Conversion or Hardness of Heart

In admonishing Christians of their responsibility to continue to speak the God-saving truth that they may grow thereby (1 Pet. 2:2), the apostle Peter reminds them of how the Jews did not accept Jesus as the only begotten Son of God. Peter declared: They stumble at the Lord, being disobedient (1 Pet. 2:8). We learn from the Greek word translated being disobedient that its meaning is not to allow oneself to be persuaded. (see Thayer or any reputable Greek lexicon). Implied is the fact that man has the power to reject obvious truth.

He can close his understanding to adequate evidence if he does not love the truth above everything else (2 The. 2:10-12). When the truth is offered to an honest man in error, one of two things can happen: (1) He will keep his honesty by giving up his error and embracing the truth, or (2) He will reject the truth, give up his honesty, and keep his error.

Speaking for God, Isaiah said to Israel:  “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isa. 1:18). God created man a rational creature and has never bypassed man’s rationality in seeking to lead and guide him. God does not force Himself upon man against man’s will (Rom. 1:28). If man will not receive the abundant and adequate evidence regarding man’s spiritual needs, God is not going to force it on him. The people in Isaiah’s day were unreasonable and would not accept God’s Word. They simply would not allow themselves to be  persuaded (Isa. 6:9-13). Thus, they lost their honesty and retained their error. In the words of Peter: ”They stumble[d] at the word, being disobedient. Hence, Paul’s request to the Thessalonians that they pray that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith” (2 The. 3:2). If you want to become wicked, just stop being reasonable. In doing so, you will lose   your honesty and harden your heart as you embrace the strong delusion of error.

David P. Brown

A FAITHFUL FRIEND

It is good to have a friend. We all need someone in whom we can utterly trust. We need someone who loves us in spite of all our weaknesses. We need someone who will comfort and encourage us in times of trouble and sorrow when the world leaves us alone to fight our battles. “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (Proverbs 17:17).

“Ointment and perfume rejoiceth the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty counsel” (27:9). Robert Louis Stevenson wrote, “So long as we love we serve, so long as we are loved by others I would almost say we are indispensable; and no man is useless when he has a friend.” Jesus Christ said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15: 13).

Gossip can wreck friendship. “He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very (chief) friends” (Proverbs 17:9). A true friend will help you up when you have fallen down. He will defend you when others speak evil of you. He will believe you are innocent until you are proven guilty. A good friend is a great blessing. To be a friend one must give of himself and appreciate all that is loving and noble in others. “A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter” (11:13).

Do not turn against a true friend, and don’t be a treacherous friend. “Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me” (Psalms 41:9). “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (Proverbs 27:6).

WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS!

G.K. Wallace

What Is Acceptable Worship?

Jesus said, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

First, notice that according to Jesus our worship is to be directed toward God. We are to worship Him. Only Deity is worthy of worship. Men are unworthy of worship. Cornelius knew that Peter had been sent by God to tell him the Word of God through which (if obeyed) he and his household would be saved (Acts 11:14). When Cornelius first saw the apostle Peter he “fell down at his feet, and worshiped him”(Acts 10:25).  Peter was a great man, an apostle of Christ; but Peter made it clear that men were unworthy of worship. “But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man” (Acts 10:26). Twice (Revelation 19:10; 22:9) it is stated that John, the apostle, when beholding the glories of heaven fell down to worship at the feet of an angel. He was forbidden to do so. He was told, “Worship God.” When Jesus was  tempted in the wilderness, He stated, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve” (Matthew 4:10).

Second, observe that man is the one whose responsibility it is to worship God. In the previous verse Jesus had stated, “...for the Father seeketh such to worship him” (John 4:23). Clearly God desires worship from man. The primary purpose of man is to glorify God. “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou has created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11). “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Hebrews 13:5).

Third, this worship must be “in spirit” for it to be accepted by God. God demands that our worship be offered from the heart sincerely. God rejects worship that is not sincere. Jesus described some who offered such worship to God. He stated, “This people draweth nigh to me with their mouth and honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:8). Scripture speaks of those who are acceptable to God as “them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (II Timothy 2:22). Worship is to be sincere expressions of praise and adoration of God which come from the genuine thoughts and intents of the heart.

But, sincerity is not all that is necessary to make worship acceptable to God. Fourth, acceptable worship must be “in truth.” Truth is God’s Word (John 17:17). Our worship must be according to God’s instructions. When man injects his own ideas into worship, his worship becomes worthless. “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9).

There are certain acts of worship that God has approved. All other acts are thereby condemned by God for worship. Prayer is worship (Acts 2:42; James 4:8; 5:16)), singing “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” is worship (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16), preaching God’s Word is worship (Acts 2:42; 20:7); giving financially of our means on the first day of the week is worship (I Corinthians 16:2), and partaking of the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week is worship (Acts 20:7). It should be clearly observed that acceptable (i.e. acceptable to God) is not everything that man might want to do and call it worship. Acceptable worship follows the parameters set forth by God in His Word. God determines what acceptable worship is. He has revealed to us in His Word what acceptable worship is. Everything else is NOT acceptable worship.

Regardless of what man may call it, the playing of mechanical instruments of music is not worship because God has not authorized it. Even if man suggests that burning incense is worship, it is not worship because God has not authorized it. Man might suggest that everything that man wants to do is worship if his heart is sincere. God’s Word tells us that this is not so. Some might suggest that all that man does is worship to God, but according to God’s Word this is NOT the case. Doing righteous acts are service to God, but “good works” are not worship. Dedicating one’s life to God is right, good and proper; but Christian living is never spoken of in the New Testament as worship. If all of life is worship, then worship is possible without the person realizing that he is worshiping (The person’s heart, according to this view, at the time may not even recognize that worship is taking place. How can such worship be “in spirit”?) Such is absurd! God has authorized only five acts of worship. Those are the acts that are engaged in when worship takes place; worship only occurs when one or more of these acts are done.

Fifth, only two of those five acts are restricted in time. God has specified when we are to take the Lord’s Supper–the first day of the week. God has specified when we are to give financially to support the work of the church (local congregation)–the first day of the week. With God’s approval we can engage in these acts of worship only on the first day of the week (i.e. the first day of every week). We can worship God through singing (psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs), praying and the preaching of His Word at any time. If God has regulated these acts in some way, then we must follow those regulations when we engage in that action. For example, God has given us guidelines for prayer (i.e. addressed to the Father, in the name of Jesus, etc.). Prayer must be offered according to those instructions of God wherever and whenever we pray.

Worship is an activity on the part of man to praise God and to reverence Him and His Word. Worship is according to God’s pattern if it is acceptable to Him. Almost from the beginning of man’s presence on this earth, man has tried to ignore God’s Word, do his “own thing” and call it worship expecting God to be pleased. A study of the New Testament and a review of the cases of Cain and Nadab and Abihu ought to cause us to know that what we offer to God in worship is not always acceptable to Him just because we think what He has not authorized is okay, or better.

Lester Kamp

A Good Rule

Everybody needs a rule to work by, and here is a good one: The whole church, and the furtherance of Truth, is more important than one man, or a few, and more important than one congregation or a few. The Word is to be preached (II Timothy 4:2), and ALL OF IT (Acts 20:27), and in a spirit of love of Truth (II Thessalonians 2:10) and hatred for all false ways (Psalm 119:104, 128). To “let error pass” is to declare that one cares nothing for Truth, cares nothing for the souls of men, and cares not if souls are lost. No man calling himself a Gospel preacher can afford to be in that position. And, he cannot allow himself to be compromised in spirit and heart that some man or some men stand between himself and the Truth! Our speaking and writing brethren, around the world, need to take this lesson most seriously!

Bill Jackson

“Getting the Cart Before the Horse”

We hear much today of love, grace, mercy, tenderness, kindness, longsuffering, etc. So much of it is an abuse or misuse and accomplishes very little in the way of saving the lost. Here is the reason that such is the case. Love, etc. only has meaning to the person who is under the guilt of sin. Most people, at least in America, feel no guilt of sin. Thus, they are not interested in love,etc. This is also true of many members of the church regarding their Christian duties.

This is not to say that such people are happy. So many are miserable; but, they do not equate their unhappiness with the fact that they are sinners before God (Romans 3:23). Hence, they continue to seek happiness in the “...lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride (vain glory) of life...” (I John 2:16). WHAT DOES GRACE AND MERCY MEAN TO A PERSON WHO DOES NOT SEE THE NEED OF IT? The answer is: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

God’s grace has also provided God’s Word (the standard of conduct for man) (II Timothy 3:16, 17; James 1:25; Colossians 3:17; John 12:48). The Word of God reveals to man what sin is (I John 3:4; James 4:17); that man is a sinner (Ezekiel 18:14); that he has no one to blame for his sins but himself (Isaiah 59:2); and, that man must change his thoughts, words, and actions to comply withGod’s infallible Word (Acts 17:30; Matthew 3:7, 8; Acts 8:22).This is the approach found in every single, solitary sermon recorded in the Bible that was addressed to men who needed salvation but did not know it!

Until Christians, especially preachers, supply sinners with that specific truth(s) that exposes and condemns their sin(s) we have not loved them enough to provide them with the wherewithal for them to see their need of God’s love, mercy, grace, etc. (Acts 2:23,36; 24:25; Galatians 2:11)! Jesus, our loving Savior, said more about hell and who is going there than anyone else. Does anyone wonder why (Titus 2:11, 12; Revelation 21:8)?

The material above should be among the first things taught one who desires to be a preacher. If one never learns these points, he will misuse and abuse the marvelous and “Wonderful Story ofLove” as well as wonder why he is not an effective preacher.

David P. Brown

Forsaking All

“So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). When we look up the word forsake we note that it means to “give up something formerly held dear; to renounce; to leave altogether; to abandon.” In the context of this verse we hear our Lord saying that unless we give up all that we have formerly held dear and leave it altogether, we cannot be counted among His followers. Let us look together at what we must forsake if we hope to please the Lord.

• I must forsake my church. Jesus said in Matthew 15:13 tells us that every plant which God has not planted shall be rooted up. The Lord promised to build one church (Matthew 16:18), and that is exactly what He did. If we want tobe saved, we must be a part of His church and not “My Church.”
• I must forsake my parents.  The Lord, in Matthew 10:37, tells us that if we love mother or father more than we love Him we are not worthy of Him. We cannot put anyone or anything before our love and service to the Lord. We must “seek…first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33), give Him our first-fruits, and not let anyone stand in our way of doing right.
• I must forsake the doctrines of men.  If we teach for doctrine the commands of men, then we are worshiping the Lord in vain (Matthew 15:9). The Word of the Lord was given to us “for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” so that we might be “completely” furnished with all that we need to do right (II Tim. 3:16–17). If we teach and preach anything else we will stand condemned.
• I must forsake all worldliness.  John wrote, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (I John 2:15). James said that if we are friends of the world we are the enemy of God (James 4:4). No man can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). No man can serve God and the world, so we must forsake this world and keep ourselves unspotted from the it (James 1:27).
• I must forsake my way. Jeremiah said that the way of man is not in himself and that man could not direct his own steps (Jeremiah 10:23). There is only one way that leads to eternal life, and that Way is the Lord. No man can get to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). If you have not done so, will you not forsake all, and surrender to the Lord before it is too late?

Danny Box

What Is Acceptable Worship?

Jesus said, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). 

First, notice that according to Jesus our worship is to be directed toward God. We are to worship Him. Only Deity is worthy of worship. Men are unworthy of worship. Cornelius knew that Peter had been sent by God to tell him the Word of God through which (if obeyed) he and his household would be saved (Acts 11:14). When Cornelius first saw the apostle Peter he “fell down at his feet, and worshiped him”(Acts 10:25). Peter was a great man, an apostle of Christ; but Peter made it clear that men were unworthy of worship. “But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man” (Acts 10:26). Twice (Revelation 19:10; 22:9) it is stated that John, the apostle, when beholding the glories of heaven fell down to worship at the feet of an angel. He was forbidden to do so. He was told, “Worship God.” When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He stated, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve” (Matthew 4:10). 

Second, observe that man is the one whose responsibility it is to worship God. In the previous verse Jesus had stated, “...for the Father seeketh such to worship him” (John 4:23). Clearly God desires worship from man. The primary purpose of man is to glorify God. “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou has created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11). “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Hebrews 13:5). 

Third, this worship must be “in spirit” for it to be accepted by God. God demands that our worship be offered from the heart sincerely. God rejects worship that is not sincere. Jesus described some who offered such worship to God. He stated, “This people draweth nigh to me with their mouth and honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:8). Scripture speaks of those who are acceptable to God as “them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (II Timothy 2:22). Worship is to be sincere expressions of praise and adoration of God which come from the genuine thoughts and intents of the heart. 

But, sincerity is not all that is necessary to make worship acceptable to God. Fourth, acceptable worship must be “in truth.” Truth is God’s Word (John 17:17). Our worship must be according to God’s instructions. When man injects his own ideas into worship, his worship becomes worthless. “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9).  

There are certain acts of worship that God has approved. All other acts are thereby condemned by God for worship. Prayer is worship (Acts 2:42; James 4:8; 5:16)), singing “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” is worship (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16), preaching God’s Word is worship (Acts 2:42; 20:7); giving financially of our means on the first day of the week is worship (I Corinthians 16:2), and partaking of the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week is worship (Acts 20:7). It should be clearly observed that acceptable (i.e. acceptable to God) is not everything that man might want to do and call it worship. Acceptable worship follows the parameters set forth by God in His Word. God determines what acceptable worship is. He has revealed to us in His Word what acceptable worship is. Everything else is NOT acceptable worship. 

Regardless of what man may call it, the playing of mechanical instruments of music is not worship because God has not authorized it. Even if man suggests that burning incense is worship, it is not worship because God has not authorized it. Man might suggest that everything that man wants to do is worship if his heart is sincere. God’s Word tells us that this is not so. Some might suggest that all that man does is worship to God, but according to God’s Word this is NOT the case. Doing righteous acts are service to God, but “good works” are not worship. Dedicating one’s life to God is right, good and proper; but Christian living is never spoken of in the New Testament as worship. If all of life is worship, then worship is possible without the person realizing that he is worshiping (The person’s heart, according to this view, at the time may not even recognize that worship is taking place. How can such worship be “in spirit”?) Such is absurd! God has authorized only five acts of worship. Those are the acts that are engaged in when worship takes place; worship only occurs when one or more of these acts are done. 

Fifth, only two of those five acts are restricted in time. God has specified when we are to take the Lord’s Supper–the first day of the week. God has specified when we are to give financially to support the work of the church (local congregation)–the first day of the week. With God’s approval we can engage in these acts of worship only on the first day of the week (i.e. the first day of every week). We can worship God through singing (psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs), praying and the preaching of His Word at any time. If God has regulated these acts in some way, then we must follow those regulations when we engage in that action. For example, God has given us guidelines for prayer (i.e. addressed to the Father, in the name of Jesus, etc.). Prayer must be offered according to those instructions of God wherever and whenever we pray. 

Worship is an activity on the part of man to praise God and to reverence Him and His Word. Worship is according to God’s pattern if it is acceptable to Him. Almost from the beginning of man’s presence on this earth, man has tried to ignore God’s Word, do his “own thing” and call it worship expecting God to be pleased. A study of the New Testament and a review of the cases of Cain and Nadab and Abihu ought to cause us to know that what we offer to God in worship is not always acceptable to Him just because we think what He has not authorized is okay, or better. 

Lester Kamp