatians 2:16
The letter to the Galatians was one of the earliest of the epistles written by the Apostle Paul through the inspiration of the God. In the very early church, there was evidently a problem with legalism. Legalism is the attempt to put people who are saved by faith back under the law. I need to explain here exactly what I mean by “under the law”. In Old Testament days the people of God (the Jews) lived according to the law of Moses which contained three different types of laws: civil law (government), which helped them live in a peaceful society; moral law, which taught them what was right and wrong morally speaking; and ceremonial law, which were the particular laws that had to do with their system of worship. These ceremonial laws legislated their holy days, their assemblies, and their feasts, etc. The Jews created a system of rules that was impossible for anybody to keep perfectly. That’s why Paul says later in this letter to the Galatians that the law was our “schoolmaster”, in that it taught us that we were sinners in need of mercy. Christ is the only man who fulfilled all of the law, meaning He never was guilty of violating any command of God in any of the three categories.
Now when God says in the New Testament that we are no longer “under the law”, and that we have been freed from the bondage of the law, He is not saying that we are free to commit moral sin; or that we are free to break the laws that government creates in order to keep the peace, unless, of course, those man-made rules disagree with God’s rules. We are, however, free from all of the ceremonial laws that the Jews lived by, and there were a whole lot of them. By the way, not being “under the law” also means that we have been freed (saved) from the penalty of not keeping the law. The people of Galatia were “bewitched” into attempting to combine the doctrine of salvation through faith alone with the keeping of the Jewish law. By doing so, they just frustrated the concept of grace. Christ fulfilled the law, and He died for us who could not keep the law. We are free! Free from the penalty of sin; free from the bondage of a myriad of rules and regulations that are impossible to live by anyway; and free to love and serve God according to the dictates of our own consciences and understanding of God.
I feel compelled to make one final comment here. The term “legalism” has often been used in reference to standards and convictions. I am not a “legalist” if I have a personal standard in my life that I believe God is pleased with. Having some Biblically based guidelines in my life to live by does not make me a legalist, unless I believe that adhering to these rules somehow saves me. I am not saved by how I live my life, but I do try to live a life that glorifies God because I am saved.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts From Galatians by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Examine Yourself
Today’s Passage – 2 Corinthians 11 – 13
“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? ” (2 Corinthians 13:5)
The Apostle Paul loved the people of Corinth. He had travelled to Corinth on his second missionary journey and had stayed with them for eighteen months preaching the Word of God. As a result, many were saved and a new church was established. However, after Paul’s departure the Church at Corinth began to have a lot of problems. As we have read through these two letters to the Corinthian Church we have learned what some of these problems were. This church was a very carnal church. They had problems with morality and idolatry, which Paul rebukes sharply in these letters; but we also discover that this church had a problem receiving preachers and teachers who were false prophets, so much so, that many of the people of Corinth were turning against Paul. Now this puts a preacher in a difficult position. No spiritual man likes to defend himself because in doing so he feels like he is lifting himself up in a prideful way. Paul very carefully reminds this church of his credentials, and he also reminds them of what he has already done for these people.
By the end of 2 Corinthians, Paul makes the statement which seems to explain the root of all of the problems that existed in Corinth. He tells them to examine themselves to see whether they were really saved. I believe many of the people in Corinth were in fact genuine in their faith, but there must also have been many that were perhaps sown in by the devil to cause trouble. By admonishing them this way, he is causing them to carefully look into their lives to see whether or not the Holy Ghost of God is really in them. The bottom line is that the only thing that clearly explains the trouble with the Corinthian Church is that there were many unconverted people in the church, as well as many carnal believers.
How about you? Would you pass the examination? Are you really saved? I will list here a simple three question quiz that you can give yourself in order to verify that you are in fact a child of God:
1 Do you have a testimony? Can you point back to a specific time and place where you remember acknowledging your sin to God and accepting the payment of God’s Son on the cross for it? Is there a time in your life when you asked the Lord to save you? Nobody was born saved. You may have been born to a good home with a godly influence, but there has to be a time in your life when you personally receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
2 Has there been a transformation? You may remember a couple of days ago I shared some thought on the subject “What’s New” from 2 Corinthians 5:17. Are you a new creature since you have been saved? Has anything in your life changed? I trusted Christ as my Savior twenty years ago, and my life has never been the same since; and it is still changing, transforming into the image of Christ. Don’t misunderstand, I still have my struggles and flaws, but Christ is chipping away at them as I grow in Him.
3 Can you pass the Bible tests? Here are some of them:
Do you have a better understanding of the Bible? (1 Corinthians 2:14) Now none of us understands everything about the Bible. I am learning new things every day from passages that I have read dozens of times before. God gives me the truths that I need in my life today; but He is teaching me.
Do you have a love for the brethren? The Bible says that people will be able to see that we are disciples by the love we have for each other. (1 John 3:14)
Do you have a desire to obey God’s commandments? (1 John 2:3 – 5) None of us will be perfect, and I suppose we all have particular areas where we really struggle; but how do you feel when you sin. If you can sin without feeling any conviction at all from within, something is seriously wrong. If you are God’s child the indwelling Holy Spirit of God should be constantly reminding you when you do wrong.
I am not trying to get anybody to doubt there salvation, but I am concerned that there may be many people within our churches that profess to know God, but have not truly been born again. How did you do on the test? Did you pass? Do you have full assurance of your salvation? If not, go to the “Are You Saved?” page on this site, and find out how you can be gloriously saved.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Without Wax
Today’s Passage – 2 Corinthians 6 – 10
I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love. (2 Corinthians 8:8)
Wherefore shew ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love, and of our boasting on your behalf. (2 Corinthians 8:24)
Tradition states that back in the days of the Roman Empire there were unscrupulous stoneworkers who crafted sculptures, but would sometimes cover the flaws and cracks in their work with wax. However, when the hot sun would beat upon their products, it would melt the wax and ruin the appearance of the sculpture. Potters also were guilty of sealing cracked and even broken wares with wax in order to sell them at the market, but when the unsuspecting buyer returned home and put something hot in the the pot, plate, or cup, it would also melt the wax. Eventually, men of character who traded these goods would stamp their wares “sine cera” meaning without wax. These two words eventually evolved into meaning “genuine” or “honest”.
In our text Paul states very candidly that we prove the sincerity or the genuineness of our love through the grace of giving. If you love someone you will give to them. If you love God, you will give back to Him. You may have heard this old saying that bears repeating here: “You can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving.” Do you genuinely and honestly love the Lord, then give to Him. You may say, how do I do that? Well for starters I would strongly recommend that you give to work of His local church. God has chosen the local church as the vehicle for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. But then beyond that, you may want to give to some things that you believe in. At our church, we are always taking up special offerings for various causes and people that have a need. Learn to give. God is a giver, not a taker. People who are yielded to God will be like Him and will also have a giving spirit about them.
Giving not only proves the genuineness of your love, but it also demonstrates the sincerity of your faith. If you say that you believe God, than believe what He says about giving:
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” (Luke 6:38)
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)
“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” (Malachi 3:10)
God promises to bless those who give back to Him. Notice that I said “give back”, because everything we have was given to us by Him in the first place. You can trust God with your money. Don’t get greedy. God loves to bless His children, but He cannot bless a child that doesn’t listen to Him.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from 2 Corinthians by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
What’s New About You?
Today’s Passage – 2 Corinthians 1 – 5
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
I just want to share some quick thoughts from the Word this morning, as we are busy preparing for the Lord’s Day.
The verse above expresses one of the most fundamental truths of the Christian life. I have heard all of the arguments on both sides regarding whether a person is truly saved. Many Christians believe that God has called them to be fruit inspectors; examining the lives of their brothers and sisters in Christ to see whether they have genuine faith or not. I don’t believe God has called me to be a fruit inspector as much as He has called me to be a sower of seed (the Word of God). However, we must never forget that anyone who has the Holy Spirit of God indwelling them is a new creature. He is not the same as we was before salvation. Now he might not be as spiritual as we may think he ought to be, but he is different.
I believe the difference can be seen in these three areas.
1 There will be a desire to saturate in things of God. I can’t speak necessarily for everyone, but I know what happened to me when I trusted Christ as my Saviour. I had a craving for God’s Word, God’s People, and God’s House which was never a part of my life before.
2 There will be a desire to separate from the things of this world. Now this will increase as the believer matures, but even as a babe in Christ there will be a new understanding that the Holy Spirit within is in conflict with the world system and philosophy without.
3 There will also be a desire to share Christ with others. A little further along in our text, the Bible says that we are ambassadors for Christ; we are His representatives here on the earth.
Let us examine ourselves (not others). Are these three ingredients part of your life. I am not trying to get you to doubt your salvation, and I know that we all struggle and fall short in all of these areas; but is the desire in you in these three areas. God has cataclysmically transformed my life since I have been saved; and He is still transforming me. He renews me day by day, molding me into His image. If you are His child, He is also doing the same to you.
Posted in Thoughts from 2 Corinthians by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.