In This Issue:
One Reason for Reading the Bible
They Can’t Understand
A Form of Godliness
Volume: 903 April 10, 2023
Theme: God’s Words
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One Reason for Reading the Bible
Bill Brinkworth
The compiled Word of God, the Bible, has many purposes. It tells man the mind of God, what He likes and disapproves of, how to live, how to die, how to be successful, why one fails, and many other essential life lessons.
There is another purpose for spending time in God’s preserved Word. That reason is so man can learn from examples of those in the past. A wise man should not want to repeat the errors of others. Reading and learning from others’ mistakes is one of the reasons God allows us to have His preserved Book.
“Now these things were our examples …” I Corinthians 10: 6
“Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples and they are written for our admonition…” I Cor. 10:11
Although the vehicle of temptation, sin, and trials have changed appearance and may not look like they did 6,000 years ago, basically, they are the same. Mankind may no longer be tempted to have a chariot like his Roman neighbors, but today he is enticed to lust after a car just like his neighbor’s. Seldom does a man lust after watching a woman bathing on a rooftop, as did King David, but desire still rages through pornography on the internet. A person may not spend time worshipping a silver idol, but many still put more value on material things than the things of God. Fewer gossip at the city market as was done in the past, but more talk about others quite a bit on the phone or e-mail.
Mankind has not changed, and because he is basically the same, we can learn about how problems were dealt with in the past, what their consequences were, and how one can face hardships. God’s wisdom is preserved for us in God’s Word.
A wise person learns from others’ mistakes. One should follow advice and wisdom that has worked in the past. The Bible contains much of man’s knowledge and, most importantly, God’s leadership on how to get through life.
God went through a lot of trouble to ensure we have every word He wants us to have so we can have a successful life. Are you wise, and are you reading God’s example book?
“Wisdom is applied knowledge.”
They Can’t Understand
Bill Brinkworth
“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” I Corinthians 2:14
Many people try to understand the things of God, but they never truly grasp His truths, nor do they seem real to them. They may have studied the Scriptures, memorized them, and appeared knowledgeable about biblical facts. However, there still seems to be a veil that does not allow them to see and understand the truths from the Word of God.
Preaching also may be entertaining and even interesting to them. Still, the truths spoken to them from the pulpit never get into their hearts and change anything. Many even feel church attendance is meaningless, so they seldom attend.
It is often not the preacher’s fault that they “get nothing from the service” or “do not feel convicted.” This verse in I Corinthians 2 puts the finger on who some of them are and why a spiritual connection is missing in their lives.
Many are not grasping biblical truths or are not Spirit-led because they are “natural” men and women. They are either not born-again and cannot have a relationship with the Lord until they are saved or may be saved and are so worldly-minded that they could not hear the convicting Spirit of God if He blew an air horn in their left ear. A “natural” man is just how they were born, without any spiritual alterations, illuminations, and connections.
No one can understand the things of God unless the Holy Spirit shows them to him (I Cor. 2:11). A person can have a head-knowledge of biblical and spiritual things. Still, unless the Holy Spirit is involved, there will never be a connection to what the brain knows and what a person’s spiritual “heart” believes.
Educated preachers have been in left field regarding understanding God’s things because they were under their own power of understanding and not the Holy Spirit’s. Education alone does not make the “connection.”
Preaching and the things of God are not appreciated and are meaningless to a “natural” man. However, the preaching of the Word of God is important to a saved man. The exhortation of God’s Word and its teaching are spiritual food to a spiritual person. It encourages, guides, and strengthens a child of God. To him, it is foolish not to be at church where God’s Word is taught.
“If you want to hear from the Father, you must speak the same language.”
— Barbara Brinkworth
A Form of Godliness
Bill Brinkworth
Paul warns us that sin will be rampant in the church’s last days. He lists 19 different sins churches during the end times will be guilty of in II Timothy 3. Many of those iniquities have always been committed by individuals throughout history.
In the last days, however, the commission of those sins will change civilization, and they will be committed without guilt or restraint. Although no man knows exactly when the Lord will return for His church, one has to admit that the prominence and rampant involvement of the sins listed in this chapter describe today’s spiritual condition too well.
One particular sin has done so much damage to the cause of Christ and Christian living. It may look Christian. It may use religious and Christian vocabulary. Perhaps it may even involve many doing biblically correct things, but this sin is very deceptive and dangerous. It is watered-down, liberal Christianity. It is a “… form of godliness, but denying the power thereof …” (I Tim. 3:5 5), and it is doing much damage in the world today.
Most want to please God and believe He is real sometime in their life. Many look for Him in a church. They go there, but instead of hearing the true Word of God preached and practiced, they only hear partial truths and a lot of humanistic, unbiblical teaching.
Because so many do not search and study the Scriptures themselves, they soak up and believe lies. Sadly, so many will die and open their eyes in a dark, tormenting Hell only to discover that they were led astray by false teachers, preachers, and lies. That is why Paul said to avoid any church or ministry that does not align with what the Word of God teaches (II Tim. 3:5).
However, as dangerous as it is, unless people find the truth in the Word of God for themselves, they will never see the lies they may have been exposed to. To make matters worse, even the Word of God has been tampered with by those that are deceiving those searching for the truth.
Words have been added to modernized “bibles,” and words have been removed or changed. Even if they pick up a newer translation (any other than the KJV version for English-speaking people), they are still only getting a “… form of godliness.”
Seminaries that once trained leaders of churches sthat did much for the cause of Christ have strayed far from biblical teachings and practices. Denominations have replaced the Word of God with their writings or modified a “bible” to teach their beliefs.
Many churches have embraced all religions into their fellowship and called themselves non-denominational or have gotten far from where they spiritually stood years ago. Some organizations have cropped up discarding biblical references and created their own philosophies and religion.
As the time approaches for the Lord’s return, finding churches that teach the truth is getting more difficult. However, we cannot blame them alone for their errors. Most of the time, they have been allowed to stray from biblical teachings because there were none or few that even knew the truths the Bible teaches. That is why it is essential, as II Timothy 2:15 says, to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” If more would delve into the Scriptures for themselves, fewer watered-down, unbiblical teachings from pulpits would go unchallenged.
“A little arsenic in a glass of drinking water will poison the drinker. Just a few altered words in the ‘bible’ will poison one’s mind about the things of God.”
— Author Unknown