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the universe will be simpler." -
Henry David Thoreau
“Life Coaching is a profession
that is profoundly different
from consulting, mentoring,
advice, therapy, or counsel-
ing. The coaching process
addresses specific personal
projects, business successes,
general conditions and transi-
tions in the client's personal
life, relationships or profes-
sion by examining what is going on right now, discover-
ing what your obstacles or
challenges might be, and
choosing a course of action to
make your life be what you
want it to be.
Life Coaching is a designed
alliance between coach and
client where the coaching re-
lationship continually gives all
the power back to you, the
client. We believe that you
know the answers to every
question or challenge you may
have in your life, even if those
answers appear to be ob-
scured, concealed or hidden
inside.”
Hardly Biblically based is it?
Then there are the churches
for people who don’t like
church. I’ve even read of
some with in the Reformation
Movement. How can you be a
Christian and not love theChurch that Jesus bought with
His own blood? It’s an oxy-
moron!
We are promised in Mat-
thew’s Gospel that the “Gates
of hell will not prevail.” Praise
the Lord. The translation from
the Greek means that we, the
Church, will not be overpow-
“And I tell you, you are Peter,
and on this rock I will build my
church, and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it.”
Mat 16:18 ESV
THE CHURCH IS UNDER-ATTACK IN OUR DAY! It
has been since the beginning of
the church age. Satan is alive
and battling Christians as much
as he is able to. The attacks
come from within the church
and from those outside of thechurch. For example, from
without there are activists that
are constantly seeking after
their own agenda and trying to
push it on the church. Madalyn
Murray O'Hair was an Ameri-
can atheist activist. She was the
founder of the organization
American Atheists. She is best
known for the Murray v. Cur-
lett lawsuit, which led to a
landmark Supreme Court rul-
ing ending official Bible-reading in American public
schools in 1963. This came one
year after the Supreme Court
prohibited officially sponsored
prayer in schools in Engel v.
Vitale (Wikipedia). It has been
fifty years and we see where
we are today in our society
without that influence in the
public schools. What activists
claim as a victory has resulted
in moral decay in our country
and the generations that havefollowed.
Now, the church is confronted
with those who have an agenda
for gay rights and same sex
marriage and sad to say, some
church groups and denomina-
tions have already fallen victim
to that agenda.
WE are also confronted with
spiritual battles from within
the church. Many trends in
the life of the church have
come and gone and many
pastors and parishioners
alike look for gimmicks for
church growth without any
dependence on the Holy
Spirit. One trend in particu-
lar is a program called,
“Church without walls.”
They’re motto says, “We’renot going to church we want
to be the church.” My dear
friends those that are saved
according to the Bible can
say with great confidence
and enthusiasm, “WE ARE
THE CHURCH!”
There’s another program
called “Natural Church De-
velopment.” Maybe we
should be in the Supernatu-
ral church development. I
was always amazed that. If itis natural why does there
have to be a program to pro-
mote it?
We are dealing with and
encouraged to change termi-
nology so we don’t offend
anyone. I like to call some
of the changes in terminolo-
gy “church euphemisms.” It
is doing the same thing with
a different name. Some pas-
tors for example do not want
to be called pastor but en-courage folks to look at
them as a “life coach.” On
the website lifecoach-
ing.com it says;
What Is Life Coaching? " Go
confidently in the direction
of your dreams! Live the life
you've imagined. As you
simplify your life, the laws of
The Church You Can Believe In Today: The Gates of Hell
Shall Not Prevail by Bruce Wilson
The Truth in HDTruth in HD
V o l u m e 3 ,
I s s u e 1 0
O c t o b e r 2 0 1 3
Inside this issue:
Revival In the Word and Spirit 2
Being the Church 4
Avoiding Rejection 6
The Work of Satan
The Realities of Christ
8
9
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When I consider the setting for the book
of Revelation, I’m always impressed with
what God had to say to the Church in the
midst of persecution. Sixty-three years
had passed since Jesus had been crucified.
In about 95-96 A.D., the Roman emperor
Domitian banished John to the lonely Is-
land called Patmos. The book of Revela-
tion tells us, “I John, your brother and
partner in the tribulation and the kingdom
and the patient endurance that are in Jesus
was on the Island called Patmos on ac-
count of the Word of God and the testi-
mony of Jesus”(Rev. 1:9). Lillie
McCutcheon points out that he was sen-tenced to hard labor in the lead quarries
on the island (P.
15, The Symbols
Speak). Sister
McCutcheon
pointed out that
in ages of des-
pair, the message
of Revelation
gave courage and
hope of eternal
victory to mil-
lions suffering
persecution and
death. The truth
in its pages chal-
lenges the church of today to engage in
the final conflict of the ages. Here the
Christian will find a new edge for his
sword of the spirit; faith becomes strong
in the promise of final victory (P. 16, TheSymbols Speak).
We aren’t facing a sentence in a lead
quarry but we face challenges to our faith
today and the book of Revelation speaks
into our lives and calls us to revival. Sis.
Lane, of Lane Bible School, wrote in her
unpublished manuscript on Revelation,
“Satan never signs a peace treaty, He sees
to it that tremendous pressure is exert-
ed upon everyone who takes a stand
for Christ in this World” (P. 60). Every
day he throws at us anything possibleto get you to turn from the Lord or at
least to back off in your commitment
to the Lord.
So what does the Lord say to the
Church in the midst of persecution in
the first century and today that encour-
ages us and reminds us to seek Him?
In Revelation chapter eleven we are
confronted with two witnesses. The
importance of these witnesses goes tothe very life, authority, power and
structure of the Church.
Let’s begin with authority. I was re-
cently told of a change taking place in
a denominational group to help the
district’s financial struggles. It seems
someone has come up with the idea
that their problems will be solved if the
district has access to the bank accounts
of the local congregations and they can
just make automatic withdrawals for
the district. That struck me as a meth-
od I never noticed in the Bible! That
sounds like the exercise of a line of
authority that I don’t find in the Bible
either.
What does the Bible have to tell us
about authority? In Revelation 11:3 we
are told these two witnesses have the
authority to shut the sky that no rain
fall during the days of their prophesy-
ing. When we read the close of Mat-
thew 28:8 we discover Jesus saying,
“All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to me.” Power and au-
thority in the church belong to Jesus
and if anyone else exercises authority,
it is delegated authority from Jesus.
C. W. Naylor stated in the second
verse of “O Church of God,”
“Divinely built, divinely ruled, To
God she doth submit, His will her
law, His truth her guide, Her path
is glory lit”. The hymn directs us
to the Word of God as authority
within the body of Christ. F. G.
Smith points out who the two wit-
nesses are by leading us through
scripture. In John 5:39 for in-
stance, “you search the scriptures
because you think that in them
you have eternal life; and it is
they that bear witness aboutme” (ESV). Then he takes us to 1
John 5:6, “And the Spirit is the
one who testifies, because the
Spirit is the truth.” Smith states,
“The two divine agents, authorita-
tive and final, are evidently the
Word of God and the Spirit of
God” (P. 124, The Revelation
Explained).
D. O. Teasley wrote in 1901,“Back to the Blessed Old Bible,
back at the Master’s call, back to
the Words of our Savior, loving,
obeying them all, never in sects to
be scattered, never again to do
wrong, Unity, Holiness, Heaven,
ever shall be our song, Back to
the blessed old Bible, back to the
light of its Word: be on our ban-
ners forever, Holiness unto the
Lord” (Hymnal of the Church ofGod, 1953 ed.). The authority in
the Church is Jesus and He mani-
fests that authority through the
Word of God and the Spirit of
God. Smith had stated the Word
of God is His revelation and the
Spirit His empowering.
In John’s day the message was
Revival in the Word and Spirit by Henry Scoff
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Divinely
built, divinely
ruled, to God
she doth
submit...
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The Book of Acts is the history of the birth
of The Church. In Acts one we read of
Jesus’ ascension to heaven and of the dis-
ciples returning to Jerusalem and gathering
in the upper room. It is worth noting that
each individual is named in the 2nd half of
verse 13 “ Peter and John and James and
Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew
and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus
and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of
James All these with one accord were
devoting themselves to prayer , together
with the women and Mary the mother of
Jesus, and his brothers” (Emphasis mine).
Did you notice that there were differences?
Educated and uneducated one used to
work for the hated Romans as a tax collec-
tor and there was one who was pledged to
the overthrow of the Romans: a Zealot.Two of the eleven were brothers and want-
ed to be first in the coming Kingdom.
There were women and the brothers of
Jesus. They were as different as the pieces
of a puzzle.
Yet they were of one accord, in agreement,
unified by their belief and in their purpose,
and they prayed. And look at what hap-
pened, the Holy Spirit came and the end
result was the addition of about 3000 to
their number. In Acts 2:41-47 we read “So
those who received his word were bap-tized, and there were added that day about
three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the
apostles' teaching and the fellowship,
to the breaking of bread and the pray-
ers. And awe came upon every soul,
and many wonders and signs were being
done through the apostles. And all who
believed were together and had all things
in common. And they were selling their
possessions and belongings and distrib-
uting the proceeds to all, as any had
need.
And day by day, attending the tem- ple together and breaking bread in their
homes, they received their food with glad
and generous hearts, praising God and
having favor with all the people. And the
Lord added to their number day by day
those who were being saved .”
Did you see what they were? They were
devoted. The Encarta Dictionary on my
computer defined “Devoted” as, “feeling
or showing great Love, commitment, or
loyalty.” With great love they were com-
mitted and loyal to 4 things: the Apostles
teaching, the Fellowship, to the breaking
of bread, and to prayer.
Have you ever been puzzled? Not the
kind of puzzled where you are confused
or perplexed, though that could be part
of it, but where you realized you were
part of something bigger or better but
didn’t know how you fit in? Each of us
are like the pieces of a puzzle, uniquely
different, and yet when we are devoted
to one-another and joined together in
fellowship we become one and show the
total picture of the Church. Vs. 44 tells
us that all who believed were together.
Not just once a week for an hour or so;
but, that day by day they attended the
Temple. Their devotion to God and eachother was obvious to all and they found
favor with all the people.
Unfortunately in today’s church, the
devotion that was found back then simp-
ly is not there. Just as it is sometimes
difficult to put all the pieces of a puzzle
together, the individual members of to-
day’s church have a hard time being one
with each other and must learn to fit into
the whole, to get along, and be the
Church.
We’ve seen it and heard it; divisiveness,
discord, and disunity, a judgmental and
critical attitude that tears down and belit-
tles; “I don’t like the songs we sing”,
“The Pastor’s sermons are to long and
did you see that tie.” “That is not the
way I would have done it” and so it goes
one thing right after another. Is that be-
ing The Church?
Nit- picking and complaining about what
is going on, stating that they would have
done it differently, better or bigger andletting not only those in the church know
but also those outside the church. That
will not build unity or the church and
shows just who they are truly devoted to.
If we want to see revival, it has to start
with His church being ready, and if we
are only united in our apathy and luke-
warm devotion to attending a church
service once a week we won’t make the
cut and are no different than any other
group that gathers once a week, or
so, religious or not.
Either we are united and devoted to
His Church, seeking the Lord and
walking in unity. Or we are still achild of Adam and stand united
with him: condemned. That is not
the unity Christ prayed for when He
prayed for you and I.
In John 17:20-23 Jesus prayed “I
do not ask for these only, but also
for those who will believe in me
through their word, that they may
all be one, just as you, Father, are
in me, and I in you, that they also
may be in us, so that the
world may believe that you havesent me.”
So that the world may believe, that
they would be compelled to come
to Christ and His church. He con-
tinues, The glory that you have giv-
en me I have given to them, that
they may be one even as we are
one, I in them and you in me, that
they may become perfectly one, so
that the world may know that you
sent me and loved them even as you
loved me.”
In being devoted to the fellowshipof believers, the body of Christ, we
participate with and in the Church
so that the world may believe. Only
in Christ will we find unity, peace,
and the grace to overcome. Only in
Christ will we ever be one and only
in the one-ness He prayed for can
we influence those outside the
Church for Christ.
If you are not working towards uni-
ty, you are working against it! And
in working against the unity Christ prayed for, you are working against
Him and His Church!
Are your words building up, en-
couraging words or are they tearing
down and discouraging? Is pride
keeping you from doing the right
thing, being righteous, and working
towards unity? Are you going
through something right now that
God is trying to use to make you
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more Christ like, are you fighting it?
Every critical word uttered and every
act of selfishness committed shows
where our true devotion lies.
The Great Commandment: “Love the
Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all
your strength and with all your mind';
and, 'Love your neighbor as your- self.” What you love is seen in your
focus and priorities, where you invest
heart, soul, mind, and strength as
well as your money and time. (Love
= T I M E) In Ephesians 4 we read, “ I
therefore, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to walk in a manner worthy
of the calling to which you have been
called, with all humility
and gentleness,
with patience, bearing with one an-
other in love, eager to maintain the
unity of the Spirit in
the bond of peace.” Would that not be being de-
voted /showing great love? The NIV
says “Make every effort to keep the
unity of the Spirit”. This passage of
scripture tells us that it takes work,
effort on our part, an eagerness, to
keep unity in His Church.
Pastor David Hall, in his sermon on
unity urged us to refute division. He
said “When you hear that which is not
unifying, but dividing, don’t partici-
pate in it, refute it, don’t just walk
away stand there and refute it!”These are our brothers and sisters in
Christ, your church, the body of
Christ, in which you worship and are
an active member, why would you
not defend that which you love and
are devoted to? If we do not show our
devotion, our love and loyalty, to
those we profess are our brothers and
sisters, what does that say to the
world? Unity of the Spirit is main-
tained in the bond of peace. We are to
have a peace-loving spirit that looks
to find things that we can agree onrather than those over which we disa-
gree. What you look for, you will
find. The Holy Spirit in Romans 12
tells us “ If possible, so far as it de-
pends on you, live peaceably with
all .” As far as it depends on you,
means that you are to do all that you
can to bring peace to whatever situa-
tion you may be involved in, whether
in the family of God, with your family at
home, or in the work place.
In Ephesians 4 we are told to walk worthy
of our calling, to be humble, gentle, pa-
tient, and to bear with one another in love.
When being right becomes more im-
portant than the God appointed relation-
ships of the church we are not living out
the Great Commandment, being Christ-like or being The Church.
In John 13 Jesus Said “ A new command-
ment I give to you, that you love one an-
other: just as I have loved you, you also
are to love one another. By this all people
will know that you are my disciples, if you
have love for one another ”(34-35). Learn-
ing to love unselfishly as Christ did, and
does, is not easy. It runs against the grain
of our self -centered nature. But it can be
done in Christ through grace. When we
are one, bound together by Christ's love,the world will see God's love through us
and in us and it will compel them to the
church. It is easy to say, that we love one-
another, but we must also practice it. 1
Cor 13:4-7 “ Love is patient and kind;
love does not envy or boast; it is not arro-
gant or rude. It does not insist on its own
way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does
not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices
with the truth.Love bears all things, be-
lieves all things, hopes all things, endures
all things.” Verse 8, Love never fails
(ESV). It is love for God and love for one -
another that forms the bond of peace that binds us together as one. Verse 4 There is
one body and one Spirit—just as you were
called to the one hope that belongs to your
call—one Lord, one faith, one bap-
tism, one God and Father of all, who is
over all and through all and in all .” Just
like in a marriage we need to learn to get
along and understand that we are now one,
our differences complement or complete
the whole. We cannot be critical of the
church, each other, leadership or of the
programs, planning, and events of the
church. That does not build unity orshow the love of God or the love we are
to have for each other to a lost andhurting world. Over the years I have par-
ticipated and encouraged programs and
events in the congregations in which I was
involved that would bring us together and
help us to get to know one another and
hopefully build relationships, I have also
encouraged events in the community so
that they would know the church was
there, but programs and
events do not build unity
or His church, they encourage it. An event
whether in the church or outside cannot bring
the commitment needed to build His church. In
Matthew 16:18 Jesus said “ I will build My
Church.” Pastors are not to build it they are
only to feed, tend, and shepherd the flock. In
wanting unity I lost my focus and instead of
seeking unity in the Lord I tried throughevents. You and I cannot build unity or the
church through events. The only way the
church will grow is if there is unity in Christ.
The local church has become lukewarm and
feeble, disjointed, and broken into individual
pieces, no longer active or viable to many of
the communities where they have been placed
(See Revelation 3:16). In fact if the church
should disappear most communities wouldn’t
even notice. The Local church is falling short
in its efforts to reach the lost, some are sin
sick and separated into denominations that
quarrel and bicker over their differences.And the world sees Christians spilt and divided
over what they deem as minor issues.
So what builds the church? Numbers? We can
draw the numbers up with events: concerts,
smoke and lights, entertainment. But that is not
building the church. Is it programs and books
on how to build your church? Many of us have
tried that “Church in a box”, that is what it
was , what it is, one size fits all, does not work,
our congregations are not those of the Mega
churches like Willow Creek, or Saddleback.
And revival services, that’s been done, but ifthere is no devotion, no love, they are just an-
other event…
So what does work? The verses of God’s word
that we have looked at today lay out the blue
print for growing the church. Devotion to the
apostles teaching, and the fellowship, to the
breaking of bread and to prayer, not events, not
programs, just following the instructions and
examples laid out for us in His word. We have
the blue print, the example of that very 1st
church and how it grew. But today’s church is
broken into many individual and very different
pieces that need put together. The church needs
revived. Three words start the recipe for reviv-
al that the church so desperately needs if it is to
grow. “If My People”, in order to be His peo-
ple we must be united in Christ, we must be the
church, the body of Christ. ONE church made
up of individual puzzled pieces that are united
in purpose, united in calling, and united in
Seeking the Lord. Are you going to be that
church?
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Siblings can be so incredibly different.
Brothers or sisters can look and act dif-
ferent, have different interests, and like
different topics of study. If you’re a
brother or sister, consider for a second
the variations within your family.
Two brothers many years ago displayed
very different interests in life, which lead
ultimately to jealousy and murder. One
man’s interest was holy, the other’s was
defiled. Cain and Abel could not have
had characteristics farther from one an-
other. Abel was a shepherd, so he
worked with livestock. Cain was a
farmer and worked the fields, dealing
mainly with fruits and vegetables.
The account of Cain and Abel (Genesis
4) is not really a joyful story. Since it is
not one with a happy ending I don’t pic-
ture it being made into a movie anytime
soon. Regardless, it is recorded in the
Bible, so it is valuable for us to learn
from. Every passage recorded in the
Word is beneficial for us to study. 2 Tim-
othy 3:16 says, “ALL scripture is
breathed out by God, and is profitable for
teaching, for correction, for reproof, and
for training in righteousness.” And for
this reason, we study the whole of scrip-ture, even this account. I hope by the
end, you will learn how to have a heart
like Abel, even when it’s tempting to
have Cain’s attitude.
Like I said, this story is far from upbeat
because it ends with Cain killing his
brother out of jealousy. Consider Cain’s
point of view. Here he is presenting God
a portion of his vegetables that he had
planted and harvested. He gave God a
sacrifice. Along came Abel, his little
brother, who also gives a sacrifice. They both gave up something for Him, but
God accepted only Abel’s offering, re-
jecting Cain’s. From his point of view, I
could see myself getting jealous that God
would pick which brother was His favor-
ite.
Did God favor Abel over Cain? Does
God have favorites? Could it be that God
preferred shepherds over farmers? May-
be you’re thinking that’s an easy answer -
NO!!! God doesn’t show partiality, it
says that in scripture. Okay, then what
was so terrible about Cain’s sacrifice?
Did he not give enough vegetables? Did
he pick the wrong kind of peppers? Or
was it that God wanted something living,
like a calf or sheep? If that is the case,
was Cain out of options, since Abel had
the livestock?
When it comes to God’s rejection, it may
be a little confusing. We surely don’t
want to experience the rejection Cain
faced when we try to offer God some-
thing. We may not be offering God fruits
or vegetables, but what about our tith-
ing? Yeah, it may be collected like eve-
ryone else’s tithing, but what if Godlooks at us and is not pleased or content
with what we tithe? What if he rejects
our attempts to help others? Or even
scarier - what if he rejects our request for
salvation? How does that work? Can he
really reject us?
I know there are a lot of questions, but
just think about it for a minute. Right
now we are going to look at this account
as a way to learn “HOW NOT TO BE
REJECTED BY GOD.” There are two
guidelines I want to give you that will prevent you from being rejected. I don’t
want your sacrifices, like Cain’s, to be
unworthy. Let’s make our sacrifices
worthy of acceptance.
Guideline 1: God NEVER rejects genu-
ine. Acting out of _____________ and
____________ makes you genuine to
God. Let’s fill in those two blanks.
1 Corinthians 13: 1-3 says, “If I speak in
the tongues of men and of angels, but
have not love, I am a noisy gong or a
clanging cymbal.
And if I have
prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and
all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so
as to remove mountains, but have not
love, I am nothing. If I give away all I
have, and if I deliver up my body to be
burned, but have not love, I gain noth-
ing.”
LOVE is genuine. Give to God out of
LOVE, and it will be pleasing to Him.
Hebrews 11:3-4: By faith we understand
that the universe was created by the
word of God, so that what is seen
was not made out of things that are
visible.By faith
Abel offered toGod a more acceptable sacrifice
than Cain, through which he was
commended as righteous, God
commending him by accepting his
gifts. And through his faith, though
he died, he still speaks.
FAITH is genuine. Give to God
out of FAITH, and it will be pleas-
ing to Him.
Therefore, acting out of LOVE and
FAITH makes you genuine to God.
Abel gave out of faith. Cain, on the
other hand, gave only what waswithin his “comfort zone” to give.
He didn’t give enough that would
cause him to rely only of God to
provide for him. “Comfort zones”
are where you find lukewarm
Christians. I asked the youth what
lukewarm meant, and they said,
“When you take a shower, luke-
warm water is when the tempera-
ture isn’t too hot and isn’t too
cold.” Lukewarm showers are the
types of showers we like to take
because they are COMFORTA-BLE.
While lukewarm showers are ac-
ceptable, lukewarm Christians are
not. Revelation 3:14-17 says, “And
to the angel of the church in Laodi-
cea write: ‘The words of
the Amen, the faithful and true wit-
ness, the beginning of God's crea-
tion. I know your works: you are
neither cold nor hot. Would that
you were either cold or hot! So,
because you are lukewarm, andneither hot nor cold, I will spit you
out of my mouth. For you say, I am
rich, I have prospered, and I need
nothing, not realizing that you are
wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and
naked.” Cain is an example of luke-
warm faith. God wants us all in or
all out. He does not want someone
stuck between two sides (hot v
cold), sitting on the fence.
Avoiding Rejection by Josie Davis
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There are other aspect of GENUINE
that could be mentioned here as well.
Genuine means your ON FIRE for
God. Willingness, honesty, and other
traits help define a genuine giver.
Keep in mind that if your offering to
God is genuine (out of love and
faith), he will honor it.
Guideline 2: God NEVER rejects our
best. Right now I want to look closely
at the two sacrifices given by Cain
and Abel. In the course of time Cain
brought to the LORD an offering
of the fruit of the ground, and Abel
also brought of the firstborn of his
flock and of their fat portions. And
the LORD had regard for Abel and his
offering (Genesis 4:3-4).
Throughout all of history, God has
always ask that we give our first ofeverything to him. Did you know that
the concept of tithing is that we give
God the first 10th of the money we
earn? Tithing is an act of worship,
like Abel’s offering. Abel gave the
FIRST of his flock. He gave lovingly
and faithfully the firstborn, which
was a huge sacrifice to his livelihood.
He could have rationalized, as many
people love to do, and decided to
allow his firstborn to mature and re-
produce at least 3 or 4 more
firstborns. Thus he would increase hisflock and give to God the same if not
more from his flock. The problem
here is HUMAN RATIONALIZA-
TION and lack of faith. He decided
faith needed to be in action. He sacri-
ficed enough to have to rely on God
for supplies.
He brought his BEST from the flock
to God. He knows our best, and asks
us to be our best for Him. We are not
called to be other people’s best (by
comparing their abilities with ours),
but we need to live up to our best for
God. “You shall set apart to the Lord
all the first opens the womb. All the
firstborn of your animals that are
male shall be the Lord’s” (Exodus
13:12). “ Honor the Lord with your
wealth and with the firstfruits of all
your produce” ( Proverbs 3:9)
My wealth may not be as great as
your wealth, and your wealth may be
nothing like Bill Gates’ wealth, but that’s
not the point. Give of the firstfruits of all
your produce. Being at YOUR best is
pleasing God. That also means to give
God the first of your time, talents, praise,
and worship. Make it FIRST and out of
FAITH and LOVE- God will honor your
sacrifice.
We haven’t really addressed one ques-
tion: Did God still favor Abel over Cain?
In other words, was there room for 2 ac-
ceptable sacrifices? Could God have ac-
cepted both Cain and Abel’s, or was he
looking at whose was better?
A lot of children are convinced that their
parents play favorites. At my house
growing up, it got so bad that my mother
bought all of us shirts that said, “Mom’s
Favorite.” We used to fight when one
child received our parent’s attention. Inever knew who I was more frustrated
with, my parents or my sibling getting
their attention. Looking back now, I see
that complete jealousy in me was the real
issue. Cain was the same way. Jealousy
drove him deep into hatred, which lead to
murder.
There was enough room in God’s heart to
love and accept both brothers. Of course
there was something wrong with Cain’s
gift, he was the problem. We already
went over how Abel gave what cost himdearly, but in contrast, Cain did not.
Comparing the two offerings, we can see
that God was dealing with formalistic
worship and true worship.
Cain’s style of sacrifice is compared to
today’s religious practice that says “I
have to.. I have to.. I have to!!” But
Abel’s true form of sacrifice is different.
God wants to hear our heart’s cry the
same way, “I want to… I want to.. I want
to!!” The focus is not on what the men
brought to God, rather it is on the men
and their heart conditions. God’s favor
was pointed directly at the person first,
then- and only then - towards the offering
that person brought. This truth applies to
our worship today. If the heart attitude
and condition is not found acceptable, the
gift brought to God will likewise be unac-
ceptable.
Cain’s heart, not the sacrifice, was the
true issue. You can see his heart condi-
tion revealed when his face was “cast down”
and he burned with jealousy. Cain showed the
truly sad state of his heart when he murdered
his brother. God searches our heart EACH time
we come to worship Him. He desires a heart
that is authentic in praise and on fire for him.
Lukewarm praise is rejected, but firstfruits are
accepted. God will never reject you and block
you from salvation, as long as you are genuine-
ly giving him your all. Authentic worship
makes a person an authentic Christian.
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The Realities of Christ by Nick Wilson
Revelation1:9-20
I had an English teacher in high school that used to tell us, “It is not reality, but one’s perception of reality that defines our actions
and behavior.” In many circumstances that statement is true, and we see it illustrated all around us. When I was growing up my
family never locked the doors of our home. There was little need to do so. We lived in a small town and crime was generally not
something that was a great concern for us. We felt safe and trusted that God would protect us in our home. I had a friend who lived
a few miles away whose family held the opposite perception of the town we lived in. Not only did they lock their doors when they
left the house, they kept their doors and windows locked when they were home. They faced the same reality as my family, but per-
ceived it in a different way. It is not my purpose to comment on the correctness of either perception, but to point out that our per-
ception affects the way that we live.
Perception affected the church of John’s day just like it does in our era. From the perspective of the early church there was little
hope. The last apostle was in exile on Patmos, and the empire of Rome worked to stamp out their existence. As John considered the
state of the church and wondered how God would work in such a hostile world his perception met reality. Jesus Christ revealed a
vision that reminded John who established and sustains the church. He saw a vision of the glory of the one who built God’s church
in this world; a vision that reminded him of the work that Jesus continued to do among God’s people. John wrote this vision to the
church so that they could forge ahead into a hostile world with confidence that the reality of their situation was more hopeful than
the common perception. Whether it was a church that considered their circumstances dire, or the Romans who believed that they
could overcome God’s work, the reality was that Jesus Christ still carried out the work of God.
Jesus Walks Within the Church
“Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the mist of the
lampstands one like a son of man…” (Rev. 1:12, 13). No matter what the church faces, Jesus walks among His people. From the
beginning of time God has desired fellowship with those who place their faith in Him. In the Old Testament we read about the con-
struction of the tabernacle in the wilderness, and later, the temple in Jerusalem. God commanded the building of these structures so
that He could live among His people. When John saw this vision of Jesus He was walking among His people – the place where we
commonly expect to find God.
Jesus does not simply walk among the church, but He does so in purity. William Barclay explains that the vision of His head and
hair reveals the eternal purity of Christ to us. “The snow and the white wool are emblems of stainless purity.” The Son of God
walks within His church to establish the purity that defines Him among the people who represent Him. His purpose is to set them
apart and purify them. “So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood” (Heb. 13:12).
To sanctify the people, Jesus set them apart for one purpose. He overcomes the double-mindedness of those who seek to serve Him
and the world simultaneously and turns our attention solely to God. He works to set the people apart so that the works of the world
no longer distract from God’s work and witness through their lives. As God’s people interact with family and friends, go to work
and school, and live with a testimony of their priorities, God is seen through the things they do. God does not want a church that
serves Him as they work toward other things, but people who will put Him above all else. He looks for people who will act as ifthey represent Him in all aspects of their lives – because they do. That is why James wrote, “Draw near to God, and he will draw
near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8).
In this vision of Christ, John saw One who is pure as well as one who is able to discern the purity of others. His eyes of fire pierce
the depths of the soul and reveal the purity of our motives. As the church carries on the business of God’s kingdom it is necessary
for us to assess our motives. People can speculate as to the motives of others, but no other person really knows. Nobody can really
be positive why any of us do what we do, but Jesus Christ who walks among us always knows. He is aware of the reasons for our
service to God. That alone should be enough to help us to be honest with ourselves about purity of motive.
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He does not simply stand within His church to judge His people, but walks among the lampstands of the temple and makes inter-
cession for God’s people. “[His garment] is a description of the high priest…Jesus is our High priest, even in heaven.” As we
strive to live within God’s will Jesus stands before God on our behalf. “The former priests were many in number, because they
were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Conse-
quently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for
them” (Heb. 7:23-25). No matter where God’s people find themselves, or what He calls them to do Jesus Christ stands as our eter-
nal high priest. “He was girt about with a golden girdle, the breastplate of the high priest, on which the names of his people areengraven; he was ready girt to do all the work of a Redeemer.”
Jesus Holds the Messengers to His Church
The motives that seem to be called into question most often are the ones whom Jesus holds in His right hand. He tells us that the
seven stars He holds are the angels of the seven churches. The term angel means messenger . Many scholars agree that this refers
to the pastors of these congregations. Their ministry and fate lie in His hand of power (the right hand).
Many Christians today have taken the fate of pastors into their own hands. They make judgments as to the motives and purposes
of pastors. As we consider the work of pastors it is important to be familiar with at least a few of the Scriptures that address the
response of people to God’s messengers.
During the time of Isaiah we read, “For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the
instruction of the Lord; who say to the seers, ‘Do not see,’ and to the prophets, ‘Do not prophesy to us what is right;
speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusion, leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy
One of Israel” (Isa. 30:9-11).
We read in Jeremiah, “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of Anathoth, who seek your life, and say,
‘Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, or you will die by our hand’ – therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘ Be-
hold, I will punish them…’” (Jer. 11:21, 22).
Amos wrote, “Now therefore hear the word of the Lord. ‘You say, “Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach
against the house of Isaac.” Therefore thus says the Lord: “…you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall sure-
ly go into exile away from its land”’” (Amos 7:16, 17b).
There is an authority given to those whom God has sent to His people as messengers. They are under a great burden to speak on ly
God’s word and no others, but they possess this authority nonetheless. God could have sent heavenly beings to each congregation
in this world. He could have thundered His direction from the highest mountain, or from the very throne room of heaven, but He
did not. He chose to use those whom He has called to preach His word. Jesus Christ holds them in His right hand so that this word
might be proclaimed clearly to the people of God. The Apostle Paul recognized this call when he wrote Romans: “How then will
they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how
are they to hear without someone preaching” (Rom. 10:14)?
It is imperative that the church of this day make every effort to understand the importance God places on this. “For since, in the
wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those
who believe” (1 Cor. 21). When the rich man in Hell asked for one to be sent to his brothers the response from Abraham was,
“They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them” (Luke 16:29). There are those who have been called by God to deliver
His word, and Jesus Christ holds them in His hand. This is not to say that pastors are infallible, but far too many have lost sight of
the fact that Jesus Christ has called them, and will protect them when necessary. There are times when it must be recognized that
God will speak to them, and we must take heed.
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Jesus Provides Every-
thing Needed to Sustain the Church
God has given us more than messengers of His word to sustain the church. It is no coincidence that each of the characteristics of Jesus in
John’s vision are listed in the letters written to the churches in chapters two and three of Revelation. They see the Son of God as the One
who provides for every need that they face, and today we live with the reality that He provides for all that we need.
Jesus Christ stands among the people with feet “as burnished bronze.” When John saw these feet of bronze the vision of Ezekiel would
have come to the forefront of his memory. Ezekiel saw four creatures bearing the throne of God among His people in exile. Ezekiel 1:7
tells us, “Their legs were strait, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf’s foot. And they sparkled like burnished bronze.”
These beings that Ezekiel saw revealed the throne of God. They surrounded Him, and His light came from their midst. Jesus walks within
the church as the one who brought the throne of God into the midst of man. He came into the darkness of the world to walk among man
and restore his fellowship with the Holy Creator. No matter how much resistance we face from the world, God’s throne is still among
those who will submit to Him. Through persecution and trial, tribulation and difficulty God’s presence is with us. This is a promise that
the church carries into a hostile world.
God’s throne is the place from which His word proceeds. Jesus bears the throne of God in the New Testament temple, and from this place
proceeds the sword of His mouth. The word of God comes into the world through the church. When our perception tells us that we face
overwhelming obstacles, God gives us a word that will overcome all enemies. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any
two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the
heart” (Heb. 4:12).
This sword of God’s word brings conviction that will cause the sinful world to stand exposed before God. It will work in each heart, and
place each soul before the measuring rod of our Lord: “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isa. 55:11).
God’s word always carries power with it. That’s why John heard the voice of Jesus that was “like the roar of many waters.” Matthew Hen-
ry commented, “His voice was as the sound of many waters, of many rivers falling in together. He can and will make himself heard tothose who are afar off as to those who are near. His gospel is a profluent and might stream, fed by the upper springs of infinite wisdom
and knowledge.”
Just like a rushing river the word of God cannot be held back. Man may put a dam in front of it to slow its progress, but the power of God
builds behind it until it cannot be contained. It will always burst forth into the world with the full power of heaven. It can be suppressed,
but never contained, slowed but never stopped. Jesus spoke to the church in such a way as the world could not overcome the wisdom and
power delivered by the Son of God. If our words, once spoken, cannot be taken back, how much harder would it be to stop what has been
spoken by God about the church? Can anyone stop His promises, or hope to inhibit His power? No power on earth, or from hell, can keep
God from carrying on His work through the willing, submissive soul. Our perception may tell us that things are hopeless, but the reality
we live is that we serve a God whose very word cannot be overcome. It will work when it becomes a reality in the lives of His people.
There are thousands of directions the church can look today for something that will sustain God’s work. We can consider each circum-stance we face and the felt need of each person, but how can we possibly act on so many different perceptions of reality? The reality the
church faces today is the same as the one John faced. Jesus Christ walks among us; holding the fate of those He has called; testing our
motives and purifying us; interceding on behalf of God’s people; redeeming lost souls; speaking the word of God and overcoming ene-
mies. We base our view of reality on a lot of different things, but shouldn’t it be on only one? Shouldn’t the church live in light of the
reality of Jesus Christ?
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Be sure to check out
The Culture of God’s
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ered! That is a promise from Jesus.
No doubt we will be attacked, but thevictory has already been won. WE are
able to stand with the power of God in
us through the Holy Spirit.
God gave us the battle plan in Scrip-
ture and the intelligence on the enemy
the devil. The Bible says, “Be sober -
minded; be watchful. Your adversary
the devil prowls around like a roaring
lion, seeking someone to devour. Re-
sist him, firm in your faith, knowing
that the same kinds of suffering are
being experienced by your brother-
hood throughout the world.” 1Pe 5:8-
9 ESV
We are also commanded to put on the
full armor of God. Eph. 6:11-18. And
Jesus said He would not leave us as
orphans and that He would never
leave us of forsake us. The Bible says,
“Teaching them to observe all that I
have commanded you. And behold, I
am with you always, to the end of the
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B r i n g i n g T r u t h i n t o F o c u s
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We encourage you to forward this by email,and give copies to your friends.
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Writers may be contacted by email at
the following addresses:
Nick Wilson:
Josh Wilson:
Henry Scoff:
Bruce Wilson:
Josie Davis:
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Nick Wilson
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(814) 490-9429
age” (Mat 28:20 ESV) and also, “And I
will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you
forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom
the world cannot receive, because it
neither sees him nor knows him. You
know him, for he dwells with you and
will be in you. " I will not leave you as
orphans; I will come to you” (John
14:16 -18 ESV).
Finally, Jesus said, “I WILL BUILD
MY CHURCH!” The church, the called
out ones, the congregation of the saints
both here on earth and in heaven. His
Church, His body, is alive and well
despite what some would think. What
the Lord builds cannot be torn down!
In Psalms 136 the phrase, “His love
endures forever” is repeated 26 times. 1
Peter 1:25 says, “The word of the Lord
stands forever.” 1 John 2:17 says,
“Whoever does the will of God lives
forever.” John 12:34 says, “Christ will
remain forever.” Luke 1:33 says,
“Jesus’ kingdom will never end."
We are a blessed people, God’s
Church, and the victory is ours! We
will receive the victor’s crown
when we go on to glory. Praise His
holy name!