An Acrostic of the Word “Church”

September 6, 2015

Stands for Christ’s. The church belongs to Christ by right of purchase, Acts 20:28. “Take heed unto yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the church of the Lord which he purchased with His own blood.” The church is peculiarly Christ’s.

Stands for Head. The we read about in the Bible has only one head – that head is Christ. Ephesians 1:22f, “…and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body….”

Stands for Unity. The church must be found in unity – Christ prayed that “…they may all be one…” (John 17:20ff). Compare: Acts 4:32; I Corinthians 12:20; 1:10; 12:13. Unity!

Stands for Revealed. The kingdom the prophets wrote about and foretold was made known, hence revealed in Acts 2 – a fulfillment of Daniel 2 and Isaiah 2 and others. Acts 2:16, “This is that….”

Stands for the Cross. We have noted that Christ paid the price. He died on the cross for the sins of the world – Romans 5:8; Galatians 5:24; John 3:16. Song: “I Gave My Life for Thee,” “He Paid It All.”

Stands for Haven. The church is a haven for the saved. The Bible tells us that Christ is the Savior of the body (Ephesians 5:23); that means the body is made up of the saved. Acts 2 tells us “…the Lord added to the church those that were saved….” It is our haven now; our hope for the future in a place reserved for the faithful in Christ, our Heavenly Home. Haven – Hope – Heaven!

Jess Whitlock

HOW DO YOU SPELL C-R-O-S-S

March 21, 2015

“See”

Look at Calvary. Don’t turn away. I know it’s not easy. What is done to Him is shameful. I know. But look closely! Past the spittle. Beyond the blood. There. In His eyes. Friend, that is love. It is love for you! See the nails in His hands and feet, fastening Him to a tree He created for man’s use. Look at the love He has for you!

“Are”

Are you able to see that He bled for you? Are you willing to admit that you are lost without Him? Are you ready to submit to His will, to obey Him, and to live for Him? Are you prepared for eternity? Are you convinced?

“Oh”

Hear His cries of pain and agony. The death of a thousand deaths. Bitter moans of His disciples. The gasp of heaven’s angels. The sorrow of a Father for His only begotten Son! The gasps and exclamations of a hateful mob.

“SS”

That’s the hiss of the beguiling serpent. The one who is bruising the heel of the perfect One (Genesis 3:15), putting God the Son in the tomb. This is the moment of his triumph. Though resurrection will soon bring the ultimate victory for Christ and hope for man, at the cross of Calvary the devil must be enjoying his front row seat. Doesn’t he anger you? Disgust you? Motivate you? Live for Jesus. Don’t live for the snake!

Friends, the cross spells the difference between heaven and hell, hope and helplessness, joy and sorrow, day and night! The cross spells life!

“And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross…” (Ephesians 2:16).

Author Unknown

Jehovah Versus All the Gods of Egypt?

January 1, 2015

Ramses the Great: the Man and the Myth. About 20 years ago I went to Dallas for that exhibit. It was impressive to learn about the man, but there was myth! The claim was made that Ramses was the Pharaoh of the Exodus. It is my conviction the date of the exodus was ca. 1446 B.C. It is my conviction that the Pharaoh of Egypt at the time of the exodus was probably Thutmosis. Moses and Pharaoh observed God’s “Ten Lesson Course” as God came to the tenth plague.

“For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will smite all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am Jehovah” (Exodus 12:12). The one true God took on all the gods of Egypt and overcame many idol gods that belonged to Egypt:

Water of the Nile became blood, water was undrinkable. (Exodus 7:14-24). The spirit of the Nile was called Hapi, the goddess of the Nile was called Tauret, and the Nile was considered the bloodstream of Osiris.
The plague of frogs covered the whole land. (Exodus 8:1-15). Egypt looked to frogs as the goddess of birth, and named this goddess Heqt or Hekt.
Next the lice came upon men and beasts alike. (Exodus 8:16-19). Seb or Geb was Egypt’s earth-god. Remember the lice came from the dust at the hand of Moses.
Next came the swarms of flies. (Exodus 8:20-32). The flies came only upon the land of Egypt and not in Goshen. Egypt had a fly-god called Uatchit.
The plague of murrain (diseased livestock) was next. (Exodus 9:1-7). Egypt had many gods fashioned as bulls or cattle; Apis, Ptah, Hathor, Mnevis…
The plague of boils affected only the Egyptians. (Exodus 9:8-12). Sekhmet was the goddess of epidemics, and Serapis was their god of healing. The latter god was in the form of a serpent. Look at the insignia of medical institutions today and behold the serpent! Yet, Egypt’s magicians were unable to appear before Pharaoh because of this plague.
The plague of hail mingled with fire followed. (Exodus 9:13-35). Egypt had a sky-goddess that was appropriately named Nut. Isis and Seth were the deities of Egypt to protect the crops. Shu was the god of the atmosphere. (His name was mentioned quite frequently during the 4th plague).
Then it was time for the locusts to make an appearance. (Exodus 10:1-20). Serapia was the protector of Egypt from locusts! Recall that Isis and Seth served as protector of crops. The crop loss in Egypt was 100%.
Then came three days of darkness. (Exodus 10:21-29). The sun-gods of Egypt were myriad; Ra, Atum, Horus, Amon-ra, et al. There was no light in Egypt for three days. Egypt even had a god of the sunset, Tem. But, there was no sunrise neither sunset for three days. There was light in Goshen.
The final plague was the death of the first-born. (Exodus 12:29-36). Pharaoh was considered a god and his first-born died. Heqt or Hekt was the goddess of birth, and Meskhenet presided at childbirth. Selket or Serqa was Egypt’s guardian of life.

Jehovah God went “against all the gods of Egypt” and won hands down!

Jess Whitlock

The 5 B’s of Baptism

April 28, 2014

There is much confusion about baptism. Many do not believe that a person must be baptized to be saved from his sons. Others say baptism is necessary for salvation. Some say sprinkling or pouring are acceptable forms of baptism. Others say only immersion in water is acceptable. There is only one way to settle the confusion about baptism. We must go to the New Testament, which is the law for all men today. What does the Bible tell us about baptism? Its teaching is clear on this subject. Let us notice the five “B’s” of Bible baptism.

First, baptism is a BURIAL. Notice the apostle Paul’s statement in Romans 6:3-4: “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were into His death? Therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Paul states clearly that baptism is a burial. To bury something is to cover it completely. Sprinkling or pouring will not substitute for the burial which baptism demands. In fact, the word “baptism” itself means “to immense, dip, plunge.” Bible baptism is a burial.

Second, baptism is for BELIEVERS. Bible baptism is for those who can show they believe in Jesus, the Son of God. In Mark 16:16, Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” No where in the New Testament will one find a person baptized who was not able to express his belief in Christ. In Acts 8:12 we read, “But when they believed Philip as preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.” Notice that “both men and women” were baptized, not little children. Why? Because baptism is for believers, not babies. Babies are born innocent. They are not guilty of the sins of their parents, as some teach (Ezekiel 18:20). Jesus used little children as examples of humility, and said we must become like them to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:1-5). Would Jesus use sinful children as examples of what we must become to be pleasing to God? Certainly not!

Third, baptism is BEFORE the forgiveness of sins. Jesus made this clear in His statement, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Jesus said belief AND baptism bring salvation. He did not say belief brings salvation, and then one is baptized. One cannot be saved without baptism. In Acts 22:16, Saul of Tarsus, a man who believed in Christ, repented, and confessed Jesus as Lord, still had to be baptized to wash away his sins. There is not a single instance in the New Testament where anyone was said to be saved until he was baptized. Baptism comes BEFORE forgiveness.

Fourth, baptism is the BIRTH of the Christian. It is the beginning of the Christians’s life. In John 3:5, Jesus told a man named Nicodemus, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” To be born of water and the Spirit involves being baptized in water in obedience to the teaching of the Holy Spirit. How does the Spirit teach us? He does so through the Word of God. In the New Testament we learn of the importance of being baptized in water. So it is the Spirit who teaches us to be baptized as we read His Word. This is what the apostle Paul meant in I Corinthians 12:13. “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free – and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.” Paul says all must be baptized into the body of Christ, which is the church (Ephesians 1:22-23). It is by the teaching of the Spirit through the Word that we learn of our need to do this. Then, we must “drink into one Spirit,” which means we are to continue to study the Word which the Holy Spirit has given – the New Testament. We must grow in our knowledge of God’s Word, and we must remain faithful in the one church (Revelation 2:10).

The final “B” is that Bible baptism is where the BLOOD of Christ is applied to cleanse us from our sins. Can a person be saved from his sins without the blood of Christ? No! But only in baptism is the blood applied from Heaven to take away our sins. The blood of Jesus was shed in His death. The soldier pierced the side of the slain Savior of the world, and “...immediately blood and water came out” (John 19:34). Then, in Romans 6:3-4, Paul speaks of being buried in the “likeness” of Christ’s death through baptism. The blood that was shed in Christ’s death is reached only in the likeness of His death – baptism. In Revelation 1:4-5, John says Jesus washed us from sins in His blood. When does that washing take place? It is the washing of baptism. Remember what Ananias said to Saul of Tarsus: “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” When we look at Acts 22:16 and Revelation 1:4-5, we conclude that in baptism the blood of Jesus is applied to wash away our sins.

We should never forget the five “B’s of baptism. They remind us of what the Bible teaches about this very important subject. The Bible says baptism is a BURIAL. It is for BELIEVERS, those who can express their belief in Christ. It comes BEFORE forgiveness of sins. It is the BIRTH of the Christian, and it is where the precious BLOOD of Jesus is applied to wash away our sins. Have you received BIBLE baptism?

Author Unknown

This. . .

December 24, 2013

This Book unfolds Jehovah’s mind;

This Book salutes in accents kind;

This Friend our needs will amply meet;

This Foundation sends forth joys sweet.

This Mine affords us boundless wealth;

This Good Physician gives us health;

This Sun renews and warms the soul;

This Sword both wounds and makes us whole.

This Letter shows our sins forgiven;

This Guide conducts us safe to heaven;

This Charter has been sealed with blood;

This Volume is the Word of God.

Author Unknown

20th Century Christian - February 1945

The 5 B’s of Baptism

December 7, 2013

Hebrews

September 1, 2013

God has spoken by prophets of what He was doing and had done,

But in these last days He spoke in His only begotten Son,

And this book of Hebrews was to show the Jews of that day

That the Gospel of the grace of God was much better way.

Jesus Christ was better than angels, a more excellent name had He.

God never said to an angel, “My son, today I begot thee.”

But to the Son He said, “Thy Throne is forever and ever.

Sit on My right hand; I will make your enemies a footstool forever.”

The grace of God is much better than the Mosaic law.

The law made nothing perfect and that we clearly saw.

But a surer and much better covenant Jesus had made,

For what the law could not do about sin Jesus has paid.

The blood of animals was applied in the temple on earth.

But the blood of Christ in heaven’s temple is of eternal worth.

There is no need to repeat His sacrifice as the priest, from day to day.

Once for all He died for mankind to put their sins away.

And that once for all sacrifice made by God’s sinless Soon,

Is put to our credit by faith in the work He had done.

For faith gives evidence and substance of things yet unseen,

And we trust the blood of Jesus to wash our souls clean.

So let us lay aside all sin and every hindering weight,

And for the lame who are following let us make our path straight.

For we have a better covenant, a better hope, a better reward,

And we run our race with patience as we wait for our blessed Lord.

--from The Bible in Verse: from Genesis to Revelation by B. C. Jennings, 1986