Text 758, 133 rader
Skriven 2005-12-03 08:56:22 av Bob Hoffman (8:8/2)
Ärende: Peace Whatever Exposure
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Faith's Checkbook

December 3

Peace Whatever Exposure

"I will make them a Covenant Of Peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease
out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in
the woods" (Ezekiel 34:25).

It is the height of grace that Jehovah should be in covenant with man, a
feeble, sinful, and dying creature. Yet the LORD has solemnly entered into a
faithful compact with us, and from that covenant He will never turn aside. In
virtue of this covenant we are safe. As lions and wolves are driven off by
shepherds, so shall all noxious influences be chased away. The LORD will give
us rest from disturbers and destroyers; the evil beasts shall cease out of the
land. O LORD, make this Thy promise good even now!

The LORD's people are to enjoy security in places of the greatest exposure:
wilderness and woods are to be as pastures and folds to the flock of Christ. If
the LORD does not change the place for the better, He will make us the better
in the place. The wilderness is not a place to dwell in, but the LORD can make
it so; in the woods one feels bound to watch rather than to sleep, and yet the
LORD giveth His beloved sleep even there. Nothing without or within should
cause any fear to the child of God. By faith the wilderness can become the
suburbs of heaven and the woods the vestibule of glory.

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The Gospel Flu Shot
By Daryl Wingerd

http://www.bulletininserts.org/flushot.html

What if your grandmother were to develop flu-like symptoms about a month after
receiving her flu shot? Would you say, "Grandma, you can't have the flu. You
just got your flu shot last month."


What if her doctor also said, "She does have the classic flu symptoms, but she
cannot have the flu because I gave her a flu shot"? And what if your
grandmother herself refused to believe that she could have the flu because she
had received the inoculation?

Your grandmother's flu-like symptoms should influence your response to the
situation far more than anyone's assumptions about the effectiveness of the flu
shot.

While only some people get the flu, every person has a much bigger problem. And
it is no mere illness. Everyone is born spiritually dead (Psalm 51:5; Eph.
2:1-3). It is a willful, sinful deadness that offends God and demands His just
punishment. And it too has evident symptoms.

Without a microscope you cannot see the virus that causes the flu. But you can
notice its effects on the body—fever, chills, aching bones, etc. Only God can
see the heart of the spiritually dead person (the one who has not been born
again), but everyone can see what flows from it. As Jesus said:

For from within, out of the heart of man, proceed evil thoughts, fornications,
thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as
deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these evil
things proceed from within and defile the man (Mark 7:21-23).

Now here is the question I want you to ponder: What if a person who says he has
been born again still displays the symptoms of a dead, unchanged heart? In
other words, he says he has "received Jesus," "made a decision for Christ," or
"invited Jesus into his heart" yet shows no signs of having been cured. Would
you just assume that he is saved because he says he has been "inoculated"? Can
you rightly consider him to be "born again," even though he consistently
thinks, speaks, and acts just like the people who make no such claim?

Consider some of the following "symptoms"—patterns of thought and behavior that
the Bible says do not characterize the true Christian:

Denial or serious distortion of essential biblical truths (such as the deity of
Christ, His bodily resurrection, justification by faith alone, etc; Gal. 1:8-9;
2 Pet. 3:16; 2 John 9).  Lack of love for Christ. This is often seen in ongoing
patterns of disobedience to Him (John 14:15; 1 John 2:3-4; see 1Cor. 16:22).
True Christian obedience (as opposed to mere moral behavior) flows from
heart—felt affection for Christ.  Disinterest in God's Word. The Bible is the
revelation of God Himself (John 5:39). The person who has no interest in the
Bible has no interest in God (see Ps. 138:2).  Lack of love for other
Christians (1 John 2:9-10; 3:10). For example: The person who abandons
Christian fellowship altogether, or the one who remains formally "connected"
through church membership but does not participate in regular, active
fellowship with other believers, does not truly love them.  Pride (Prov.
6:16-19; 8:13; Luke 18:10-14). This is commonly seen in eagerness to dwell on
the sins of others, while being reluctant to confess personal sins and seek
forgiveness. Unforgiveness (Matt. 6:14-15; 18:21-35).  Fornication, adultery,
or any other form of sexual immorality (Eph. 5:5; 1 Cor. 6:9-10).
Covetousness—the pursuit of money, material things, or other forms of
gratification in a way that reveals idolatry in the heart (1 Cor. 6:10; Eph.
5:5; Col. 3:5; 1 John 2:15-16).  Habitual outbursts of anger (Gal. 5:19-21). 
Drunkenness or other forms of chemical addiction (Gal. 5:21).  Should we take
comfort in the fact that some of our friends or family members have received
their "gospel flu shot" and naively consider them safe and well, even though
they consistently display classic symptoms of spiritual deadness—attitudes and
actions the Bible repeatedly says are characteristic only of people who are
unsaved and going to hell? Or should their symptoms cause deep concern and
prompt us to become lovingly involved?

"For you know this with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous
man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God"
(Eph. 5:5).

My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let
him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul
from death and cover a multitude of sins (James 5:19-20).

Copyright C 2005 Daryl Wingerd. Permission granted for electronic reproduction
in exact form. All other uses require written permission

www.CCWonline.org

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