Tag: bible

MARY MOFFAT

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

This post honors missionary wives. Mary Moffat was the consummate (perfect or complete in every way) missionary wife of British missionary Robert Moffat. Robert was a gardener but his passion for mission work led him to Africa at the age of 21. Mary’s parents forbade her marriage to Robert, but finally consented and she joined in both in marriage and in his mission work in South Africa in 1816. They would spend 50 years as partners in Kuruman, South Africa trying to bring the Bechuana to Christ. She had come from a well to do family but adjusted to living in a hut with mud walls and floors, hauling water in every day. Living conditions were tough on Mary and Robert. Their “honeymoon” was spent on a 700 mile trip to Kuruman with all their belongings in an ox cart pulled by six spans of oxen that took 7 weeks (she described it as one long picnic). “For the Moffats there were long years of fruitlessness, of reducing an unwritten language, and of translating the Bible into that difficult tongue.  Other duties took time from the all-important task of evangelism:  planting, building, carrying, creating, butchering, salting, storing, sewing, cobbling, carpentering, blacksmithing, preaching, teaching, exhorting, pacifying, supporting, cleaning, feeding, doctoring, praying, writing, etc.” (from GFA missions) They constantly dealt with natives stealing their possessions. Robert made trips into the interior leaving Mary very fearful due to threats from warring chiefs. It was 7 long years before they made their first Christian convert. ” Robert was an independent individual given to moods, both visionary and of depression.  Mary was steady, disciplined, patient, and organized. She had a faith in the future that never wavered.  She was always ready to comfort and support Robert. They eventually served for over 52 years with only one furlough during that period of time.

Mary was Robert’s “beloved partner,” a true helpmeet.  Their goal was to see the Bechuana come to Christ, a church planted, and the Word of God available in the language of the people.  Their love for the national was one, and their arms and home were open to the nationals.  Mary was wife, mother, and true missionary.  She was a great encourager to Robert in the tedious task of learning the language and translating the Bible, which took many years of plodding word by word, verse by verse.  Robert was self-taught in Greek. They were truly one flesh, one mind, and with one purpose—all to the glory of God.  Africa became their home. 

There were times when Robert was very discouraged and depressed; but Mary, at his side as a true companion and a true partner in the work, saw him through these difficult times (Ephesians 5:31-33).  She was a woman of great faith.” (from GFA)

Their oldest daughter married David Livingstone but died of a fever during his trips through Africa. Some of their other children became missionaries. “She and Robert were credited with creating a family of “Moffats” who carried forward the mission work.” (from Wikipedia)

“By degrees, better conditions came. Once Mary Moffat wrote to friends at home for a communion service, because, as she said, she believed that native Christians would yet sit together at the Lord’s table in that land. That time came, and she wrote: “You can hardly conceive how I feel when I sit in the house of God surrounded with the natives. Though my situation may be despicable and mean in the eyes of the world, I feel that an honor has been conferred upon me which the kings of the earth could never have done for me. I am happy, remarkably happy, though my present habitation is a single room with a mud floor and a mud wall. Not only did a native Christian community grow up about them in Kuruman, but through the influence of the native Christians here and the teaching of Moffat on his missionary tours, groups of native Christians may now be found through all that region.” (Jessie Brown Pounds from wholesomewords.org)

Do you see why I called Mary Moffat the “consummate missionary wife”? No doubt her daily life was filled with things like gardening, cooking, cleaning, etc. but she did all that with one purpose in mind: to partner with her husband to spread the gospel to the Bechuana in Kuruman. I encourage you to think about all the duties and chores that you do every single day. You ladies cook, clean, take care of the kids, run errands, shop, maybe work outside the home, wash clothes, etc. You men go to work every day, deal with the stress of providing for the family, fight the traffic coming and going to work, fix things around the house, deal with issues with the kids, watch sports, plan for future financial and health well being for your family, etc. But, men or women, do you do everything with one purpose in mind: to honor God, to save your own children first and then to share the gospel with as many people as you come in contact with? Do you just go through life doing the stuff you have to do or do you do follow Colossians 3:17 “Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”? Notice “whatever you do in word or deed”. That would include all the daily chores and duties that you do.

I am also blessed with a consummate missionary wife. We have partnered in mission work overseas, church work here in the U.S., and over 35 years of Christian education (which I considered to be mission work here in the U.S.). She has been, like Mary, steady, a great mother to our 3 children, a great role model to our 10 grandchildren, never complaining about whatever living conditions we had, always making the best of bad situations, encouraging to me when I get discouraged. When I felt like the Lord was calling us to a mission field overseas or locally in Christian education, she never questioned that calling but joined in. Like Robert, I often was off on my mission trips or duties in Christian education, leaving her to deal with the real issues of raising a family and she did so with great success. We are proud of the faith of our 3 children and the loving Christian homes they have established, and their faith was largely due to their mother’s prayers and faith passed on to them. She would pray every night with them, “God help ___, ___, and ___ grow up to be Christians and marry Christians” (long before they knew what either concept meant), and they did both!

Thanks to all consummate Christian wife partners in life. I can think of several more that I know well. How about you? Do you do all your daily duties and chores to honor God? I thought this was great from AI. “Making secular pursuits holy for God involves seeing all aspects of life, including work and everyday tasks, as opportunities to serve God and glorify him. This means approaching secular activities with diligence, honesty, and a sense of dedication, recognizing that even seemingly mundane tasks can be done for the glory of God.” Try that today as you go through the day. Make every thing you do holy. Think: “how can I make this mundane task become something holy to honor God?”

MALACHI: THE LAST PROPHET

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

The book of the prophet Malachi was written around 430 BC. The entire history of the Old Testament is found in the first 17 books: Genesis through Esther. That history ends with the 3rd return of Judah from Babylonian captivity under Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. The rest of the 39 books of the OT are writings of David, Solomon, the 5 major prophets, the 12 minor prophets, and the booik of Job. But all these occur chronologically within the time frame of the first 17 books, Genesis through Esther. The only exception to this is the book of Malachi, which some think even Malachi was written just before the return of Nehemiah. Here is a great chart:

“Malachi means “my messenger”. He was a contemporary of Nehemiah. In the last 5 chapters of Nehemiah, the walls are rebuilt but the people are still committing sins that Nehemiah has to address. “None of the prophecies of the glorious kingdom to come have come to pass. Times were hard b/c of drought, famine, and blighted crops. These hardships have been met by sloth, indifference, and spiritual lethargy. The people had been in the land for almost a 100 years, but present circumstances made them apathetic. They doubted the love of God. Since the wicked prospered, they questioned whether there was any profit in walking penitently before God and obeying His commandments. Against such a background the book was written.” (Harper Study Bible intro to Malachi).

Malachi writes in question/answer form. Notice the 8 times that it says: “But or yet you say”.

  1. 1:2 “I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have You loved us?” Malachi’s answer:God had shown his love for the descendants of Jacob (Israel) instead of Esau (the Edomites). The Jews would be blessed while the Edomites would be cursed.
  2. 1:6 “‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the Lord of armies to you, the priests who despise My name! But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’ Malachi’s answer: 1:7 You are presenting defiled food upon My altar.”
  3.  1:7b But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’  Malachi’s answer: By the priests offering blind, sick, or lame animals as sacrifices on the altar of burnt offerings. Malachi then gives a scathing rebuke of the Levitical priests. They had a special covenant with God to instruct the people of the Law and to offer sacrifices, but they had become corrupt. Malachi then asks this follow up question: 2:10 Do we not all have one Father? Is it not one God who has created us? Why do we deal treacherously, each against his brother so as to profane the covenant of our fathers? ” Malachi answers his own question: The mistreating of one another among the Jews went back to the sin of taking foreign wives in some way. This could refer to the sin of some charging interest of fellow Jews as condemned by Nehemiah (Nehemiah 5), thus “dealing treacherously against each other”.
  4. 2:13 And this is another thing you do: you cover the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and sighing, because He no longer gives attention to the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. 14 Yet you say, “For what reason?” (i.e. for what reason does God no longer accept our offerings?) Malachi’s answer: B/c of the practice of divorce among the people. God says, “I hate divorce.” Could that be part of the moral decline in the U.S. also? According to the American Psychological Association, approximately 40-50% of first marriages end in divorce. The divorce rate for second marriages is even higher, with approximately 60-67% of second marriages ending in divorce. The breakdown of the home is then passed on to future generations.
  5. 2:17 You have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you say, “How have we wearied Him?” Malachi’s answer: B/c you say, “everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord.” In other words, those who do evil are considered blessed by God with power and money. Malachi then says that in the distant future God will correct this falsehood by bringing His “messenger of the covenant (i.e. Jesus the messenger of the New Covenant” to judge the evil Jews in 70 AD in the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem. The Jews took delight in the expectation of the coming of the Messiah, but they would find out that Jesus the Messiah would not only come to save the penitent Jews but also to judge and destroy the evil Jews in 70 AD. The remnant of the Jews who accepted Jesus as the Messiah would then be purified and able to offer acceptable offerings to God. They would become new covenant priests offering spiritual, not animal, offerings to God. 1 Peter 2:4 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by people, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Those who practice sorcery or adultery or swearing falsely or who oppress the widows or orphans will be judged in the future and no longer will anyone say that those who are evil are blessed by God.
  6. 3: 7 “From the days of your fathers you have turned away from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of armies. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ Malachi doesn’t give an answer to this question, but the answer should be obvious: “repent and keep the laws of the Lord”.
  7. 3: 8 “Would anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ Malachi’s answer: B/c you are not tithing (giving a tenth) as you were commanded by God. He challenges them to test God by tithing and then watch the windows of heaven open up to give them overflowing blessings. Is this sin another reason why Americans are making more money than ever and yet falling behind economically? The average American Christian gives around 2.5% of their income to church or charity, and about 5% of Americans regularly tithe, which is giving 10% of their income. However, some studies show that a larger portion of practicing Christians (around 40%) say they tithe at least 10% of their income. 
  8. 3: 13 “Your words have been arrogant against Me,” says the Lord. “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ Malachi’s answer: B/c you say that it is pointless to serve God and there is no benefit in obeying Him. Malachi calls this “arrogance” b/c it is challenging God’s promise to bless the righteous, calling God a liar. It might not look like God is blessing the righteous at times, but in the end they will be blessed. The time will come when it is obvious that the righeous will be blessed and the evil will be punished (again referring to 70 AD). “The day is coming” (usually this phrase refers to Messianic times in the future) when the evil will be chaff to be burned. John the Baptist predicted that the Messiah would do this in 70 AD: Matthew 3:11 “As for me, I baptize you [i]with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” But the “sun of righteousness” would bless those who fear and obey God with spiritual healing and joy. God would send a forerunner, Elijah, to try to get the evil Jews to repent before the “great and terrible day of the Lord”. Jesus said this prediction of Elijah coming was fulfilled in John the Baptist. Matthew 17:9 When they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.” 10 And His disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 11 And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; 12 but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.” Matthew 11:13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.” This shows that the “great and terrible day of the Lord” in Malachi 4:5 is the judgment day on the Jews in 70 AD. This is one of the many OT predictions for the Messianic times that will be fulfilled spiritually or figuratively and not literally. John the Baptist could come like Elijah trying to get the evil Jews to repent.

Here is a good slide of the 8 questions although it doesn’t match my 8 questions exactly.

Malachi is the last book in the OT and perhaps the last chronological event occurring simultaneously with the 3rd return from exile under Nehemiah. Malachi was the last prophet. His book begins a 400 year period where there were no prophets recognized by the Jews and no inspired writings to be collected in the Hebrew OT canon. 1 Maccabees 9:27 states that “there was great distress in Israel, such as had not been since the time that prophets ceased to appear among them,” suggesting a period of prophetic silence. They are called the “silent years” for this reason, although they are filled with action. During this 400 years Alexander the Great would conquer the Persians just as Daniel predicted in Daniel 2,7, and 8. Alexander’s kingdom would be split among his 4 generals just as Daniel predicted in Daniel 7. Two of those 4 kingdoms that formed from the split would be the Ptolemies of Egypt and the Seleucids of Syria: both would control the Jews in Palestine for long periods of time during the 400 silent years. 1,2 Maccabees in the Apocrypha tells of the Maccabean priestly family who led a rebel uprising that defeated the Syrians and gained independence for Israel for about 100 years. Then in 63 BC the Romans took control of Palestine just as Daniel predicted in Daniel 2,7,and 8. After Malachi, however, there is nothing left for God to predict about the future Messianic times. All the OT predictions about the Messiah and his kingdom had been written by the prophets and collected by the Jews by 400 BC. God is just waiting for the “fulness of times” (Gal 4:4), for the Romans to rise to power, so He can send His son the Messiah to fulfill all OT predictions. It is interesting that the Apocrypha contains 1st and 2nd Esdras (the Greek name for Ezra) which duplicates a lot of the history of the returns, has apocalyptic visions of the end of the world, and answers questions about the suffering of God’s people. Those apocryphal books describe the Messianic expectations that the Jews held during the 400 silent years. That “silence” would be broken by the birth of Jesus beginning with Matthew 1. Unfortunately the Jews expected a Messiah who would restore the physical power of the Jewish kingdom and who would defeat the Romans, but Jesus came to begin a spiritual kingdom, the church. Thus most of the Jews except for a “remnant” rejected Jesus and continued in their evil ways till 70 AD when they would be judged, just as Malachi predicted.

It is an interesting parallel of the “God says but you say” today. God says that homosexuality is a sin, but you (those who reject God’s word) say it is not (many of whom form the liberal churches that have split off for the LGBQT movement). God say that Jesus is His special messenger and Son, but you (the Muslims, unbelieving Jews) say that Jesus was just a prophet or rabbi but not the Son of God. God says that there is only one God, Yahweh, but you (the Hindus) say there are many gods. God says that He created all things through Jesus in the beginning but you (the atheists) say that there is no creator god. God says that the Bible is the Word of God but you (the skeptics and liberals) say that the Bible is just the work of men and is not inspired by God).

I hope that this study in Malachi will edify you. Pray for America. We have lost our Christian foundation. You have to wonder if God will bring judgment on our nation just as He did the Jews in 70 AD. Is there a “great and terrible day of the Lord” awaiting us if we do not repent and return to keeping God’s word?

THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

We just observed another Easter in memory of the resurrection of Jesus. Paul told us that the resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate proof of Christianity. 1 Corinthians 15:14 … if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is in vain. 15 Moreover, we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ only in this life, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (NASB) Jesus had said that the last and final proof or sign of eternal life through Jesus would be the resurrection of Jesus. Matthew 12:38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves a sign; and so no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet; 40 for just as Jonah was in the stomach of the sea monster for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.” (NASB)  Paul told the heathen idol worshippers in Athens: Acts 17:31 … He has set a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all people by raising Him from the dead.” In other words, the greatest sign to confirm Jesus as God’s Son and the Savior of the world was his resurrection from the dead. If you can’t believe that really happened, then none of the miracles Jesus did will convince you.

But how do we really know that Jesus was raised from the dead after 3 days in the tomb? Well how do we know than any event really happened in the past? We rely on “credible eyewitness testimony”. How do we know that we actually walked on the moon? Many do not believe that we did. You can understand their skepticism b/c of all the government lies in the past and conspiracy theories that probably are true a lot of the time. So we examine all the evidence, the hundreds of NASA employees who took part in that moon landing. We watch the footage on TV. Yes, the footage could be fake, but it appears to be true. We hear the eyewitness testimony of the 2 men who walked on the moon. We come to the conclusion that we did indeed walk on the moon.

So we examine the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection. Are there a sufficient number of eyewitnesses? The Law required at least 2 or 3 witnesses to confirm an event, but the resurrection of Jesus has many more than that. Paul says that there was a sufficient number. 1 Corinthians 15:3 For I handed down to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.” That is a more than sufficient number of eyewitnesses of the resurrection. Paul even says that most of the 500 that He appeared to were still alive at the time of writing 1 Corinthians. People living at the time that Paul wrote that could actually go talk to those people to decide if they really saw the resurrected Jesus. Some say that those who saw the resurrected Jesus were hallucinating, but 500 people don’t get the same hallucination.

But are those eyewitnesses “credible’, i.e. believable? In a court case, the credibility of the eyewitnesses will be checked out and challenged. What about the eyewitnesses of the resurrection? Were they credible? To determine that, we examine their motives for making up a lie about a resurrection of Jesus if it really didn’t happen. Did the apostles who were the main eyewitnesses of the resurrection gain power or money by lying about seeing Jesus raised? No, they suffered for the rest of their lives b/c they preached the resurrection. They all died martyr’s deaths b/c of their testimony, including John the apostle whom the church father Papias said died at the hands of the Jews just as Jesus predicted would happen to the brothers James and John. No one would die for a lie if they knew it was a lie. Muslim terrorists who kill themselves when they kill others die for a lie, but they believe the lie to be true. Not so with the apostles. Surely one of them would have recanted their testimony of the resurrection if they had just made up the resurrection story, but none did.

What’s even more impressive is the testimony of Paul and James the Lord’s brother. Saul, who later was named Paul, was killing Christians, thinking he was doing God a service. He was rising in power and prestige among the Jewish authorities. What could have changed him to become a believer in Jesus? He saw the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus, and that convinced him that Jesus really was the Son of God. He gained no power or money from converting to Christianity. Instead he lost all power and money. He suffered greatly for the rest of his lie to testify of the resurrected Jesus. He gives his testimony twice, in Acts 22 and 26, as proof that Jesus was raised from the dead. He boldly told King Agrippa: Acts 26:22 So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place, 23 as to whether the Christ was to suffer, and whether, as first from the resurrection of the dead, He would proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.” Then there was James the Lord’s brother who did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God before he saw the resurrected Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:7). So the eyewitnesses of the resurrection were not just 12 apostles who had been with Jesus for 3 years and who might have been part of some conspiracy to make up the story of a resurrection of Jesus. Even Paul and James, who did not want to believe in Jesus, came to believe in Him b/c they actually saw Jesus raised from the dead.

Some say that the disciples stole the body of Jesus from the tomb and then made up a lie that he had been raised? What would they gain from that? Also there were at least 4 Roman guards at the tomb who would be killed if they allowed anyone to steal Jesus’ body. The Jews made up a story that the guards fell asleep and that the disciples stole the body of Jesus. It is obvious that the apostles were too terrified to risk their lives by stealing the body. They went into hiding after Jesus was arrested. It is unbelievable that they would be able to tiptoe past sleeping guards, roll the huge stone away from the tomb, steal the body from the tomb, and tiptoe past the sleeping guards as they carried the body away without waking the guards. Even if they did that, why did the Roman and Jewish authorities not simply go arrest them and find out where they put the stolen body of Jesus? The fact that the enemies of Jesus made up the story about the disciples stealing the body proves that the tomb was indeed empty. That’s a major point. Even the enemies admit that the tomb was empty. So now we must examine their explanation of the empty tomb, and when we do, their story makes no sense.

What about the “swoon theory”? Some say that Jesus “swooned” or faked death in some way. Maybe he was drugged to a very low heart rate, even appearing to be dead. But what about the Romans who crucified him who did not break his legs to hasten his death? They were professional crucifiers who knew when a victim was dead. Plus one put a spear into Jesus side and brought out blood and water. Could Jesus have survived that, along with the scourging, and come out of the tomb after 3 days without any medical help if he was not really dead at all?

Then there’s The Passover Plot, a best selling book by Schonfield, published in 1965. ‘Schonfield’s central idea is that Jesus was a mortal man of intense faith who, reading the many signs and prophecies in existence in old Jewish scripture, decided that he was the Messiah. He then went out of his way to confirm this through enacting the other prophecies that had been made about the Anointed One, the King of the Jews, the Son of David, and the Son of Man, as his many names alternately translate as. Schonfield even posits a theory about Jesus faking his death – timing his crucifixion so that it would last only a short time due to the Sabbath, being administered a narcotic through a sponge dipped in vinegar wine – only for it to be ruined by the famous stab in the side he received from a Roman soldier.” The theory here is that the tinyband of Secret Jesus Conspirators had visited the tomb on Saturday night to help restore Jesus but found him too mortally wounded (from the unexpected Roman spear thrust in his side); so they then got his final instructions before he ‘died’ (a ‘second’ time”). Then they reburied him nearby (in the vegetable garden?) in an unmarked grave (like Moses). Supposedly it was someone else who was seen on Easter Sunday at the tomb, giving rise to the speculation that Jesus had been raised. (by scottmanleyhadley) I was in the 10th grade when this book came out and our preachers were condemning it as blasphemy, which it was. The post resurrection appearances of Jesus is the proof that the book’s premise is false.

One further proof of the resurrection: where did they first start preaching and witnessing to the resurrection? It was in Jerusalem where the resurrection supposedly occurred. You might hear someone say there was a resurrection of a dead person somewhere far off in Africa, but with no verification of that. But this is like a few of us saying that we saw someone raised from the dead 50 days ago just a few miles away from here in a cemetery. People would be able to easily check the veracity of that claim. Just 50 days after the resurrection the apostles are saying they saw Jesus raised from the dead just a short distance away, and thousands accepted that as a true testimony in Acts 2. The enemies said nothing to contradict Peter’s claim in his sermon in Acts 2 that Jesus had been raised from the dead 50 days before that.

Can we be 100% sure that Jesus was raised from the dead? I guess not in one sense. Just like we can’t be 100% sure that we landed on the moon. But it appears that there is more than enough evidence that Jesus was raised from the dead and that our faith is not in vain. More importantly, we can be sure that we receive an eternal immortal body that will live on eternally after we die physically. Jesus said, “he that believes in me will live even if he dies” (John 11:25). The same power that raised Jesus from the dead raises us from the dead spiritually when we become Christians. After our baptism, we receive an immortal spiritual body that will live on after we die.

As i approach the latter years of life, it helps me to review the evidence and proof for the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. I hope it helps you.

THE MURDERS OF JOHN AND BETTY STAM

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

John Stam was born in 1907 and Betty Stam was born in 1906. Betty was raised in China by a missionary father. Both attended Moody Bible institute then were married in China in 1933 and began their mission work with China Inland Missions in China in November, 1934 during the Chinese Civil War. One month later they, along with their 3 month old daughter Helen were arrested by Communists for ransom, although the ransom note demanding $20,000 was never delivered. “The Communists knew that John was a Christian missionary and they despised him and his family because of it. They passionately believed in the Marxist teaching, “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the masses.” (from Eugene in BacktoJerusalem.com) They were marched 12 miles, during which in an overnight stay Betty hid baby Helen in a sleeping bag and left her. Later John were beheaded. A Christian shopkeeper was also executed for trying to get the soldiers to not kill the Stams. John Stam wrote a note to the mission authorities of how he and his wife had been captured, then wrote, “Philippians 1:20: ‘May Christ be glorified whether by life or death.'” The note was found after they died. Baby Helen was found by a Chinese pastor in an abandoned house along with $10 (which he and his wife used to buy milk for the baby) and rescued. She was taken to her maternal grandparents who were also missionaries in China, and then was raised by her aunt and uncle in the U.S.

What were you doing when you were 27 or 28 years old? My wife and I would have been about that age when we were finishing up our 2 years mission work in Colombia, South America. It was about that time that some kidnapping of Americans began. Our first child, Nicole, was about 2 years old (she was born whle we were in Trinidad) at that time although I don’t remember being concerned about the kidnappings. But I can’t imagine how the Stams felt during their ordeal. Married a little over a year and with a 3 month old baby, they are kidnapped and face execution. Is God not protecting those sent out to preach the gospel of His Son Jesus? Can you imagine Helen leaving her 3 month old baby girl hidden in a sleeping bag, saying good bye to her not knowing the fate of the child but fairly certain that the child would be killed if she stayed with the Stams. Can you imagine the feelings of the maternal grandparents when baby Helen was brought to them, knowing what happened to their daughter and son in law, knowing that the child would never know her parents? Can you imagine the horror that the kidnapping and murder of the Stams was felt back in the Moody Bible Institute among the former teachers and mentors of the Stams?

“Betty had written this in a journal entry before leaving for China, “I want something really worthwhile to live for. Like most young people, I want to invest this one life of mine as wisely as possible, in the place that yields richest profits to the world and to me … I want it to be God’s choice for me and not my own. There must be no self-interest at all, or I do not believe God can reveal His will clearly … I know very well that I can never realize the richest, most satisfying, life Christ meant for me, if I am not giving my own life unselfishly for others. I want Him to lead, and His Spirit to fill me. And then, only then, will I feel that my life is justifying its existence and realizing the maturity in Him that Christ meant for all men, in all parts of the world.” (From Melissaspoelstraministries )

The sacrifice of the Stams inspired many to go into foreign missions, citing a new generation of young missionaries. 700 young people from Moody Bible Institute and 200 from Wheaton Bible college pledge to follow the Stams example. The murder of the Stams will either inspire you to go all in for Jesus or cause you to have doubts about the existence of God. How can God stand back and allow those murders to happen? In the same way He stood back and allowed evil men to crucify and kill HIs Son on the cross. It is that simple. God knew that He was going to raise Jesus 3 days later, which is why we celebrate Easter Sunday today, April 20, 2025. He knew that He was going to bring John and Betty Stam to glory after their martyrdom. It had to be tough on them and yet joyful as they looked down from heaven and saw their precious baby being taken care of after their death. I believe that faithful saints go straight to heaven and can actually see what is going on down on earth and even feel sorrow or joy. I know there are passages about “no tears in heaven” but those passages usually refer to spiritual joy of Christians on earth.

Hopefully this story will inspire us to pray for and support missionaries who are sharing the gospel all over the world, especially among the unreached peoples groups which make up about 1/3 of the world’s population.

Russell Deibler (1905-1943) and Darlene Deibler Rose (1917-2004)

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

When we were doing mission work in Trinidad and Colombia, S.A., a song resonated with me: Follow Me. The third stanza goes like this:

O, Jesus if I die upon
A foreign field someday,
‘Twould be no more than love demands,
No less could I repay,
“No greater love hath mortal man
Than for a friend to die”
These are the words He gently spoke to me,
“If just a cup of water
I place within your hand
Then just a cup of water
Is all that I demand.”
But if by death to living
They can Thy glory see,
I’ll take my cross and follow close to Thee.

Here is the full song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyJIU0yHzrg

Not that I wanted to do on a foreign field during our 5 years of mission work, but it was a noble thought just in case! Allow me to tell you about Russell and Darlene Diebler. They were married in 1937; Darlene was 12 years younger than Russell. They began their mission work together in Indonesia in 1938. Russell was doing mission work in the interior to unreached people groups. Darlene went to meet him. Darlene, the first woman to enter this remote area, got a glimpse of the Baliem Valley of New Guinea. She could see the people in the valley waving at her. They were as excited to meet her as she was to meet them. Darlene began to run down the mountainside to them shouting at the top of her lungs, “I’m home! I’m home!”

“In the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Darlene and her missionary friends were captured by the Japanese military. The men were the first to be taken and sent to a prison camp. Russell’s parting words to Darlene were, “Remember one thing, dear: God said that He would never leave us nor forsake us.” Darlene had no idea that that would be the last time she would speak to her husband or that she would have to endure horrific things during the next four years before the war ended and she’d be free again. Eventually the women and children were also taken to a different prison camp. Life in the POW camps was dreadful. There was often a meager food supply, and what was given was not enough to sustain the heavy labor the prisoners were expected to carry out. Prisoners were brutally beaten for small infractions, and diseases like dysentery and malaria claimed the lives of many. During Darlene’s imprisonment she tried her best to be a good soldier for the cause of Christ and strived to be an encouragement to the other women and children. She established a practice of reading a portion of God’s Word and praying as a group each night in the barracks where she lived. This helped to keep her barrack a calm center in the eye of the military storm that raged around them.” (Shari House) Russell died in his prison camp in 1943. He could indeed sing that song, “Follow Me” (if I die upon a foreign field some day…) She was tortured and forced to sign a false confession to being a spy and was set to be executed, but a kind officer saved her. She was released from prison camp in 1945 when the Japanese surrendered, emaciated and weighing 80 pounds.

“Bitterness washed over her as large and daunting as the sea that surrounded her. In that moment she told the Lord she would never return to this place that had caused her so much pain. As she reached the flyboat and started to board it, she heard the sweet voices of the natives who had come to know the Lord and who had also shared in the indescribable suffering. They stood on the shoreline waving at her singing the song “God be with you, till we meet again . . .” Eventually Darlene would say of that moment, “Their song released the waters of bitterness that had flooded my soul, and the hurt began to drain from me as my tears flowed in a steady stream. The healing had begun. I knew then that someday, God only knew when, I would come back to these my people and my island home.” (Shari House)

“She met Jerry Rose and the two fell in love and were married on April 4, 1948. In early 1949, Darlene and Jerry returned to the Wissel Lakes, the same area where she and her first husband had started their ministry. For the next 29 years Darlene and Jerry, along with their two sons, served together teaching, preaching, building landing strips, delivering babies, facing headhunters, and leading people to Christ.” (Shari House) They left New Guinea in 1978 and work the next 15 years in Australia with the Aboriginies where they led hundreds to the Lord. They returned to the U.S. in 1993 and she died in 2004 at the age of 86.

I can’t imagine what Russell and Darlene suffered in the prison camps. Paul said 2 Timothy 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him.” Russell arrived in eternal glory about 60 years before Darlene arrived, but they are both enjoying eternal bless. Isn’t that what we are living for? Job said, ““Man, who is born of woman, Is short-lived and full of turmoil.” (Job 14:1, NASB) I’ve never suffered for Christ; have you? How would I handle being in a Japanese prison camp? I am thankful I have never suffered like that b/c I don’t know how I would handle it.

Let us pray for Christians all over the world who are suffering persecution. Voice of the Martyrs tell story after story of such suffering. You can subscribe to receive their free magazine. Are you praying for persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ?

JONATHAN GOFORTH (1859-1936): CHINA

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

Jonathan Goforth was the first Canadian Presbyterian missionary to China, serving there for nearly forty-seven years (over half of his 77 years of life). A couple of stories tell you about the conviction of this man to “go forth” with the gospel to China. He told his wife to be Rosalind that he could not give her an engagement ring b/c he needed every penney to distribute Testaments and tracts. After a year in China, their house burned with all their possessions. He told his distraught wife “My dear, do not grieve so. After all, they’re just things.” Their first two children died in China which caused them great sorrow, but their hearts ached even more over the Chinese masses who lived without the hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ. They later built a bungalow with a pump to draw water from a well and a chimney to send smoke up out of the house. As many as 2,000 in a day would pass. through the bungalow to see these novelties and Jonathan would preach Christ to them as they passed through. He had a passion for developing converts to Pauline New Testament Christians who met in indigenous house churches. He would put a red dot on a map for each house church established. By May of 1900 there were over 50 of these red dots.

Then came the infamous Boxer Rebellion. Have you ever heard of the Boxer Rebellion? AI: “The Boxer Rebellion was a Chinese nationalist uprising in 1899-1900 against foreign powers’ encroachment on China’s sovereignty and increasing influence. The rebellion was led by a secret society known as the Boxers (nicknamed that b/c of their expertise in martial arts), who targeted foreigners, Christian missionaries, and Chinese converts to Christianity (burning churches and foreign residences). The rebellion was sparked by a combination of factors, including economic hardship, resentment towards foreign powers, and the spread of Christianity. Perhaps a total of up to 100,000 or more people died in the conflict, although estimates on casualties have varied widely. The great majority of those killed were civilians, including thousands of Chinese Christians and approximately 200 to 250 foreign nationals (mostly Christian missionaries).”

One of those missionaries that was caught up in the Boxer Rebellion was Jonathan Goforth, his wife, and 4 children. They managed to make a long, hazardous, intense heat, 4 week journey to Shanghai and then safely to Canada, constantly threatened by cries of “kill the foreign devils”. A mob almost killed Jonathan with stones. The Boxer Rebellion lasted about 2 years and then the Goforths went back to China for 36 more years of mission work during which all their possessions were destroyed 4 times and where 4 of their children were buried. Spurred on by Charles Finney’s revivals in Wales, Jonathan began revivals all over China and Manchuria. On a single day, he baptized 960 soldiers. Many thriving churches were established. He suffered much hardship and pain, but always his soul was aglow with “the fulness of the Christ-life through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling”. He died as he slept on October 8, 1936.

I continue to be amazed as I read these stories of great Christian missionaries of the 1800’s, often called the “Great Century of Missions”. Their determination and sacrifice to spread the gospel in spite of suffering and obstacles is just amazing. They lived with one purpose in life, i.e. to convert people to Christ. My 5 years in mission work in Trinidad, West Indies and Colombia, South America are like a vacation compared to the tough foreign fields those missionaries worked in.

But that is not to minimize your efforts to reach people for Christ right here in the U.S., right here where you live and work. Not everyone is called to be a foreign missionary. You can share Christ with co-workers, relatives, friends, people you do business with, people you meet all day long. You might be called to take care of an aging parent or an orphan or a widow, but your example of love might inspire someone to become a Christian. You might be blessed with money which allows you to support missionaries or organizations that drill wells for clean water, print Bibles in the major languages for distribution all over the world, or provide food and medicine for the oppressed poor caught up in the many wars or famines in 3rd world countries.

I pray that God will bless you with the zeal and determination to focus on what really matters in life, which is the saving of souls for Jesus Christ, in whatever role and place God has put you in. Be courageous and not afraid to boldly share Jesus with everyone you are around. I think we are hesitant to do that b/c we don’t want to look like overzealous Christians or we fear getting a negative response from someone. “Just do it” and leave the fruit bearing or rejection to God. At least try to bring God and Jesus into every conversation all day.

God bless you.

HENRY KNOTT (1774-1844)

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

How would you like a vacation to one of the many islands in the South Pacific? Bora Bora, Fiji, Cook Islands, Tahiti, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and thousands of other islands, unspoiled beaches. Henry Knott did not take a paradise vacation to Tahiti. He was an English bricklayer who set sail for Tahiti in 1796 to bring Christianity to the island. A beautiful island but the island was full of war, brutal killing of enemies, idol worship, human sacrifices even of children, drunkenness. 30 years earlier British explorer Captain Cook visited Tahiti. He said, “There is an abyss of dissolute sensuality into which these people have sunk, wholly unknown to every other nation and which no imagination could possibly conceive.” The population had declined by 90% since Cooke’s visit due probably to diseases brought in to the island by crews of foreign vessels. Henry Knott said there was not in Tahiti a girl of twelve years who had escaped moral and physical contamination. The people were threatened with complete extinction. 2/3 of all babies were killed at birth. Euthanasia was practiced. Those whose infirmities made them a burden were buried alive. The king Pomare, who had sacrificed 2,000 humans to his idols, rejected Knott’s message from John 3:16. Knott translated John 3:16 into the language of Tahiti. The missionaries in Tahiti was persecuted and threatened, often having their goods stolen by natives (there was a god who was worshipped by stealing). Many of them left the island in fear for their lives, leaving Knott there all alone. Knott kept preaching the love of God from John 3:16.

Finally in 1813 King Pomare II, son of King Pomare, turned from idolatry. Hundreds began to turn from idols. Idols were cut into firewood, even the idol of the main god Oro. Thousands later came to hear Knott’s sermons in a big church building built by Pomare II. Laws were enacted to stop heathen practices. On Sunday, May 16, 1819 King Pomare II in the presence of 5,000 people was baptized. After 22 years of hardship and disappointments, this was the first baptism in Tahiti. During the ensuing decade hundreds were converted to Christianity. A building formerly used for human sacrifices was turned into a church building. During his 50 years of mission work, Knott only returned to England twice. He finished translating the Bible into the Tahitian language around 1838. He presented the Tahitian Bible to Queen Victoria and, at her request, he read John 3:16 in Tahitian.

AI: “Christianity remains the dominant religion in Tahiti, with a majority (84%) of the population identifying as Christian, particularly Protestant. The Maohi Protestant Church, deeply rooted in Tahitian culture, is the largest and most influential Protestant denomination. While Christianity is prevalent, traditional Tahitian beliefs and practices continue to exist, often blended with Christian traditions”. There is a large Mormon presence in Tahiti. Don’t you know that Henry Knott is looking down from heaven with great joy as he sees the continuing legacy of his work???????

Knott said, “The only sure and efficacious remedy for the ignorance, the depravities, the sorrows and sins of mankind, is to be found in the gospel of John 3:16.”

As I read about Henry Knott, I think of two things. One, why is the church not more focused on mission work in the world, especially among the unreached peoples groups. It is estimated that of the 8.08 billion people alive in the world today, 3.42 billion of them live in unreached people groups with little or no access to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Why do churches keep pouring millions of dollars into buildings for our comfort and staffs “preaching to the choir” instead of printing Bibles into the major languages and sending missionaries out? Henry Knott was a bricklayer! But he spread Christianity to an unreached people group in Tahiti that eventually led to an island being 84% Christian. Maybe you are not a missionary to go to foreign fields, but you can still support financially and prayerfully the organizations and missionaries who do that.

But my second thought is John 3:16. Henry Knott wasn’t caught up in eschatology or church doctrine although he was probably of the Calvinistic Reformed theology. Apparently the love of God was the primary motivation for him to love others and sacrifice so much to share God’s love with the Tahitians. There is a song, “I love you with the love of the Lord”. When you feel how much God loves you, it just makes you want to love other people and share God’s love with them. There are so many people who just don’t feel that love. Many feel worthless and unloved, maybe due to a lack of love shown them by parents. Many seek love in the wrong places in the pursuit of materialism and hedonism. They might not even feel the need for God’s love.

I personally tend to major in doctrinal and exegetical Biblical studies, as you can see from my blog articles. But how much does John 3:16 really mean to me? Do I feel God’s love? Do I get up every morning and say “God love me”? Do I thank God often every day for sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross for me? Do I try to share God’s love with everyone I am around every day? Do I see people who are struggling with life and share God’s love with them? Do I tell people that God loves them? Do I share John 3:16 with those who aren’t Christians? Do I use my resources to try to spread the love of God and the message of John 3:16 to the world, especially to those unreached people’s groups?

What does John 3:16 really mean to you?

NEHEMIAH: LESSONS ON LEADERSHIP

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

Leadership lessons from Nehemiah” Great godly leaders exhibit these qualities: Links to an external site.

1) Prayerful, depending on God for success, for wisdom to handle conflict, to get strength from God, to confess sin, etc. Great leaders pray, depending on God, in everything they do. 

Here are the times when Nehemiah prayed: 

Nehemiah 1:4-11 When he heard that there were no walls in Jerusalem

4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 5 Then I said:

“Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you.7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.

8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’

10 “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. 11 Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”

I was cupbearer to the king. 

Nehemiah 2:4 Before he asked the king if he could go to Jerusalem

4 The king said to me, “What is it you want?”

Then I prayed to the God of heaven

Nehemiah 4:4-5 When the work was ridiculed by the enemies

4 Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders.

Nehemiah 5:19 When he dealt with charging interest to fellow Jews

19 Remember me with favor, my God, for all I have done for these people.

Nehemiah 6:9 When threatened by the Samaritan enemies

9 They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.”

But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”

Nehemiah 6:14 When betrayed by fellow Jews and false prophets

14 Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophet Noadiah and how she and the rest of the prophets have been trying to intimidate me.

Nehemiah 9:5-38 When confessing the sins of the nation

5 And the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah—said: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting.[aLinks to an external site.]”

“Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. 6 You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

7 “You are the Lord God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and named him Abraham. 8 You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites. You have kept your promise because you are righteous.

9 “You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt; you heard their cry at the Red Sea.[bLinks to an external site.] 10 You sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the Egyptians treated them. You made a name for yourself, which remains to this day. 11 You divided the sea before them, so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into mighty waters. 12 By dayyou led them with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.

13 “You came down on Mount Sinai; you spoke to them from heaven. You gave them regulations and laws that are just and right, and decrees and commands that are good. 14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses. 15 In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock; you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand to give them.

16 “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and they did not obey your commands. 17 They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, 18 even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.

19 “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. 20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. 21 For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.

22 “You gave them kingdoms and nations, allotting to them even the remotest frontiers. They took over the country of Sihon[cLinks to an external site.] king of Heshbon and the country of Og king of Bashan. 23 You made their children as numerous as the stars in the sky, and you brought them into the land that you told their parents to enter and possess. 24 Their children went in and took possession of the land. You subduedbefore them the Canaanites, who lived in the land; you gave the Canaanites into their hands, along with their kings and the peoples of the land, to deal with them as they pleased. 25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land; they took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to the full and were well-nourished; they reveled in your great goodness.

26 “But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they turned their backs on your law. They killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies. 27 So you delivered them into the hands of their enemies, who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.

28 “But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight.Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion you delivered them time after time.

29 “You warned them in order to turn them back to your law, but they became arrogant and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, of which you said, ‘The person who obeys them will live by them.’ Stubbornly they turned their backs on you, became stiff-necked and refused to listen. 30 For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you warned them through your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so you gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples. 31 But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.

32 “Now therefore, our God, the great God, mighty and awesome, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship that has come on us, on our kings and leaders, on our priests and prophets, on our ancestors and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today. 33 In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous; you have acted faithfully, while we acted wickedly. 34 Our kings, our leaders, our priests and our ancestors did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the statutes you warned them to keep. 35 Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodness to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did not serve you or turn from their evil ways.

36 “But see, we are slaves today, slaves in the land you gave our ancestors so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces. 37 Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress.

38 “In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.”

Nehemiah 13:14 When tithes were not payed to support the Levites

14 Remember me for this, my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services.

Nehemiah 13:22 When the people were violating the Sabbath

22 Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.

Remember me for this also, my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love.

Nehemiah 13:29 When rebuking some for marrying foreign wives

29 Remember them, my God, because they defiled the priestly office and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.

2) Develop a God-inspired vision.Links to an external site.

Ch 1 Nehemiah had a cushy job as cupbearer to the king of Persia, but he had a vision of doing something great for God. Jerusalem and the temple had been rebuilt but there were no walls and the city was defenseless. Nehemiah had a vision of going to Jerusalem to rebuild those walls. Great leaders have great visions of what God can use them to accomplish.

3) Plan diligently, trust faithfullyLinks to an external site.

Ch 2 He gets to Jerusalem and the first thing he does is to secretly at night inspect the walls to come up with a plan before he talked to the people. Great leaders trust God but they use their wisdom to come up with a good plan to accomplish their mission.

4) Lead with courage and dependence on GodLinks to an external site.

Ch 2 He must be very nervous when the king asks him why his is sad. The king’s cupbearer is supposed to always be cheerful around the king. He can’t be showing his own personal sadness before the king. So Nehemiah prays and then shows great courage in telling the king about the walls and how he wants to take a leave of absence and go rebuild them. That took courage. The king could have become angry and had him removed as cupbearer. 

Ch4 He showed great courage when the Samaritan enemies threatened the builders on the walls. He stood up to them and prayed to God for courage. The people were getting discouraged and afraid. The enemies planned to make several attacks on the builders at different places, but Nehemiah found out about their plan. He got the people back to work, carrying a defensive weapon in one hand and a bulding tool in the other. 

4:

9 But we prayed to our God, and because of them we set up a guard against them day and night.

10 And so [amLinks to an external site.]in Judah it was said:

“The strength of the burden bearers is failing,
Yet there is much rubble;
And we ourselves are unable
To rebuild the wall.”

11 And our enemies said, “They will not know or see until we come among them, kill them, and put a stop to the work.” 12 When the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times, “They will come up against us from every place where you may turn,” 13 then I stationed men in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, the exposed places, and I stationed the people in families with their swords, spears, and bows. 14 When I saw their fear, I stood and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: “Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”

15 Now when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had frustrated their plan, then all of us returned to the wall, each one to his work. 16 And from that day on, half of my servants carried on the work while half of them kept hold of the spears, the shields, the bows, and the coats of mail; and the captains were behind all the house of Judah. 17 Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens carried with one hand doing the work, and the other keeping hold of a weapon. 18 As for the builders, each wore his sword strapped to his waist as he built, while the trumpeter stood near me. 19 And I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “The work is great and extensive, and we are separated on the wall far from one another. 20 At whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, assemble to us there. Our God will fight for us.”

21 So we carried on the work with half of them holding spears from dawn until the stars appeared. 22 At that time I also said to the people, “Each man with his servant shall spend the night within Jerusalem, so that they may be a guard for us by night and a laborer by day.” 23 So neither I, my brothers, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me—none of us [arLinks to an external site.]removed our clothes; each took his weapon even to the water.” 

Great leaders must have great courage and trust in God when their followers become discouraged and afraid. Nehemiah did.

5) Build and empower teamsLinks to an external site.

Ch 2 He inspired the men to join with him in his vision. 2:17 Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates have been burned by fire. Come, let’s rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a disgrace.” 18 And I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king’s words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let’s arise and build.” So they put their hands to the good work.

Ch 3 He appointed different men to each rebuild a small part of the wall or a gate in the wall. He delegated the work. He did not try to do it all by himself. He built teams of workers to accomplish the task. 

6) Address conflicts with wisdom and compassionLinks to an external site.

Ch 5 He had compassion on some whom he heard had been charged interest on loans and were having difficulty paying the interest. Jews were not supposed to charge interest on fellow Jews but many were doing that. Nehemiah addressed this conflic which could have divided the workers among themselves and hindered the work on the walls. Often groups can be doing a good work for the Lord but start fighting among themselves and the work gets stopped. Great leaders know how to wisely handle such internal conflicts. 

7) Maintain integrity and transparencyLinks to an external site.

Ch 5 He said that for 12 years he had payed to feed 150 of the leaders to eat at his table.  There was a “governor’s allowance” that he could have used to pay for this, but he did not. Neither did he buy any land for himself. He showed great integrity. He sacrificed a lot to lead the project. Great leaders are not in ti for the money. They usually end up spending their own money to do the Lord’s work. 5:

14 Furthermore, since the day that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, for twelve years, neither I nor my kinsmen have eaten the governor’s food allowance. 15 But the previous governors who were before me [azLinks to an external site.]laid burdens on the people and took from them bread and wine besides forty shekels of silver; even their servants domineered the people. But I did not do so because of my fear of God. 16 I also [baLinks to an external site.]applied myself to the work on this wall; we did not buy any land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. 17 Moreover, there were at my table 150 Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. 18 Now that which was prepared for each day was one ox and six choice sheep; also birds were prepared for me, and every ten days all sorts of wine were provided in abundance. Yet for all this I did not request the governor’s food allowance, because the forced labor was heavy on this people. 19 Remember me, my God, for good, in return for all that I have done for this people.

8) Stay focused despite distractionsLinks to an external site.

Ch 4 The enemies ridiculed the work on the walls. 4:1 Now it came about that when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry, and he mocked the Jews. 2 And he spoke in the presence of his brothers and the [aeLinks to an external site.]wealthy people of Samaria and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore the temple for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish it in a day? Can they revive the stones from the heaps of rubble, even the burned ones?” 3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him, and he said, “Even what they are building—if a fox were to jump on it, it would break their stone wall down!” Nehemiah did not let this ridicule slow him down. 

So they continued the work till the wall was built up to half its height. 4:6 So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. 7 Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem went on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very angry. 8 So all of them conspired together to come to fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it.” 

These distractions did not stop Nehemiah. He stayed focused on the work. Nothing could stop him from fulfilling his vision.

Ch 6 As the work on the walls was nearing completion with no gaps in the walls but no doors in the gates (the finishing touch), the enemies were desperate and sent letters to him 5 times offering to meet with him, supposedly to have “peace talks” with him, but really they were planning on killing him. They came up with false rumors that Nehemiah was trying to get himself made king and rebel against the Persians, which wasn’t true. Nehemiah stood up to them despite all the distractions to the work. 

Ch 6 One of his fellow Jews to try to scare him into going into the temple for safety which would have been a sin since he was not a priest. He refused to enter the temple and trusted God for his safety. He then discovered that his fellow Jew had been hired by the enemies to get Nehemiah to enter the temple and sin. They could have then used that to discredit him as a leader and get the work on the walls stopped. 

Ch 6 Because of his leadership, the walls were completed in 52 days despite all the distractions (6:15). The enemies lost their confidence. But some of his fellow Jews were loyal to Tobiah, a leader of the Samaritan enemies b/c they had intermarried with some of the Samaritans. They had been corresponding in letters with Tobiah the whole time, betraying Nehemiah. They tried to praise Tobiah when with Nehemiah. Tobiah sent more letters to frighten Nehemiah, threatening to cause him to lose his leadership position since many of his fellow Jews were loyal to Tobiah. None of this stopped Nehemiah. 

9) Celebrate milestones and give glory to GodLinks to an external site.

Ch 7:1 Now when the wall was rebuilt and I had installed the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites were appointed. He is getting the people ready for a great celebration over the finishing of the walls.

Ch 8 Nehemiah gathers the people and has Ezra read from the book of the Law (the Pentateuch, the fist 5 books of the OT). They made a podium for him to stand on. The people stood as he read from early morning to noon! 8:6 Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” with the raising of their hands; then they kneeled down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.” Other leaders explained what Ezra was reading in more detail. The people were crying as they heard the reading and realized how much they had sinned in not keeping the Law like they should. BTW this was the reason for Ezra making the 2nd return from Babylon, i.e. to get the people keeping the Law better. Nehemiah told them to quit weeping but instead to go get ready to celebrate a joyful feast, the Feat of Tabernacles. Ezra read to them that it was the time of the year to celebrate that feast. So they gathered branches and palms to make little booths to live in for 7 days, reading from the Law the whole time and celebrating with food and great rejoicing. The people had not celebrated this feast as they should since the days of Joshua! On the 8th day they came together for a solemn, reverent assembly. 

Nehemiah inspired the people to enjoy doing God’s work, to obey God fully, and to give God the glory for success. Great leaders know how to bring people together to enjoy doing God’s work. 

10) Commit to ongoing spiritual renewalLinks to an external site.

Great leaders are not just about getting the people to start a building program to build a new church building or an addition. They are more concerned about spiritual reforms needed among the people. It is easier to get people excited about building a building than it is to confessing and repenting of our many sins.

Ch 9 Nehemiah persuaded the people to confess their sins. 9:1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the sons of Israel assembled with fasting, in sackcloth and with dirt upon them. 2 The descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the wrongdoings of their fathers. 3 While they stood in their place, they read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God.”

Then comes a long summary of the history of the Jews up to that point in time. It mentions all that God had done for Israel (the plagues, the conquest of Canaan, etc.) but how that over and over the people disobeyed God. Ch 9 is a prayer of confession of the sins of Israel in their whole history up to that point in time. But it repeatedly said that God had compassion on them and asks God to have compassion on them again as they commit to have a revival and keep God’s laws.. 

9:16 “But they, our fathers, acted arrogantly;
They became stubborn and would not listen to Your commandments.
17 They refused to listen,
And did not remember Your wondrous deeds which You performed among them;
So they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt.
But You are a God of forgiveness,
Gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger and abounding in mercy;
And You did not abandon them.

9:Nevertheless, in Your great compassion You did not make an end of them or abandon them,
For You are a gracious and compassionate God.

Nehemiah and Ezra inspired them to make an agreement, a covenant, in writing to obey God and the Law (9:38). The leaders all signed it. 1) To obey all the Law. 2) To divorce foreign wives they had married and not give their children in marriage to foreginers.. 3) To not buy and sell on the Sabbath. 4) To pay a yearly temple tax to support the sacrifices and work in the temple. 5) To give the firstfruits of everything they grew to the Lord to support the priests and Levites. 6) To move 1 of every 10 Jews in the land to live in the city of Jerusalem as 9/10 of the people lived in other cities. The leaders already lived in Jerusalem. 

Ch 12 This led to another celebration and “dedication” of the completed walls. 12:27 Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites from all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem so that they could celebrate the dedication with joy, with songs of thanksgiving and with songs to the accompaniment of cymbals, harps, and lyres.” There were 2 choirs of singers on top of the walls. 

Ch 13 Nehemiah made a trip back to Susa. No doubt he told the king about the rebuilding of the wall and how God had blessed the work. But when he returned to Jerusalem, he found several issues and addressed them. 1) Some of the Jews who were related by marriages to Tobiah, the Samaritan enemy had made a room in a chamber of the temple for Tobiah to stay in. Apparently Tobiah had fallen out of favor with his fellow Samaritans. Nehemiah kicked him out of the room. 2) He also remanded the people for not paying tithes to the Levites. 3) He rebuked them for buying and selling on the Sabbath and ordered that the gates to the city be shurt at sundown on Friday and not opened until the Sabbath ended at sundown on Saturday. 4) He severely rebuked some for marrying foreign women and made them swear to stop doing that. 13:25 So I quarreled with them and cursed them, and struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take any of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.” 

ROMANS 6:12-23

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

Romans 6:12 Therefore sin is not to reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the parts of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead, and your body’s parts as instruments of righteousness for God. 14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under the Law but under grace.

15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under the Law but under grace? Far from it! 16 Do you not know that the one to whom you present yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of that same one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were entrusted, 18 and after being freed from sin, you became slaves to righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented the parts of your body as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your body’s parts as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.

20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in relation to righteousness. 21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. 22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The “therefore” in verse 12 is a follow up of 6:1-11. Since we have died to the power of sin to kill us then we should not allow sin to use our body parts to sin! Even if you do sin, sin will not become your master getting you to sin continually. You have been freed from your former master sin who controlled you by getting you to break whatever moral law you were under. You are freed from the power of the master sin and are now “under grace”. That grace forgives you of any sin 24/7 by the blood of Jesus.

Someone might think, “since I am saved by grace and sins forgiven 24/7, then I can just continue to sin willfully b/c I am now under grace” (6:15). Paul then says that reasoning is wrong (6:15).

1) 6:16 He states an obvious fact: “you are the slave of the one you obey”. Picture 1st century slavery in Rome. You would know if someone was a slave to some master b/c that slave would be obeying his master 24/7.

2) 6:16 If you choose to continue obeying your former master sin after becoming a Christian, then you make yourself a slave to master sin. That would put you back under the power of master sin which would lead to you falling from grace and sin being able to condemn you again.

3) 6:17 Thankfully you chose to leave your old master sin. You chose to become a slave to righteousness instead of master sin. It is ironic that we are “freed” from the slavery of our sin master and his power to kill us spiritually, and yet we chose to become slaves to obey Jesus 24/7.

4) 6:19 So, as slaves to righteousness, present your body parts to obey your new master Jesus. This will result in “sanctification”. I’m sure AI took this from some article, but I thought it was really good.

“In the Bible, sanctification refers to the process of being set apart and made holy, a work of God’s grace that transforms believers into more Christlike individuals. It’s not just a one-time event, but a progressive journey of spiritual growth and becoming more like Jesus. 

1. Initial Sanctification: This refers to the moment of conversion or being born again, when a person is declared righteous in God’s sight through faith in Jesus Christ. This is often compared to being “washed” and “set apart”. Hebrews 10:14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. 1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

2. Progressive Sanctification: This is the ongoing process of becoming more Christlike, involving growth in holiness, purity, and righteousness. It involves the believer actively choosing to obey God’s Word, submitting to the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and putting off sin and putting on Christlike character. Eph 4:20–24 But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality.”

3. Future Sanctification: This refers to the ultimate perfection and holiness that believers will experience in heaven when they are united with Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In essence, sanctification is a journey:

Becoming like Jesus:The goal of sanctification is to be more like Christ in character, thoughts, and actions. 
Setting apart for God’s use:Like the vessels used in religious rituals, believers are set apart for a specific purpose in God’s plan. 

Being holy:Sanctification involves striving to live a life that pleases God, avoiding sin, and growing in holiness. 

5) 6:20 When you were the slave to master sin, you were free from obeying master Jesus. But what benefit did you get from obeying master sin? Spiritual death is what you received as the reward for your obeying master sin.

6) 6:22 But now with your new master Jesus and grace, what benefit or reward do you receive? Sanctification and eternal life.

7) 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This is really a profound statement. The word “wages” implies something that you earn by working. The wages of obeying master sin will be spiritual death and either eternal annihilation or suffering. But notice that eternal life is not called “wages”. Instead it is called “the gracious gift of God”. The Greek is charisma: Gift, grace-gift, spiritual gift (usually used to refer to miraculous spiritual gifts in the early church). But in 6:23 the charisma or gift is eternal life. I don’t believe that we still have those miraculous gifts of the early church, but we have a gift far greater, i.e. eternal life. You can’t earn the “reward” of choosing to become a slave to Jesus. Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” That doesn’t mean there aren’t any conditions or commands to be met on our part. We are told to repent, be baptized, obey Jesus’ commands, do good works, bear fruit, etc. We are told that if we don’t bear fruit, we will be cut off (John 15). But obedience to Jesus’ commands doesn’t mean that you have “earned” eternal life. If I extend my hand with a $100 bill to just give you as an unearned gift, but then I tell you that to get it you will have to reach out and take it out of my hand. When you do that and get the $100, does that mean that you have earned it b/c you obeyed my condition that I stated that you had to obey my command to reach out with your hand to take it out of my hand??????? No. It is the same with our salvation. You must obey the command to repent and be baptized in order to be saved, but when you do so it doesn’t mean that you have earned salvation in any degree. It is just a “condition” required to be saved, not a work to earn salvation. Remember Namaan the leper. He had to obey a command or condition in order to be cleansed of leprosy: he had to dip in the Jordan River 7 times. He finally did that and was cleansed of leprosy. His dipping in water did not earn his cleansing, but he had to obey or he would not have been cleansed.

2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! God gave us His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. He gave us eternal life as a gift for choosing to believe and obey Jesus. We all get excited when someone gives us a gift that we really like. How excited are we about the gift of eternal life that God gives us through Jesus?

ROMANS 6:1-11

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

I don’t know if I can do justice to this chapter in which Paul has some deep, deep statements about our being “dead to sin”.

Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 Far from it! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for the one who has died is freed from sin.

8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all time; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 So you too, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

I want to make this really simple and applicable to our struggle with the flesh and sin. But it’s like laparoscopic surgery: AI “A surgical procedure where the fix is simple but requires access to deeper body parts could be described as a minimally invasive surgery or a laparoscopic surgery according to Yale Medicine. These procedures use small incisions and specialized instruments, allowing surgeons to reach the area needing repair with minimal disruption to surrounding tissues. It is frequently used for abdominal procedures, including hernia repairs and other conditions requiring access to the abdominal cavity. Surgeons insert a laparoscope (a thin, lighted tube with a camera) through small incisions, allowing them to visualize the surgical area and perform the repair.” A very simple repair but the surgeon has to get deep into the body to do the repair. In Romans 6 Paul takes us deep in order to give us a simple fix to the power of sin in our lives.

Paul made a statement in chapter 5 that led to the discussion in chapter 6. Romans 5:20 The Law came in so that the offense would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, so also grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Grace covers all sin. Jesus said in Luke 7:47 “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” Two sinners are both forgiven by the grace of God: one has 1,000 sins forgiven, the other has 100. One might be tempted to say that the one forgiven 1,000 sins received more grace, which is true in a way. But then someone might say, “well, if you get more grace when you sin more, then now that I have grace to cover my sins then why not just sin more and get more grace. It grace covers us no matter how much we sin, then why not just sin more after you become a Christian.”

Technically, you would be forgiven more if you sin more as a Christian. So why not just keep sinning and get even more grace. But Paul refutes the temptation to think like this. Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 Far from it! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” Paul goes on to say 3 times, “you died to sin”. When did you die to sin? When you were buried with Christ in baptism. The word “baptism” in the Greek means “to immerse, to dip”. It is not a sprinkling or pouring of water over a person. It is a burial, just as Jesus was buried in the tomb. Someone might say, “what difference does it make how much water is used?” Ask Namaan the leper that question. He hesitated when told to dip in the river Jordan 7 times to be cleansed of his leprosy, but he finally humbled himself and obeyed and was cleansed. The fact is that Jesus said, “he that believes and is baptized (immersed, dipped in water) shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). That’s enough for me! I chose to be immersed in water in my baptism just to obey Jesus and be safe. I did it when I was old enough to know what I was doing. But baptism is more than just a command to be obeyed. It is a beautiful picture of our old “body of sin” was buried and then raised from the water (again, implying immersion first) to “walk in newness of life just as Jesus’ dead body was buried but then raised to live again, never to die again. Paul said in Ephesians 2:1 “you were dead in your trespasses and sins” but in 2: 5 even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him. When we are baptism we are raised from the dead spiritually. We have eternal life and, unless we fall from grace (which is possible), we will never die spiritually again. Our new resurrected body will contine to live eternally even when we die physically. We will have “immortality” which is only promised to believers in Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:53-36). John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me will live, even if he dies (physical death), 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die (spiritually).”

So why should I try so hard to not sin after being baptized if grace will cover me (unless I fall from grace) no matter if I keep on sinning a lot? This is a mental thing. I have crawled under my 2 foot high crawl space 50 times (it seems) getting out buckets of water from a terrible irresponsible plumbing mistake when the house was first built 17 years ago. I crawled in the mud trying to pull the plastic vapor barrier back and dry out the mud that dumping many gallons of tub water poured directly into the crawl space because of that mistake. When I finally dried out most of the mud and pulled the plastic vapor barrier back over the mud, my pants and shirt (I always used the same ones to crawl under with) were so caked in mud that I asked my wife if she should wash them for me (she still washes my clothes, sorry ladies if that bothers you!) or if I should just throw them away. She said “throw them away” and I did. My old clothes went into the garbage bin outside and were carried far away to the dump a few days later. It felt so good to get rid of those muddy clothes once for all. Do you think that I even wanted to go get them back out of the garbage bin and wear them again? Do you think that I ever wanted to go to the city dump and retrieve them and wear them again? Of course not.

Ok, we did the spiritual laparoscopic surgery. We got deep, and now the fix is simple. The fix is a mental thing, howbeit hard to apply in real life. My old self (the muddy shirt and pants) were thrown away at baptism. You will be forgiven for future sins after that (unless you fall from grace), but why would you ever want to put that old self of sin back on again. Of course, the reason you might want to do that is because of your flesh and lusts that are always tempting you. But every time you are tempted to sin, you must say “no, I am not going to put those old muddy clothes back on; I am done with sin”. Our lusts still have the power to get us to sin after baptism, but sin no longer has the power to kill me spiritually. Hebrews 2:14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, so that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.” 1 Corinthians 15:54 But when this perishable (our physical body)puts on the imperishable (eternal life spiritual body), and this mortal (physical body) puts on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written: “Death (spiritual death) has been swallowed up in victory. 55 Where, O Death (spiritual death) is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 John 5:18 We know that no one who has been born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. 19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” The devil, even if he is still active (which is debatable since he was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone in 70 AD when Jerusalem was destroyed), can get you to sin (maybe just indirectly through his getting you to sin by yielding to your lusts). James says in James 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it has run its course, brings forth death (spiritual death).”

This is not a one time surgery like repairing a hernia with laparoscopic surgery, solving the problem permanently. This is a constant ongoing war of the flesh and the spirit with many battles (losing a lot of those battles). Galatians 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want.” This is a constant ongoing war, often losing many battles, for mind control. Romans 7:21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully agree with the law of God in the inner person, 23 but I see a different law in the parts of my body waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin, the law which is in my body’s parts. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from [y]the body of this death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.” Romans 8: 5 For those who are in accord with the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are in accord with the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

That’s where the Spirit of God comes in to help you win battles and win the war with sin. I was never really tempted to go get those muddy clothes out of the garbage bin, but I am often tempted to put back on my old self of sin and its many lusts. Paul said that we are “freed from sin” (Romans 6:7). He is not saying that we are freed from ever committing sin, but that we are freed from the power of sin to kill us spiritually ever again (unless we fall from grace). Hopefully we will never make the “practice of sin” a habit in our lives after baptism. 1 John 3:4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who remains in Him sins continually; no one who sins continually has seen Him or knows Him. 7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who has been born of God practices sin, because His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin continually, because he has been born of God.” Again, a mental thing. I still help coach volleyball. It’s one thing to go to the gym and hit a few volleyballs, but it’s another thing to start volleyball practice where we want to keep hitting volleyballs because we enjoy volleyball and want to get better at it.” John makes a strong statement in these verses. The truly born again baptized believer will not practice sin or sin “continually” (NASB). He will sin, but he will fight the flesh and try not to sin, certainly not to practice sin. John even says he “cannot sin” continually. He is not saying that one truly born again is no longer capable of committing sin or that the Spirit will keep him from ever sinning again after baptism. John had already said that it was possible for us to sin after being born again: I once had a neighbor who said that he (and his fellow church members) could not sin. He said that even if he commited adultery, it wasn’t a sin (he told his wife that) b/c he was filled with the Spirit. 1 John 1: 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.” John is saying that a truly born again believer just can’t practice sin or sin “continually”. His new resolve will just keep him from doing so. Not that it is impossible for him to do so, but that he will draw a line and say to his lusts, “I just can’t do that; you got me to yield to you a few times, but that’s it: I’m putting my foot down; I just can’t and won’t keep yielding to you! Jesus died to save me from sin and gave me a new nature and practicing sin goes against everything that Jesus did for me!” You have to talk to your lusts!

In the meantime while you are talking to your lusts and rebuking your lusts, the Spirit is telling you, “stand up to your lusts! Practicing sin is not your new self, your new forgiven nature.” The Spirit keeps reminding you how muddy and yucky those old muddy clothes were and asking you “why do you want to get them out of the garbage and wear them again?” It’s a mental thing. The Spirit is telling you, “Do you remember what it felt like wearing clothes caked in mud? How yucky you felt? How glad you felt to take them off and throw them away and take a hot shower?” The Spirit is our counselor to help us fight the battle of the mind control, the war with sin. But we must always be listening to the Spirit talking to us through the word and in whatever way that you feel that the Spirit speaks to you.

Peter gave the qualities of the Christian growth ladder in 2 Peter 2 and then said: 2:8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they do not make you useless nor unproductive in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For the one who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choice of you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.” Do you remember how great it felt to get saved from your sins when you were baptized? You came up out of that water with a smile, hugging everyone. You probably made a resolve to try to never sin again. Later you do sin, but hopefully you feel sorry about your sins b/c you know Jesus died for your sins, and you repent of any sin and ask forgiveness. But Peter is saying that through the practice of sin and the lack of practicing righteousness that you have “forgotten your purification from former sins”. You have forgotten how yucky the muddy clothes felt. You have forgotten how sorrowful you once were over your sinful condition. You are “short-sighted” or “nearsighted” spiritually. AI: “Nearsightedness, also known as myopia, is a condition where you can see objects close up clearly but have difficulty seeing objects that are far away.” You can see your sin really close up, you feel the urge to sin, your lusts are actively working on you can’t see or remember how bad that sin made you feel long ago when you decided to seek forgiveness for sin. “Spiritual nearsightedness, spiritual myopia.”

I know this has been long. It just kept growing one thought after another. The fix to keep us from practicing sin is a mental thing, but it is hard to apply in real life. After writing this article, I am going to try to “practice what I preach”. Every time I am tempted to give in to my lusts, I am going to try to listen to the Spirit telling me to stand up to my lusts and rebuke them. Have you ever had lustful sinful thoughts and emotions and yet you just kinda hid them b/c no one could see them, no one knew about them except you? So you didn’t really fight those sinful lusts and emotions. You just let them hang out in your mind and heart. Eventually those thoughts and emotions will lead to sinful action. I want to put those lusts out of my mind and replace them with pure thoughts. Paul talked about that. Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 As for the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” The peace of God, spiritual peace that comes from knowing the you have been saved by grace through the death of Jesus, will “guard” your heart (your emotions) and your mind (your thoughts). A guard stands at a house not allowing anyone or anything bad to get in the house. But the key is to replace those lustful thoughts and emotions with things that are pure, lovely, etc. I am going to try to do that.

What about you? Can you hear the Spirit telling you right now to let Him help you win the war?