With permission to publish by: Sam Hadley, Grace & Truth, 210 Chestnut St., Danville, IL., USA. Website: www.gtpress.org

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“Grace and truth” are three little words in a phrase that is only mentioned twice in the whole Bible ?– but they are of infinite value as they refer to the person of God manifested in the Lord Jesus Christ. We read in John 1:14 (NASB): “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” And three verses later (v.17) we read: “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”

All three words are of great importance. “And” holds the two subjects of “grace” and “truth” together much like a yoke in farming. We know from the Bible that two animals of great strength are required for a yoke to produce useful results. A yoke is useless for one animal. And you may have seen, or at least you can imagine, what happens when there are two animals that don’t work well together – the result is not good and it is of little value to the farmer.

We see in the Lord Jesus, who is “full of grace and truth,” the perfect working together of these powerful qualities. As there is nothing lacking of either quality in Him, Jesus Christ perfectly manifests grace and truth in all His words and ways. We can find one example after another as we read the Gospels.

Now a question that we, who are believers, might ask is: “Are these qualities seen in me?” If Christ is in us, shouldn’t He show forth through our lives or in our gatherings? Both aspects must be present and seen, for like the animals of the yoke, one without the other is worthless in God’s eyes.

As people, we tend to quantify things so that they will be equal. Contrary to Scripture, we often hear a husband or wife claim that they are doing their half in a marriage. Sometimes we are like that about grace and truth, measuring out portions just so that they are equal. God’s standards aren’t that way, however. If we are going to show forth Christ, we need to do so with all the grace and truth we have grasped – as well as we are able, through the guidance and strength of the Holy Spirit. It is a very big challenge, indeed!

We hope that the Lord will use the articles this month to reveal to you more of His greatness, to draw you closer to Him in your personal relationship and to encourage you in His service. Of course, the Featurearticles focus on grace and truth, but you will find the subject in the other articles as you read through the magazine from cover to cover.

By Paul Alberts

With permission to publish by: Sam Hadley, Grace & Truth, 210 Chestnut St., Danville, IL., USA. Website: www.gtpress.org

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“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” Acts 16:31

There is a law in a certain city that all buildings on the main roads must be constructed of concrete and have at least two stories. Recently, the authorities told those whose buildings did not meet the new standards that they had to reconstruct. And they marked them with a large, red X.

Some owners started reconstruction right away while others did nothing. Some painted over the red X and planted flowers so that they looked better. They hoped that all would be well. As time passed, many thought that the destruction would never come.

But one day without notice the government sent large bulldozers to destroy all the buildings that had been marked with the red X. All those who had rebuilt were safe. But those who had only planted flowers, painted and made minor improvements were destroyed.

So it is with people. The Bible says that because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23 nkjv) they do not meet God’s holy requirements. The red X of condemnation is on everyone. Many think that they can make their lives better by doing good works, being kind, going to church and praying. They hope these things will be good enough to escape the destruction. Others just ignore it or don’t believe that it will come. After all, would God be so mean as to condemn good people?

God’s standard says He must punish sin. And since all have sinned, all must be punished. The punishment is separation from God for eternity in “the lake which burns with fire and brimstone” (Rev. 21:8). But God also has the remedy. Christ died on the cross and took all the punishment for our sin. If you confess your sinful condition and ask Him to be your Savior, God will forgive you. Instead of condemnation you will have eternal life! We can tell you more.

By Albert Blok

With permission to publish by: Sam Hadley, Grace & Truth, 210 Chestnut St., Danville, IL., USA. Website: www.gtpress.org

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A PREACHING TOOL What Happens When We Respond To The Gospel?“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” — John 3:16 NKJV

With permission to publish by: Sam Hadley, Grace & Truth, 210 Chestnut St., Danville, IL., USA. Website: www.gtpress.org

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“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” — Romans 10:15

The meaning of the word “gospel,” like many other words, has changed over time. Initially it referred to a reward given in exchange for good news. Later it came to mean the good news itself. Today, in the minds of many, the word “gospel” often brings to mind a particular type of religious music of American origin.

Writers of the New Testament sometimes used the word gospel to refer to some encouraging information, as in, “Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love” (1 Th. 3:6 NIV). But usually it is used in connection with the historical facts and meaning of the Christian message. The word “gospel” is used about 100 times in the New Testament, mainly by the apostle Paul. The Gospel writers Matthew, Mark and Luke used it occasionally. Surprisingly, John did not use it in his gospel nor in his three letters.

Peter explained that it was God’s will that people should “hear … the message of the gospel and believe” (Acts 15:7). In other words, on hearing, understanding and accepting the gospel, he expected them to “obey the gospel of God” (1 Pet. 4:17). For this to happen, Peter knew that the gospel message had to be delivered in the power of the “Holy Spirit sent from heaven” (1 Pet. 1:12).

The apostle Paul was a gifted teacher and church planter, and the gospel was central to everything he did. He viewed himself as “set apart for the gospel of God” (Rom. 1:1) and described his life’s task as “testifying to the gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24). Paul explained that “Christ Jesus has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:10).

This energetic apostle believed with all his heart that God’s gospel was really “good news.” With passion he wrote: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16). With joy and wonder Paul described what he saw: “All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.” (Col. 1:5-6). He considered it an honor and a privilege to carry and promote the gospel. Do we?

God’s gospel has not changed; it is still His good news delivered to us by His Son, as presented in John 3:16-17: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”

God still brings new life and immortality to people through His gospel. God still works in their hearts with power as they hear the gospel message. God still uses available, normal Christians like you and me to transmit this gospel to others. Do you feel privileged and honored to be called to participate in this noble task? Have you had the opportunity to share God’s good news with someone recently?

Tools such as radio, television, videos, websites and printed material may assist us in our task. But nothing can replace personal contact and interpersonal relationships. Our life will speak to others if we “conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Phil. 1:27). The Holy Spirit desires to work through us. Let’s make ourselves available. Our way of life and our words are still the main and most effective communication tools to show and share the good news.

By Philip Nunn

With permission to publish by: Sam Hadley, Grace & Truth, 210 Chestnut St., Danville, IL., USA. Website: www.gtpress.org

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QUESTION: Can the devil obstruct the answer to our prayers as he did Daniel’s?

ANSWER: Daniel 10, where this occurs, is highly instructive and encouraging to us. We find in verse 2 that Daniel had been in mourning for three full weeks before an angel appeared to him with the answer to his prayer expressing his desire to know what would happen to his people, Israel, in the then distant future. Some of what was revealed to Daniel has already been fulfilled. These things are recorded in Daniel 11:2-35. What we find from chapter 11:36 on is still to come. Only the Rapture (1 Th. 4:14-17) stands in the way of these events unfolding.

Now to the question. It would be well to look at several other Scripture passages in connection with it. The angel told Daniel that his prayer had been heard from the very first day he had humbled himself and set his heart to understand. The angel had been sent with the answer, but had encountered opposition from the prince of the kingdom of Persia (Dan. 10:12-13). This prince was obviously not the literal human ruler of Persia but a demonic being, one of Satan’s fallen angels.

Ephesians 6:12 tells us that our struggle today is not against flesh and blood, “but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Just as with human armies, there are evidently rankings among the satanic hosts. Satan, the prince and god of this world, still wields tremendous power, whether we believe it or whether we ridicule the thought of it. Satan is called “the accuser of our brethren” in Revelation 12:10, where he is said to “accuse them before our God day and night.” There too we are shown that this power which he has – and this access to God which we see in the first two chapters of Job – will come to an end during the Tribulation that follows shortly after the Rapture.

The world little realizes that demonic powers are behind the nations of this world in all their agitation and struggle against God and His people on earth. The world classifies governments into various kinds of democracies and dictatorships, but these chapters of God’s Word and other passages show us that human rulers are more or less pawns of these unseen satanic powers which we have to contend with at all levels of our lives. Yet we thank God for the principle laid down in God’s Word, that “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 Jn. 4:4). We see in the first two chapters of Job that while Satan still has access to the presence of God, he is limited in what he can do against believers – only what God allows him to do.

James 4:7 tells us this: “Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” We see from this that the devil, and by implication all his evil hosts, are on the attack against us. He has been defeated by Christ at Calvary, but he is still active. We are even now looking forward to the time when “the God of peace will crush Satan … shortly” (Rom. 16:20). Revelation 20 shows us that he will be bound during the Millennium, the 1000 years of Christ’s reign on earth. He will be released for a short time after that and will deceive the nations into attempting a war of rebellion against the Lord and His saints. God will make a quick end of this with fire from heaven, and the devil will finally be cast into hell and tormented there forever.

In view of all that Scripture teaches us about Satan and the power he has at present, we must conclude that he is able to obstruct the answer to our prayers as he did in the case of Daniel. But we rejoice that he is limited to doing only what God permits, and that God so works “that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).

Our God is all-seeing, all-wise, all-powerful and all-loving. If He permits Satan to obstruct the answer to our prayers, it is only for a limited time, and only that His own purposes of love might be fulfilled in our lives to His glory and praise.

Answered by Eugene P. Vedder, Jr.

With permission to publish by: Sam Hadley, Grace & Truth, 210 Chestnut St., Danville, IL., USA. Website: www.gtpress.org

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The Christian’s Walk
Part 2: LEARNING TO WALK THE CHRISTIAN WAY OF LIFE

Today’s world is full of snares and traps to “stumble” our walking with Christ. This is why a scriptural examination of what this walk consists of is so vital. In part 2 of this Series we consider Ephesians, which contains some of the highest truths about Christians. In it we find that we must keep walking “in love … as children of light … circumspectly” (Eph. 5:2,8,15 NKJV) – consistently walking true to the Christian faith, no matter how strange the world thinks we are (1 Pet. 4:2-4).

Ephesians provides much guidance for the Christian’s walk. First of all, we are to be like God Himself, because we are part of His family (5:1). Secondly, we must also imitate Christ (5:2). In Ephesians 4, Paul urges us to walk worthy of our calling and to be different from the rest of mankind (4:1,17).

This “calling” is the subject of the doctrinal part of Ephesians, chapters 1-3, and is described elsewhere in the New Testament as an “upward,” “heavenly” or “holy” calling. (Phil. 3:14; Heb. 3:1; 2 Tim. 1:9). Our lives should show that God has called us to be His children, His adopted sons. Because our walk must reflect our calling, Paul explains what to “walk worthy” really means in chapters 4-6, the practical section of this epistle.

1. “Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma” (Eph. 5:2).
To “walk in love” is our response to Christ’s love (5:2). In life and death our Savior showed that He loved God with all His heart, with all His soul, with all His strength, with His entire mind, and His neighbor as Himself (Mk. 12:30-31). In His death He demonstrated His love for His Church (Eph. 5:25). First John 3:16 tells us that this is how we Christians know what love really is, and how we should react to it with sacrificial love for our brethren. If we walk in this love for God’s family, this brings pleasure to God. We may even have to pay the ultimate price, as Christ did. But according to Ephesians 4:1,2,15 we will certainly have to “walk … with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love … speaking the truth in love” to each other. We must also make every effort “to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (4:3). By these means the Church builds itself up in love.

Romans 12-15 centers on the love that should govern and pervade our Christian gatherings both internally and externally. Romans 12:9-16 paints a comprehensive picture of the qualities of Christian love: it is sincere, discerning, affectionate and respectful; it is enthusiastic and patient, generous and hospitable, benevolent and sympathetic; it is marked by good will, harmony and humility. Churches would be healthier and happier communities if we all loved one another like that! All this is clear from Paul’s use of the words “brotherly love,” “one another” and “the saints” (Rom. 12:10,13). Then Paul tells us that Christian love also includes both love for our enemies (12:17-21) and love for our neighbors just as we love ourselves (13:8-10). In 14:12-19, he shows how easy it is not to walk in love by lacking consideration for the conscience of others.

The fullest description of the character of love is given in 1 Corinthians 13. There we are told it is greater than both “faith” and “hope” (13:13). It is “a more excellent way” (12:31) which constantly must be pursued (14:1) so that each local church can function by the correct exercise of its gifts. Perhaps Paul felt he had to fully describe love and how it acts to those who seemed to love him less, the more he loved them (2 Cor. 11:11; 12:15).

Love is also an essential component of godliness, which the man of God must diligently seek after (1 Tim. 1:5; 6:11). In the words of Ephesians 5:1, both the character and quality of our love are to be Godlike.

2. “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8).
In Ephesians 5:10 Paul exhorts us to find out “what is acceptable to the Lord” – that is, what is pleasing to the Lord. In His true nature, God is light as well as love (1 Jn. 1:5; 4:8). If we know God, we walk in the light. If our Christianity is merely a profession, it is untrue and we actually walk in darkness (1 Jn. 2:11). But every true believer lives or walks “in the light” (1 Jn. 1:7), that is, in the knowledge of the complete nature and character of God as fully revealed through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. In 1 Thessalonians 2:12 believers are required to “walk worthy” of the God who is light. In every area of our lives we must avoid all evil. There is to be no hint of sexual immorality, any kind of impurity, obscenity, foolish talk, coarse joking or greediness among God’s people; and we are not to be idolatrous (Eph. 5:3-7). Paul goes on to explain in Ephesians 5:9 and 14 that the fruit of the light is to show “all goodness, righteousness, and truth”; and that we can get this light from Christ Himself by looking up to Him in heaven.

When we walk as children of the light, our conduct both exposes and reproves the dark ways of the sinful world (5:11-13). In others words, unbelievers can realize what sin actually is from the godly way we live among them. The Lord Jesus did this in the case of the woman taken in adultery (Jn. 8:1-12). He exposed the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees who brought her to Him by writing on the ground (Jn. 8:6-9; Jer. 17:13). Then He said to her, “Go and sin no more” and explained how she could change her way of living: “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (8:11-12). We have to “walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Rom. 13:13-14). Our lives must honestly reflect the Light of the world, who said we must let our lights shine before men (Mt. 5:14-16). “Walking as children of light” involves renouncing all disgraceful and underhanded methods of preaching; and not distorting the Word of God when we teach it. But “by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Cor. 4:2NIV).

3. “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15-16 NKJV).
The word translated “circumspectly” can mean “accurately” or “in strict conformity to a norm.” Christians must “walk” in line with the Scriptures which specify what the Lord wants us to do. It also means “carefully.” Believers must put careful and prayerful effort into how we live – so we could paraphrase Ephesians 5:15 as “walk carefully and wisely.” Through detailed and continued reading of the Scriptures, and by prayer, each believer will come to realize what the Lord wants of us in the various spheres and relationships of life: in the church; the family (husband/wife, parent/children); the work-place (employer/employee); and in Christian warfare (friend/foe). The Lord’s will is stated in Ephesians 5:19-6:21, and other passages of Scripture. Specifically, believers must live out the life assigned to us by the Lord: “as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk” (1 Cor. 7:17); and notice that 1 Corinthians 7 is about whether to marry or remain single!

The secret of “walking wisely” is to be filled with the Spirit and to allow Him to control our lives (Eph. 5:18; Gal. 5:25). It is so easy for the flesh, rather than the Spirit, to guide our thoughts and actions. How often I convince myself that “I feel that this is what the Lord wants me to do” when it is actually the prompting of my sinful nature that is doing the convincing.

We are exhorted to redeem the time, that is, buy back missed opportunities for walking wisely and waking up to the fact that there is not much time left in which to serve the Lord: “Knowing … that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand; therefore let us cast off the works of darkness … Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Rom. 13:11-14).

By David Anderson

With permission to publish by: Sam Hadley, Grace & Truth, 210 Chestnut St., Danville, IL., USA. Website: www.gtpress.org

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Of Dandelions And Violets

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:7-8 NIV

Our house is surrounded by a plot of semi-controlled weeds which, in our more expansive moments, we refer to as our lawn. As if to relieve the monotony, the green is liberally dotted with bright yellow weeds called dandelions – and we hate dandelions!

Conquer
At first we painstakingly dug them out, one by one. It soon became evident, however, that our diligence was no match for the vigor of these dandelions. Looking around for a more efficient method of getting rid of the unsightly weeds, we discovered a company that would spray our lawn with a chemical which would take care of them once and for all. We engaged the services of this outfit, and before long there was not one dandelion to be seen anywhere in the vicinity of our house.

But then our neighbors shared with us their concern for the welfare of their children and pets. They feared that our dandelions were not the only things that would feel the effects of the toxic chemicals being applied to the lawn. When we actually looked into the ingredients and their potency, we promptly cancelled our contract for the lawn care service. Predictably, the dandelions returned with fresh vigor.

Control
Then we heard of another lawn treatment company with more respect for the environment. Its representatives told us that if we would permit them to apply their natural, nontoxic nutrients to our grass and would follow their recommendations for caring for the lawn, there was a good chance that the grass would grow with such vigor that it would simply crowd out those hated dandelions and other weeds, which they euphemistically referred to as broad-leaf plants. It sounded reasonable, so we told them to go to work. Admittedly, the nutrients were not as effective in ridding our lawn of dandelions as the chemicals were, but sure enough, in time we began to see fewer and fewer of them in our lawn.

I should mention that dandelions were not the only broad-leaf plants growing along with our grass. We also had quite a crop of violets. But we looked on the violets quite differently than we did the dandelions. We found their dainty flowers with their deep violet color, and their lush, green, rounded leaves most appealing. Sometimes we would even pick a bouquet of them to decorate our dining room table.

Conflict
Now I know that the fall of man into sin affected all of nature, but I have no reason to believe that members of the plant kingdom entertain the sinful emotions of people, or that they have any means of communicating with one another. Nevertheless, when I thought about the dandelions and the violets in my lawn, I couldn’t resist the notion that the former might well harbor some resentment against the latter.

“You don’t belong in these people’s lawn any more than we do,” I could imagine the dandelions complaining to the violets. “And yet they treat us like common criminals, and there for awhile they even declared chemical warfare against us. All the while they admire you and make bouquets out of you to decorate their house. We’re just as pretty as you. In fact, we’re a bright yellow, not a dull violet like you, and our leaves are beautifully scalloped, not plain like yours; and they are even edible. It’s not fair!”

Convict
As I imagined this controversy between the dandelions and violets in my lawn, the substance of it reached my own conscience. I thought of how careful I am to keep myself free from “dandelion sins,” like adultery and thievery and drunkenness, and how disgusted I get when I see these appearing in other people’s lives. But the Lord reminded me that there are other sins in my life that I consider rather attractive. Sometimes I even put them on display and boast about them. Of course, I always do this in a most judicious way, so it doesn’t sound too self-serving or boastful.

I express thanks to the Lord that He has allowed me to steer clear of these open, abhorrent sins that others struggle with. Sometimes on Sunday after the meeting we invite folks over for dinner, and the first thing I know I am savoring what some have called “roast preacher.” This meal consists of expounding on the theological weaknesses of the morning’s message, and displaying my superior knowledge and understanding of things biblical.

Confess
When I realized what I was doing, I fell to my knees and asked the Lord to forgive me of my pride, complacency, and smug feelings of superiority. Even as I confessed these sins, it occurred to me that it would be a fruitless task to keep on indulging in them and confessing my repeated failure. Certainly the second lawn care company knew what the real secret was of safely keeping unwanted plants out of lawns – nourishing the good will crowd out the bad.

I now knew the secret of keeping my life free from those sins I loved so well. I would have to give more attention to nourishing my soul on the Word of God – studying it, memorizing it and meditating on it. By this and only this could I ever hope to develop a life of true spiritual vigor, in which sins will have little to no room to thrive – not just the terrible ones, but also the ones that are so attractive, so satisfying.

Thank You Lord, for the dandelions and the violets in my lawn, and what You teach me through them.

Author Unknown

With permission to publish by: Sam Hadley, Grace & Truth, 210 Chestnut St., Danville, IL., USA. Website: www.gtpress.org

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