How the Devil Works

Peter wrote, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter 5:8). As long as we are in this earthly body we will have Satan as our adversary. His manner is subtle, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (II Corinthians 11:3). Not only is he subtle, he is full of tricks: “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). We also read in Ephesians 6:16 that he is constantly throwing fiery darts our way trying to get us to stumble. But how does the Devil work? What does he do? Note the following:

 The Devil tries to keep every soul out of the church. The Devil does not want anyone to be saved, and he knows that people are saved who have been added to the church through obedience. So what does he do? He does anything he can do to get people not to believe the truth of God’s Word. If it takes tempting people with a man-made religion, or another gospel he will do it because he knows that if a person hears the gospel preached they will be told what it takes to be saved. The Devil will try to show that being a part of the body of Christ is not essential to salvation. He will ridicule and misrepresent the church. Yes friends, he will do everything in his power to keep every responsible soul out of the church.

The Devil tries to get you back into the world. If he cannot keep you from obeying the gospel, then he will do everything he can to get you back into the world. He does this by making the world and the things of the world appealing. He does everything he can to weaken your faith. He causes you to become discouraged. He will get your companions to corrupt you. He will rise up false teachers from among the church to entice you. He will do whatever it takes to destroy your faith and get you back into the world.

 But if he cannot keep you out of the church, and if he cannot get you back into the world, the Devil then will try to make you useless to the church. He does this by encouraging you not to study the Word so that you will not grow in the knowledge of the Lord. He tries to confuse your priorities so that you will not put the kingdom of God and His righteousness first in our life. He uses any devious trick that he can to render you useless and worthless in service to the Lord. The Devil knows the working Christian is pleasing to the Lord and because of their effort, others will be converted to the Lord and the church will grow and he does not want this to happen.

Author Unknown

Offering the Invitation

On the day of Pentecost, after his sermon, which concluded with the plan of salvation, Peter used “many other words” of exhortation, including the persuasive plea, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” About 3,000 souls responded in obedience (Acts 2:38–41). The Gospel invitation is not as specifically described in other New Testament records of conversion, but can any doubt that those zealous preachers exhorted, persuaded, and invited men to respond in Gospel obedience after they preached to them?

 In spite of both Scriptural example and practical considerations, a move has been underfoot by some brethren for several years to dispense with the invitation. I well remember the pressure put on me to stop extending an invitation at the close of my sermons in a large West Texas congregation soon after I began work there in 1972. The basis of this insistence was that it was only a “human tradition.” That church (as I soon discovered) was (and still is) set on overturning every long-standing practice, even if it was in God’s Word. (I insisted that I would offer the invitation each time I preached as long as I was preaching there, which I did—my entire tenure of seven months there!) That church has moved ever further from the Truth, and it has for decades deceived the public (and perhaps itself) by continuing to employ the Scriptural designation, “Church of Christ” on its property.

 Some preaching brethren have now “outgrown” offering any invitation at all. This is just as well in some cases, I suppose. Some of the “sermons” being “preached” have little in them to produce any conviction of sins that might provoke a public response. Many who still offer an invitation pattern it more after Billy Graham than Simon Peter (e. g., “Come and accept Christ as your personal Savior” or “If you need to respond, please come forward”). If the sermon had nothing to do with the plan of salvation (very likely in such preachers), with such a general invitation how is a sinner to know (1) he needs to respond and (2) what response he should make?

I never assume that everyone in an assembly I address (1) is a Christian, (2) is a faithful Christian, or (3) knows what to do to be saved. Since not every sermon can be on the plan of salvation, I have made it my practice through the years to conclude my sermons with an invitation emphasizing (1) the urgency of being at peace with God through the blood of Christ, (2) what the Lord requires of men for such peace, and (3) the urgency of responding immediately. I plan to persevere in this practice. (Inexperienced speakers sometimes fail in these matters simply because they have not thought them through. However, men who have preached even a few years have no such excuse.)

Dub McClish

Is One Just As Good As Another?

• When you were seeking a wife — Was one just as good as another?
• When you last called the doctor — Was one just as good as another?
• When he gave you a dose of medicine — Was one just as good as another?
• When the pharmacist filled your prescription — Was one ingredient just as good as another?
• When you paid the cashier — Was one amount just as good as another?
• When you took your wife to the hospital — Was one baby just as good as another?
• When the realtor handed you the deed — Was one just as good as another?
• When the bank gave you a statement — Was one just as good as another?
• When you got into your car — Was one just as good as another?
• When you caught a bus or train — Was one just as good as another?
• When Christ shed His blood for His church — How can another be as good as it?

Author Unknown

I AM THE NEW YEAR...

I am unused, unspotted, without blemish.

I stretch before you three hundred sixty-five days long.

I will present each day in its turn, a new leaf in the Book of Life, for you to place upon it and imprint.

It remains for you to make me what you will; if you write with firm, steady strokes, my pages will be a joy to look upon when the next New Year comes. If the pen falters, if uncertainty or doubt or sin mar the page, it will become a day to remember with pain.

I am the New Year. During each hour of the three hundred sixty-five days, I will give you sixty minutes that have never known the use of man. White and pure, I present them; it remains for you to fill them with sixty jeweled seconds of love, hope, endeavor, patience, and trust in God.

I am the New Year. I am here — but once past, I can never be recalled. Make me your best!

Author Unknown

The Heart of the New Testament

In Matthew His is the King of the Jews (Matthew 2:2).

In Mark He is the Servant of God (Mark 10:44-45).

In Luke He is the perfect Son of God (Luke 9:56).

In John He is the exalted Son of God (John 20:30-31).

In Acts He is the ascended Lord (Acts 1:9-11).

In Romans He is our Righteousness (Romans 3:21-25).

In I Corinthians He is the First Fruits from the dead (I Corinthians 15:21).

In II Corinthians He is the One Who was made sin for us (II Corinthians 5:21).

In Galatians He is the One Who set us free (Galatians 2:20-21).

In Ephesians He is the One Who blesses (Ephesians 1:3).

In Philippians His the Joy Bringer (Philippians 3:1, 3; 4:4).

In Colossians His is the Preeminent One (Colossians 1:18).

In I Thessalonians His is the returning Lord (I Thessalonians 4:13-18).

In II Thessalonians He is the world’s merciful Judge (II Thessalonians 1:7-9).

In I Timothy He is our Mediator (I Timothy 2:5).

In II Timothy He is the Bestower of crowns (II Timothy 4:8).

In Titus He is our great God and Savior (Titus 1:3-4).

In Philemon He is the great Equalizer (Philemon 16).

In Hebrews He is the Rest of faith (Hebrews 4:8-11).

In James He is the Lord of Sabaoth (James 5:4).

In I Peter He is the Theme of the Old Testament prophets (I Peter 1:19-21).

In II Peter He is the longsuffering Savior (II Peter 2:21).

In I John He is the Word of Life (I John 1:1).

In II John He is the target of the anti-Christ (II John 7).

In III John He is the Manifestation of Truth (III John 1-4).

In Jude He is the believer’s Hope (Jude 24).

In Revelation He is the Victorious Lamb (Revelation 5:6).

The Nails of the Cross

John tells us that Christ has “prints of the nails in his hands” (John 20:25). Matthew tells us that the mob on the hill of Calvary challenged Christ to “come down from the cross” (Matthew 27:40). What was it that held Christ to the cross?

1. It was not the nails that held Him to the cross. He had power to remove the nails. He could have called “more than twelve legions of angels” to help and remove Him from the cross (Matthew 26:53). He who had the power to still the storm, feed the multitude, and raise the dead could have removed the nails. That crowd could not have killed Christ if He had not wished to do His Father’s Will. “Therefore, doth the Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it up again. No man taketh it away from me, but I lay it down of myself” (John 10:17-18).
2. The Father’s will and wish held Him to the cross. Jesus prayed in the garden and said: “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39). It was the will of God that His Son became the “propitiation,” that is, an atoning sacrifice for our sins (I John 2:2). The Savior’s love and your sins held Christ to the tree.
3. God’s eternal purpose held Christ to the cross. Jesus died to purchase the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28). The church is the institution through which the eternal purpose of God is to be made known to the world (Ephesians 3:10). Without the death of Christ, God’s purpose for the world have been aborted. Thus, His love for God and man held Him to the cross – not the nails.
4.  The joy set before Christ held Him to the cross. In the Hebrews letter we learn that the “author and perfecter of our faith” disregarded His suffering and “for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame” (Hebrews 12:2). The mocking by the angry mob at the foot of the cross was ignored by Christ because of the “joy set before Him.”

Neither the lack of the power nor the nails held Jesus to the cross. His resignation to the Will of God and His love for the souls of mankind bound Him to the tree on which He died. Our love for God and His Son should cause us to remain faithful to the kingdom of God, despite the mocking of all who would have us depart from the path of duty.

G. K. Wallace

REMEMBER

When things are not going the way you wish them to go, nor in the way you think best, remember: “It is not in man that walketh to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).

When the things you have received are not the things you wanted, remember: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down fro the Father of lights” (James 1:17).

When you are depressed with the cares of this life, and you do not think yourself capable of going on, remember: “The peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7) can be yours.

When you try to live right, but fall victim to sin, remember: the Psalmist declared, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11).

When you feel your temptations are greater than you can bear, and you fear that their weight will soon collapse your supports, remember: “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able” (I Corinthians 10:13).

When you feel that no man before you has ever carried the kind of load you must carry, remember: Jesus carried His cross to Calvary (John 19:17).

When you think your contributions of time and effort are useless, and that you can offer nothing to God worthwhile, remember: Paul declared that your labor in the Lord is not vain (I Corinthians 15:58).

When you feel that you are incapable of learning God’s Word, and that your are unable to find the truth you are seeking, remember: Jesus promised, “seek, and ye shall find” (Matthew 7:7; John 7:17).

When you feel that you have no influence on the lives of others, remember: “For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself” (Romans 14:7).

When you feel that no one cares for you, remember: Jesus cared enough for you to die for you.

When you feel that no man loves you, remember: Jesus loved you enough to offer salvation to you.

When you feel that no one is your friend, remember: Jesus said, “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you” (John 15:14).

When you feel you need guidance, protection, comfort, hope, and consolation, remember: “For in him we live, and move, and have our very being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring” (Acts 17:28).

Whatever the need, whatever the problem, remember: Jesus of Nazareth, “who loved me, gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

Tim Smith