Category: Uncategorized

In This Issue:
Stay in the Henhouse
A Worldly Christian
Safe in the Ark
Get Far from Evil
The Danger of the World

Volume: 906   May 1, 2023
Theme: Separation

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Stay in the Henhouse  
Bill Brinkworth

I have endeavored to raise chickens to raise as much food as possible.  After hearing the locals tell of coyotes and seeing evidence of a fox, coupled with the knowledge of nearby black snakes, I knew that the pen and the henhouse must resist those predators.

When building their coop, I accommodated for all those dangers in the design.  Their outside run was wrapped with strong chicken wire.  Even the floor was laid with the fence material in case one of the raiders tried to gain entrance by digging in.  The wire was doubled stapled so no creature could gain entry by tearing off the covering.  Even the roof was partly covered with wire and sheet metal to keep out airborne enemies like hawks.

The house was sheathed in strong material, with even the smallest gaps eliminated, so an egg-hungry snake could not slither in.  Windows were covered with heavy screening that would keep them out and was higher than any ground predator could reach.  When finished, the house was safe for all the fowl that lived within.

Afterward, the squeaking and squawking chicks were brought into their new living quarters.  Their daily needs were met.  They got their daily food, water, and occasional kitchen waste that they devoured.  Soon, they grew and were nearing the age that they would produce eggs.

However, their behavior began to change.  They no longer fear me as I come to feed, water, and clean their living quarters.  At times, they were a bit hostile to me as I tried to feed them. 

As I left their pen or henhouse, they kept following me to get outside their protected environment.  Sometimes, as I went, they attempted to dart out to the unprotected outside.  Usually, they could be herded back into their safe environment and were discouraged from escaping. 

One morning, however, one hen managed to get out.  Fortunately, before she got too far, I was able to catch her and put her back in the safe area I had created for her.

I realize their discontentment with their secure environment and curiosity to go “outside” was very much what too many Christians spend their lives trying to do.  Instead of following God’s commandments, as preserved in the Bible, they take every opportunity to go outside God’s protection. 

The rules that they ignore, disobey, and often dislike are there for their protection.  A life within those guidelines will be safe and guarantee a closer walk with God.  A life lived outside those guidelines will be one without God’s protection and guidance and may result in hardship, unhappiness, and even destruction.  

God knows what waits “outside.”  He knows all about the luring temptations, the strangling grip of sin, and the devouring Devil that can ruin any man, woman, or child once they are outside His protection.

Man may learn God’s commandments and what God warns him not to do, but he often looks “outside.”  He sees most of the world doing things he knows he should not do. 

Often he observes that it appears that nothing happens when the world commits sin or even gets close to it.  It seems that they get away with it. 

He considers that the biblical warnings are wrong or for a different time and that now they must be okay to do, as so many appear to get away with iniquity.  (If man could follow those people’s lives and learn of all the details, he would find they did not get away with it after all!).

Mankind often lurches outside the protection God has provided.  For a short time, doing what everyone else is doing is fun.  There are no repercussions for sin or getting too close to it.

However, his life changes so slowly that he often does not see the changes that happen.  His desire to please God and obey Him is usually the first thing that is eroded, along with the fear of the consequences of getting involved in sin. 

Lack of concern for others also disappears.  What remains is a self-centered individual bent on satisfying one’s selfish desires. 

Often involvement in sin does physical damage or changes.  Again, the sinner never sees the damage exposure to the “outside” has done.

No one gets away with sin.  That is why God commands us not to get close to it, so it can never get a hold of a person.  There is a wage to iniquity’s commission.  Stay inside God’s boundaries, and you can escape the dangers that lurk “outside.”

“If we could look steadily at the world and see it as it is in the eyes of God, many of our estimates would be amazingly changed.”   — Edward Gareshe

A Worldly Christian
C. H. Spurgeon

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.  Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Mat.  6:24

No man can serve God and mammon because there is not enough life in the heart to serve the two.  Alas!  Many people try this, and they fail both ways.

I have known a man who has tried to let some of his heart run into the world and another part he allowed to drip into the church.  The effect was that he was suspected of hypocrisy when he came into the church.

“Why,” they said, “if he were truly obeying the Lord, could he have done yesterday what he did and then come and profess so much today?”  Other believers look upon him suspiciously, or if he deceives them, they feel he cannot be trusted because he has not given all his heart to the Lord.

What is the effect of his conduct to the world?  Why, his religion is a constraint to him there.  Any mention of God or His commandments, especially any expression of guilt, makes the world uncomfortable around him, and they also do not trust him.

The world will not have him, and other Christians will not have him.  He wants to go between the two, and both avoid him.

“If you can get along with the world, then you are out of step with God.”
— Dr. Harold Sightler

Safe in the Ark
D. L. Moody

When the voice came down from Heaven to Noah, “… Come thou and all thy house into the ark, for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation,” there was a minute when Noah was outside the ark and another when he was inside.  By being inside, he was saved.  As long as he was outside the ark, he was exposed to the wrath of God just like the rest of the people.  

If he had stayed out and remained with the others, he would have been swept away, as they were.  It was not his righteousness.  It was not his faith or works that saved him; it was the ark.  

God has provided an ark for us (His Word), and the question is, “Are you inside or outside this ark?”  If you are inside, you are safe; if you are outside, you are not.

Get Far from Evil
Adam Clark

Abstain from all appearance of evil (I Thes. 5:22).  Sin not and avoid even the appearance of it.  Do not drive your morality so near the bounds of evil as to lead even weak persons to believe you touch, taste, or handle it.  Let not the form of it appear with or among you. 

Ye are called to holiness.  Be ye holy, for God is holy.

 “If you are saved, you are on the winning side.  Why would you want to look or act like the losing side that is headed for Hell?”

The Danger of the World
J. Mason

Beware of the world.  It has slain its millions!
What ruined Lot’s wife?  The world.
What ruined Achan?  The world.
What ruined Haman?  The world.
What ruined Judas?  The world.
What ruined Demas?  The world.
What will ruin you?  The world.
“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Mat.  16:26

In This Issue:
God Kept His Word
What the New “bibles” Do

Volume: 905   April 24, 2023
Theme: God’s Word

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God Kept His Word
Bill Brinkworth

God said He would keep His Word for and with us, and He has done so!
“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” Isa. 40:8 According to verse seven, the grass refers to people.  People will come and go, but God’s Word will always be amongst us. 
“But the word of the Lord endureth for ever.  And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” I Pet. 1:25   Also: Psalms 102:12, Luke 16:17.

God preserved His Word in written form.
“For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” Mat.  5:18   Jot and tittle refer to the dialectical marks of the languages used.  This implies that the preserved word is in written form!

Its preservation is essential to our faith.  Why would God require it if He would not keep it for us?
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Rom. 10:17

Many places in the Scriptures were quoted accurately at a later date by prophets, leaders, rulers, and even Christ.  “As it is written” is used in 49 verses, indicating that the preserved Word was trusted then.

It is inspired!  “God breathed” into the originals, and He has preserved His original inspiration.
“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.  Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” Psa. 12:6-7
We have the inspired, preserved Word of God!

There have always been copies.  The originals have never been gathered together in one place.  There are now no originals!  From the beginning, God has used and blessed copies:

• Moses broke the first tablets.  God made sure His people had an accurate copy of them.
• King Jehoiakim (Jer. 36) did not like what Jehudi read from the Word of God and burnt them.  God again gave it to Jeremiah.  Then it was thrown in the river (Jer. 51:63); end of original #2, but we still have it now.  It is preserved!

The Hebrews preserved the Old Testament in the Masoretic Text. The New Testament was preserved in Greek in the Textus Receptus.  There have been copies from those translated texts since 150 AD.

Different men had a burden that the Word of God be written in a language the common person could read.  Before their work, only certain clergy could read it.  They only told the masses what they wanted them to hear, often in a language the people did not understand.  The work of many preserved God’s Word in these forms from such men as Erasmus, William Tyndale, Miles Coverdale, and the six companies of 47-54 (according to different accounts) translators that translated the 1611 King James.

The King James 1611 had several changes done to it up to 1769.  The KJV that we read today is the 1769 version.  All the 400 changes from the 1611 to the 1769 version were spelling and grammatical changes as the written English language grew more consistent and changed.  Compare those minimal changes to the thousands of alterations reportedly changed in the New King James Version in the 5^th version from the 1^st version.

KJV 1611: “For God so loued the world, the he gaue his only begotten Sonne: that whosoeuer beleeurth in him, should not perish, but haue euerlasting life.”  John 3:16   Notice where we used a “v” the earlier language used a “u”.  Also: “I”’s were used as “J”’s,  “f”’s for “s”’s…. KJV 1769: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Since the beginning, Satan has gotten man to doubt and question the Word of God.  If you doubt it, you will not believe it or live it.  I am sure this is why Satan has done much to water down God’s Word, hide His Word, or get people confused enough not to read or believe the Bible.
Gen. 3:1 “ Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.  And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

Even the early church had to deal with Satan’s attack on the Truth.  That attack continues even more so in these last crucial days!
“For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.” II Cor. 2:17

If the Bible is missing or has words changed, it is not the preserved Word of God that God promised to keep.  All modern translations and revisions have changed words.  They cannot be trusted.  They are tampering with the Word of God!

The modern translations and revisions are counterfeits!

• Their root is from Egypt.  The Bible has a negative outlook on Egypt (Rev. 11:8.), especially Alexandria (Acts 6:9, Col. 2:8).  Alexandria is where the philosophy that the Bible is fallible (Origen) grew and that it has mistakes and must be corrected.  Most modern translations come from the Alexandrian manuscripts.
• They remove or change words.  i.e.: NIV is 90,000 words short of what is in the KJV.
• They change the meaning of the verses.  Bible teachings are altered many times to suit the author or organization producing the “bible” and their beliefs.  Often the new perversions change verses dealing with the deity of Christ, Jesus’ virgin birth, Hell, and salvation. 
• The new “bibles” bring confusion.  Who is the author of confusion (I Cor. 14:33)?  Not God!  Satan is behind the perversion of God’s Word.  The perversions change biblical doctrine!
• They profess to make the Word of God easier to understand, but they do not!  The Holy Spirit reveals the understanding of God’s Word to man, not man’s intellect.  The “bible” is said to be made “easier” to understand, yet fewer than ever are reading any version!

There is a battle raging over the souls of man.  The warfare can only be won with the Word of God.  Many, including Satan, are working hard to dull the only spiritual weapon man has.  God has made sure the Bible is still preserved in the KJV.  Do you read and obey it?

“If the modern ‘bibles’ are supposed to make it easier to understand and also correct ‘mistakes,’ why did 300+ different English versions still not make it easy enough and get it right, and why are they still creating more versions?  The answer is that the goal is not to make the Word of God clearer, but to make money and make it say what they want!”

What the New “bibles” Do
Bill Brinkworth

There are thousands of changes in all the different versions.  Here are a few so one can get an idea as to how man has changed what God has said! 

They change God’s Commandments.
King James (KJV): “And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.  And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” Acts 8:37
New International Version (NIV): Verse removed and footnoted
New American Standard Version (NASV): Verse removed and footnoted
New World Translation (NWT — Jehovah Witness Bible): Verse removed.
Revised Standard Version (RSV): Verse removed and footnoted
New Century Version (NCV): Verse removed and footnoted.
These re-writers wanted to do away with the biblical teaching of baptism!

They alter truths about Christ.
(KJV) “And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.” Mat.  1:25
(NASV) “and kept her virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called his name Jesus.”
(RSV)  “but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.”
(NIV) “But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son.  And he gave him the name Jesus.”

Other versions remove wording that indicates Jesus was Mary’s firstborn son.  
(KJV) “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.” Mat.  18:11
(NASB) This verse is footnoted and implies that it should not be there.
(NIV) Verse removed and footnoted (footnote is changed, however).
(NWT) Verse removed.
(NCV) Verse removed.
The important reason for Jesus Christ’s coming has been deleted!  The way of salvation is removed!

They alter truths about judgment and Hell!
“Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” Mark 9:46
(NIV) Omitted and footnoted
(NWT, NASB, NCV.  RSV, Amplified) Omitted.

They do not make God’s word easier to understand, as they claim!
(KJV) “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;” Eph. 5:18
New King James Version (NKJV)  “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation….”
(NIV) “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.  Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”

(KJV) “Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.” Daniel 3:2
(NKJV) “And King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.” A difficult word was inserted, and facts were changed.
(NIV) “He then summoned the satraps, prefects ….”

They change facts:
“Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table.” I Kings 18:19
 (NKJV, NIV, NCV, NASB, RSV) “… and the four hundred prophets of Asherah ….”
(NWT) “… four hundred prophets of sacred pole ….”
In the Catholic Confraternity Version (1963), this verse is found in III Kings 18:19.

They not only remove and change words, but they add words.
“And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” Rev. 22:19
(The Amplified Bible) “And if any one cancels or takes away from the statements of the book of this prophecy — these predictions relating to Christ’s kingdom and its speedy triumph, together with the consolations and admonitions (warnings) pertaining to them — God will cancel and take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the city of holiness (pure and hallowed) which are described and promised in this book.” — wheeww!

“Things That Are Different Are Not the Same!”  
— Title of Dr. Mickey Carter’s book on the Bible version issue

In This Issue:
Just A Piece of Stone?
Inward Changes
A Notable Conversion

Volume: 884     November 14, 2022
Theme: Spiritual Remodeling

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Just A Piece of Stone?
Bill Brinkworth

Weeks of visiting different marble quarries finally paid off.  After examining many blocks of the art material, the sculptor finally found the stone for which he was looking.  Arrangements in the office were made, and the rock was promised to be delivered the following week.

When the delivery was made, the hefty piece was hoisted off the truck, loaded on a dolly, and wheeled into the artist’s studio.  There it stayed, as it was viewed, admired, and studied for imperfections by the stone carver.  Days later, a rough sketch was drawn on the piece of stone to give the sculptor an idea of what material was to be removed.

Soon, the hard work began.  A small, pneumatic hammer banged away, removing large chunks of the unwanted material.  The floor was quickly littered with marble waste.

After the course outline was followed, the tedious, detailing handwork began.  Day and sometimes night, the sculptor chipped off the unneeded rock.  Slowly, the block took on a form of a man.  A face, appendages, and clothing were slowly revealed on the once shapeless block of stone.

Patiently, weeks passed until finally, the sculptor stepped back and viewed the finished, polished piece of art.  Hard work transformed the once unformed piece of marble into a work pleasing to its craftsman and many that would view the artwork for decades.

In like matter, God can masterfully and slowly transform any willing person for His admiration and use.  Many may see the person as a hopeless case.  However, despite the imperfections He knows about, God has great hopes for what He can make of the person. 

When a person sees oneself as flawed with sin, having little hope in this life or the next, and trusts Christ as Saviour,  the Master steps in.  He sees what the person could be and patiently chips away, if the person allows, and transforms that creature into something the Creator, person, and society admires.

Usually, after a person is saved,  guilt from sin is the first sign of salvation.  After admitting and trusting God to overcome that iniquity, God begins the patient process of removing that transgression and others from the believer.

One by one, sin’s hold on a person is released as God helps dispose of the unneeded sin-caused flaws.  Outward and inward iniquities are slowly removed.  Some may have a more stubborn hold on the converted life than others.  At times, the iniquity’s removal may even be hurtful when it is pried from a life, but God’s handiwork continues.

Some cannot stand the strain of having sins removed from their lives.  Too often, many disallow the elimination of the clinging iniquity.  Although the Master Sculptor patiently waits, he urges the believer to allow Him to remove the hindering imperfections. 

After it is clear God’s convicting voice is ignored, the Master often halts helping the one that has rejected Him.  His disrupted handiwork too often remains unfinished for the rest of that person’s life because of his refusal to allow God to continue His work in his life.

Others are more willing to be changed by their Master.  The sinners know that their attempts are often futile, and they need the Perfect One’s assistance. 

Those that allow God to remove what He knows will hamper His use and their “beauty” slowly becomes what their Creator desires.  At times, His changes are painful as they are removed, but the trusting heart of the believer knows that His God knows best and willingly endures the changes. 

Once thought unfit, blemished, and “unusable,” God’s creation takes on a new form and usage.  Selfishness is redirected to others’ needs, and conscience-nagging sins are discarded.

As the Master removes the unneeded ”baggage,” the once “hopeless case” is now being used by Him. Completion of small tasks given to the Christian-under-construction proves the believer’s allegiance.  Since the child of God has proven faithful, more opportunities of service are entrusted to that believer.

The believer’s obedience to studying and obeying God’s Word soons qualifies him to teach a Sunday school class.  Witnessing to others and showing God’s way to Heaven has proven him fit for a bus ministry, enabling him to win others to the cause of Christ.  The reward for the Christian’s obedience is more work for the Master.

Days run into weeks; months turn into years, and the trusted believer is still faithfully at His God-assigned tasks.  Yes, there were times he did not feel like teaching his class, but still, he labored at the ministry.  Souls were told of salvation, and many saw God’s glory in the changing and using the once imperfect person.  

If one looks closely at the creature God changed, some scars from past sins may remain.  However, God looks past all those and sees how the person has become a masterpiece for His use.

God desires to be allowed to have the same liberty in your life.   Will you admit your imperfections and let the Master Sculptor change your life?  He is willing and awaits your reply!

“Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God?  Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?  21  Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour.”  Romans 9:20-21

Inward Changes
Bill Brinkworth

Repentance is the “… pain, regret, or affliction which a person feels on account of his past conduct…” (Noah Webster, 1828).  This sorrowful attitude over one’s sins was a vital part of John the Baptist’s ministry and is essential today when one is saved from the eternal wages of one’s iniquities. 

Although a repentant person will change one’s behavior, just changing conduct alone will not save anyone. If a lifestyle change were necessary for salvation, those acts would be a type of good work, and no good deed can save anyone from the eternal wages of sin (Ephesians 2:8-9).

John, the Baptist, illustrated that a broken heart over sin would produce a better life when he spoke to four types of people:

• To the religious but not righteous, John told them that if they were convicted over their sins, they would prove it by a lifestyle that would show “fruits” from their inward changes.  Their changed heart would change how they lived, and others could see what the changes had done in their life (Luke 3:8).
• To the common people, he told them that a giving attitude would show a changed heart (Luke 3:11).  John must have known that they were covetous of the things of this world and that they were not trusting God daily for their needs.
• To the publicans, he also said there would need to be some changes in their lives. Publicans were notoriously dishonest tax collectors. John told them their spiritual remodeling should include honesty (Luke 3:13).
• To soldiers, John did not tell them to quit the army. He told them their change of heart would include halting unnecessary violence, lying, and dissatisfaction with their salaries.

A changed, repentant heart is proof of one’s salvation. The areas John said should change in lives over 2,000 years ago should still change when one’s life is altered by salvation today.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” II Corinthians 5:17

“You cannot repent too soon because you do not know how soon it may be too late.”  — Fuller

A Notable Conversion
C. H. Spurgeon

A jail chaplain once told me about a surprising case of conversion in which the covenant of grace was the chief instrument of the Holy Spirit.  My friend had under his charge a man most cunning and brutal.  He was repulsive, even in comparison with other convicts.  He had been renowned for his daring and the utter absence of all feeling when committing acts of violence.

Several times the chaplain had spoken to him but had not succeeded even in getting an answer.  The man was sullenly set against all instruction.  At last, he expressed a desire for a specific book, but it was not in the library.

The chaplain pointed to the Bible, which was placed in his cell, and said, “Did you ever read that Book?”

He did not answer but looked at the good man as if he would kill him.  The question was kindly repeated, with the assurance that he would find it well worth reading.

“Sir,” said the convict, “you would not ask me such a question if you knew who I was.  What have I to do with a book of that sort?”

He was told that his character was well known to the chaplain, and for this reason, he recommended the Bible as a book that would suit his case.

“It would do me no good,” he snapped, “I am past all feeling.” Doubling up his fist, he struck the cell’s iron door and said, “My heart is as hard as that iron.  There is nothing in any book that will ever touch me.”

“Well,” said the chaplain, “do you want a new heart?  Did you ever read the covenant of grace?” The man answered sullenly by inquiring what he meant by such talk.

The preacher replied, “Listen to these words, ‘A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.’” (Ezekiel 36:26)

The words struck the man with amazement.  He asked to have the passage found for him in the Bible.  He read the words again and again.

When the chaplain came back to him the next day, the wild beast was tamed.  “Oh, sir,” he said, “I never dreamed of such a promise!  I never believed it possible that God would speak in such a way as that to men.  If He gives me a new heart, it will be a miracle of mercy, and yet I think, He is going to work that miracle upon me, for the very hope of a new nature is beginning to touch me as I never was touched before.”

That man became gentle in manner, obedient to authority, and child-like in spirit from then on.  He was a new creature.

“Too often, deathbed repentance is burning the candle of life in the service of the devil and then blowing the smoke into the face of God.”  — Billy Sunday

In This Issue:
It Is Finished!
God Made It.  He Can Keep It!
Created!
They Warned Others

Volume: 835    November 22, 2021
Theme: God’s Will and Way

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It Is Finished!
Bill Brinkworth

To understand God and His will more fully, one must realize that some things He has done or promised in the past are finished. What He has done other times may not happen today.

Creation is finished! 
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.” Genesis 2:1
 After God’s six-day work of creating the universe, putting all the stars and planets in place, and creating the Earth and all that lives on it, He had it recorded that His creation was finished. No more new creations will be put into outer space,  although some may “burn out” or change. There will be no more species of plants or animals created, although many more may be discovered. Man or beast will not transform into something different (“evolve”). God’s perfect creation is finished.

God may not deal with the people of today as he has dealt with them in the past! No longer will He destroy mankind as he did in the time of Noah. Although God still supplies our daily needs, most of us will never eat the daily manna, as did the children of Israel as they fled Egypt. The church and Christ’s sacrifice replaced the need for a Temple and priests to present sacrifices on our behalf. Although God still performs incredible supernatural feats in individual lives and for nations, most of the time, He will not deal with circumstances the same way as He has done in the past.

God’s Word is finished!
 “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.” Deuteronomy 4:2 
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:” Revelations 22:18

God made sure all we needed to know was recorded in the written word preserved for the major languages. Today, English-speaking people have His Word exactly the way He gave it to the prophets, scribes, and other men of God. It is preserved in our King James Bible. There is no need to have a modern scholar tell us something that God had “forgotten” to say or something He had preserved incorrectly. What He said thousands of years ago is finished, and nothing is to be added or taken away from it.

Jesus’ work is finished!
 “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” John 19:30  Also: John 17:4. 
Man’s only way to Heaven was finished when Christ died for all of our sins on the cruel cross at Calvary. That day, the price was paid for sin when the blood flowed out of God’s only Son.

There is nothing we can do to earn our way to Heaven. There is no religious task we can do that will keep us out of Hell.  Also, no one can say certain words that will absolve us of our sins. All that was necessary for our salvation was completed when Jesus died.

There are, however, several things that are not finished. Some prophecies are yet to be fulfilled. All the prophecies about the Messiah’s coming were fulfilled when Jesus came and died. Although all of what was predicted about the Messiah hundreds and thousands of years before His birth came true, there are many prophecies about man’s last days on this Earth that are yet to come true, as God’s Word says they will.

We are still waiting for the promises of His coming and the calling of His own out of this world. We are still waiting for the judgments God promised to the inhabitants of this world to be fulfilled. Those prophecies are yet to be finished.

Lastly, one thing that is not finished is your life. If you are reading this, you still have the opportunity to be saved and miss Hell. You still have time to do what God commands you to do. However, one day you will not have that opportunity. You will not be able to look out of the flames of Hell, change your mind, and be saved because your time to be saved had passed.

Have you trusted Christ’s finished work on the Cross as the only way to Heaven, or are you still putting your trust in what your religion says or what you think you must do to please God? Have you been saved (Rom. 10:9)? Have you done what God has spoken to your heart to do for Him or made the changes to your life that He required? One day it may be too late as your life will be finished here on this Earth.

God Made It.  He Will Keep It!
Bill Brinkworth

Psalm 104 is a Hebrew hymn restating the Genesis account of creation. It reminds the Psalm’s singer of what God created in this universe and on Earth in six days. Here, the God of creation is given credit for His wonderful works in those days.

God’s creation of light (Genesis 1:2) is mentioned, as are all the following summarized five days of what He did.  The God-deniers and God-haters, of course, deny God’s account and resort to their theories of “accidental” developments of all the amazing wonders we have on this Earth and in the skies.

All the evolutional “accidents” modern “science” claims to be the result of all on this Earth have never been proven, and the theories are constantly changing.  Still, those ideas are believed by most. 

In recent decades, a new scare tactic has been forced down the throats of a gullible public.  It is an attempt to convince people that this planet will soon be uninhabitable or destroyed.  This chapter refutes two of those accusations that are causing ungrounded fears.

The first biblical principle taught here (Psalm 104:4) crushes current political propaganda that the Earth will not be around or inhabitable forever.  Our planet will experience geological upheavals, changes, and during the final days of sinful man, it will be made new (Revelation 21:1).  However, the Earth is here to stay and is not going anywhere, thus saith the Lord!
“Who [God] laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.” Psalm 104:5

As for rising oceans that politicians have attempted to get citizens fearful of, God also says that there are boundaries that waters cannot cross. Although panic is growing that polar ice will melt, and cities and other lands will be flooded, it is contrary to what God promises in His Word. The waters will not invade any further than God has planned them to go.
“Thou hast set a bound that they [water] may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.” Psalm 104:9

Although government scare tactics repeatedly warn of Earth catastrophes man thinks he can control, the Creator of this planet decides what will become of what He has made.  God says it will be here forever! 

Who do you believe, man, who has a political or financial agenda, or God who loves His creation and all He has made?
“The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works.” Psalm 104:31

“If the Father designs to touch with divine power the cold and pulseless heart of the buried acorn and to make it burst forth from its prison walls, will He neglect the soul of man that was made in the image of his Creator?”  
— William Jennings Bryan

Created
Watson, 169

If a man should go into a far country and see stately edifices there, he would never imagine that those built themselves but that some greater power erected them. To imagine that the work of the creation was not framed by God is as if we should conceive a curious landscape to be drawn by a pencil without the hand of an artist.

They Warned Others
Bill Brinkworth

I noticed something interesting while reading a book written in 1872.  There was a collection of 15 or so articles on atheism written by preachers of the time.  All the articles were about those that denied that God created the heavens and the Earth.

Without today’s pseudo-intellectualism and political correctness hindering them, those preachers publically identified those that did not believe God created the universe as heathens. They warned their “flocks” of those that believed or taught contrary to what the Bible says.

Toleration today of unbiblical beliefs has silenced many from calling God-haters and Bible-deniers what they really are. Those against biblical teachings and principles must be identified and avoided, or their false teachings may spread.

“The probability of life originating by accident is comparable to the probability of the unabridged dictionary originating from an explosion in a print shop.”  — Edwin Conklin

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In This Issue:
What God Knows About You 
God’s Care for His People
“Thank You, Captain.”
The Nick of Time
A Touch on His Shoulder
When Every Choir Member Was Late

Volume: 833    October 25, 2021
Theme: God’s Care

What God Knows About You
Bill Brinkworth

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” I Peter 5:7

God knows about your location!
“Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?   Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 23:23-24

Although the context is about the last days, the principle applies:
“Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down:   And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them:” Amos 9:2-3   

He knows the condition of your body.
“Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?  But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.” Luke 12:6-7 

He knows what is unknown and unseen by you.
“He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.” Daniel 2:22 

He knows what your needs are.
“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.  Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” Matthew 6:7-8

He knows what’s in your heart.
“And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.” I Chronicles. 28:.9 

He knows what you’re thinking.
“But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:” Matthew 12:24-25 

He knows who is His – who is saved.
“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:” Romans 8:16
“But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.” Luke 13:27

HE KNOWS ALL!
“For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing  hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.” Luke 8: 17

“Man is really three persons in one: what people think he is, what he sees himself to be, and what God knows him to be.”  — W. L. Childress

God’s Care for His People
F. E. Marsh in 500 Bible Readings

• He WATCHES over them with His eyes.  Psalm 34:15
• He LISTENS to their prayers with His ears. I Peter 3:12
• He INSTRUCTS them by His Word. Deut. 33:3
• He LOVES them with His heart. I John 3:1
• He SUPPORTS them.  Hosea 11:3
• He LEADS then by His Spirit.  Romans 8:14
• He ENCOURAGES them by His promises.  II Peter 1:4

“Here is my creed.  I believe in one God, Creator of the Universe, and that He governs it by His providence.  That He ought to be worshiped.  That the most acceptable service we render Him is doing good to His other children.”   — Benjamin Franklin

“Thank You, Captain.”  
Gospel Herald

When Napoleon’s horse ran away and a lowly soldier caught him,  Napoleon said, “Thank you, Captain.”  The man at once packed his belongings, moved to the officer’s quarters, and went to mess with them.  The emperor had called him captain, and he was therefore an officer.

We are all miserable sinners, but when we receive Jesus Christ as our Saviour,  He calls us sons of God (John 1:12).  Let us promptly pack our belongings and move into the higher life to which He has appointed us!

The Nick of Time
G. Campbell Morgan

I am never tired of pointing out that the Greek phrase translated, “in the time of need,” is a colloquialism of which the “nick of time” is the exact equivalent “that we may have the grace to help in the ‘nick of time.’”  Grace just when and where I need it. 

You are attacked by temptation, and, at the moment of assault, you look to Him, and the grace is there to help in the “nick of time.”  No postponement of your petition until the evening hour of prayer, but there in the city street, with the flaming temptation in front of you, turn to Christ with a cry for help. The grace will be there in the “nick of time.”

A Touch on His Shoulder
C. E. Macartney

On February 26, 1844, a major disaster occurred in our Navy.  The Princeton, the most powerful warship of that day, was taking members of Congress and government officials down the Potomac.

Onboard was the president of the United States and the secretaries of state and Navy.  For the entertainment of the guests, the great gun on the Princeton, called the Peacemaker, was fired.  At the second discharge, the gun burst, killing the secretary of state, the secretary of the Navy, and several others.

Senator Thomas Benton of Missouri was standing near it when a friend laid a hand on his shoulder just before the gun was fired.  Benton turned away to speak with him when, much to his annoyance, the secretary of the Navy, Gilmore, elbowed his way into his place.  At that moment, the gun was fired and Gilmore was killed.

That singular providence had a great impression upon Benton.  He was a man of bitter feuds and quarrels and recently had a fierce argument with Daniel Webster.  After he escaped from death on the Princeton, Benton sought reconciliation with Webster.  He said to him, “It seemed to me, Mr. Webster, as if that touch on my shoulder was the hand of the Almighty stretched down there, drawing me away from what otherwise would have been instantaneous death.  That one circumstance has changed the whole current of my thought and life,  I feel that I am a different man, and I want, in the first place, to be at peace with all those with whom I have been so sharply at variance.”

“When we return to really trusting in God, there will no longer be room in our souls for fear.” — Goethe    

When Every Choir Member Was Late
Author Unknown

On March 1, 1950, in Beatrice, Nebraska, the pastor went to church to prepare for the evening choir practice that Saturday afternoon.  Most choir members would arrive between 7:15 to 7:30 PM.  He then went home for a quick supper and was ready to return with his wife and daughter when it was discovered that the daughter’s dress was soiled and needed a change that must first be ironed. He would certainly be late for practice.

High school sophomore Ladona, had trouble with her geometry problems and had to stay to finish the problem.  Usually, she would always be early for rehearsal.

Two sisters were ready to go to practice, but the car won’t start.  They called up the geometry girl to pick them up.

Mrs. Schuster, with a small daughter, would arrive at 7:20, but that night her aging mother needed her, so she dropped by her mother’s, making her late as well.

Machinist Harry Ohl was going to take his two boys to choir practice since his wife was away but somehow started talking with someone. When he looked at his watch, it was already too late.

Pianist Marilyn Paul came one-half an hour earlier, but after supper, she fell asleep and arrived barely on time.

The choir director and the pianist’s mother, Mrs. Paul, were late because of her daughter.  She tried unsuccessfully to wake the child up.

Two high school girls usually go together, but one listened to the 7:00 radio program and broke their usual habit of promptness to listen to the end.

Stenographer Joyce Black, feeling “just plain lazy,” stayed until the last possible minute.  When she was ready to go, “it” happened.

At 7:25, the West Side Baptist Church blew up.  Its roof crushed in, and its walls fell down due to leaking gas.   All the choir members were late, which had never happened before.  No one was hurt thanks to God’s intervention.

“A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.” 
Proverbs 16:9   

In This Issue:
Free from False Religion
Free from What?
They Looked “Religious.”  They Acted Righteous.
What Is Not Salvation

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Volume: 808    May 3, 2021
Theme: False Teaching

Free from False Religion
Bill Brinkworth

One of the most deceptive, dangerous forces hampering the growth of Christianity has always been the false teachings and intents of some “spiritual” leaders. Jesus battled those that claimed to be of God but were not. It was even the “religious” leaders who orchestrated His death.

Paul warned of wicked leaders and had to battle their attacks against him and his stand for the Word of God.  In II Peter 2, Peter also warned his readers of those that claim to be of God but are not!

Peter red-flagged false prophets (II Peter 2:1-3). They claim to be knowledgeable about God’s Word and His way but sometimes subtly stray from the truth and promote their philosophies. Often their motivation is not to advance God’s way, as they advertise, but for their gain (II Peter 2:3). They sometimes try to take advantage of God’s blessings on His people for their benefit.

Today, we see “Christian” celebrities often with their hand out trying to get the money that should go to support a local church to reach their local community. Instead, they get hold of that money and use it for their cause.  In the last 40 years, many Christians have been disappointed when they discovered the offerings they sent to radio or television preachers were absconded for personal rather than ministerial use. Too many have deceptively made “God their belly” (Phil. 3:19).

No matter the lies the false prophets and teachers sow and the destruction (“pernicious ways” – (II Peter 2:2) they commit, they will not get away with it. The fallen angels did not get away with their sin (II Peter 2:4). A godless people of the time of Noah did not get away with their sin (II Peter 2:5). The wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrha did not continue unchecked. An all-seeing God will only sit by for so long. One day, His judgments will fall on those that oppose Him by teaching false spiritual doctrine (II Peter 2:9). No one gets away with iniquity!

No false prophet or teacher will ever stand in their position of authority and admit, “I am teaching you false doctrines.” They will hem and holler at any suggestions they are wrong. They will insist that they know the truth (“presumptuous” – II Peter 2:10), and one that is opposing them does not know the truth as they do.

It can be a no-win situation if believers do not know ”thus saith the Lord.”  If man would search the Scriptures for himself like he is commanded in the Word of God (II Tim 2:15) and know and live the truth, false prophets, teachers, and other religious leaders would have little audience for their often blasphemous teachings.

The cure for false teachings inside the local church’s doors is wary, Bible-educated believers and followers. When believers shirk their responsibility to study the Scriptures, false teaching will prevail and grow. It is long past the time that we as Christian people should learn the Scriptures for ourselves and stand up for Its truths.
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32

Free from What?
Bill Brinkworth

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32

When you know and follow the truths preserved in God’s Word, you will be free, but free from what?

You can be free from:

• The penalty of sin in a tormenting Hell and later in the Lake of Fire.
• The hopelessness of not having guidance and help from the Lord.
• The bondage one’s sin has on a person.
• Making wrong relationships, decisions, and doing things you may regret the rest of your life.
• The uncontrollable demand to heed sinful temptations.
• Falsehoods that are taught or believed are often contrary to what God’s Word commands. Believe and obey the Word of God, and you will have your eyes opened to the deceptions and dishonesties that are peddled as truth and fact. God can give much discernment to the believer, and it will change how he sees what is happening around him.
• A troubling, worrisome future with little hope.

It often is not an easy road to be untangled from sin’s grasp and to follow God’s will and way.  There may be many failures, weak moments, and struggles, but the freedom one gains by following God’s truths is worth it all!

“The appearance of religion only on Sunday often proves that it is only an appearance.”  — Author Unknown

They Looked “Religious.”  They Acted Righteous.
Bill Brinkworth

The Pharisees were a powerful, controlling, Jewish group that boasted about and led “spiritual” activities in Jesus’ time. They were known for their separation from the scripturally “unclean” practices of the worldly Gentiles. Their roots came from the intellectual scribes that had much to do with understanding and preserving the Scriptures. At the time, if anyone were considered to be “godly” people, certainly it would have been the Pharisees.

However, Jesus had much to say against this sect. It was some of these “religious” people that opposed Jesus and tried to stop His preaching.  This group taught contrary to what the Word of God taught. It was the Pharisees that led people in the wrong direction about spiritual matters.

John 8 tells much of what Jesus knew about this religious but unrighteous group, including:

• Their judgments and discernments were often determined by their weak flesh and not by God’s influence (John 8:15).
• They did not know God (John 8:19). Although this group was known for their wisdom of the Scriptures, Jesus knew that they were not of God. They did not even know the true God, and He was not their Father (John 8:44).
• Their garb and practices led people to believe they were religious, but Jesus knew that they were not of God but of the devil (John 8:23, 44).
• Their man-made “religion” would not save them. Unless the “religious” believed in Jesus alone, they would die in their sins (John 8:24).
• They did not realize that they were held captive by their sins. They were not spiritually free (John 8:31-37).
• The truth of God did not direct their lives (John 8:37). They were not obedient to the Word of God they had claimed to follow (John 8:37-39).

Today, we may not be controlled by the Pharisees, but we still have “religious” among us that are not righteous. Even if they are faithful in going to church, doing “spiritual” things, or even talk the “Christian talk,” they may be as spiritually dead as were the Pharisees.

God’s Word reveals that today’s “religious’” errors are often the same as the Pharisees clung to and that Jesus rebuked. “Religion” does not save or change anyone! Only a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and trusting in God’s Word will change anyone — from the inside out!

“A religion that is small enough for our understanding is not great enough for our need.” — Balfour

What Is Not Salvation
Bill Brinkworth

The Bible DOES NOT say that salvation can be gotten by:          

• Doing many good works and earning one’s way to Heaven.
  “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
• Believing there is a God and Jesus. Satan knows and has talked to both the Father and Son, and he is certainly not going to Heaven. Believing and knowing there is a God is not enough.
  “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” Matthew 25:41
•    Believing you are a good person and worthy of Heaven.
  “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” Romans 3:10
•   Obeying all the doctrines of a church, or even the Bible. Without Jesus as one’s Saviour they are just good deeds. Unless one receives Jesus as personal Saviour, all “religion” is in vain.
  “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6
  “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”  Matthew 7:22-23

• Being a member of any church or religion alone will not guarantee anyone Heaven.
  “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:8-9

Just having a saved mother, father, or a “grandfather that was a preacher.” The salvation of others cannot get anyone into Heaven. Salvation is a personal relationship with God. No one can get saved for us.

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