TODAY'S GUERRILLA WARFARE

On March 14, 1954 a force of 40,000 Vietnamese guerrillas began the attack on about 15,000 French troops at Dien Bien Phu.   The French assumed their superior armaments and artillery would demoralize and eventually destroy the attacking force.  However, they underestimated the effectiveness of guerrilla warfare.  On May 7, 1954 Ho Chi Minh’s troops over ran the French positions bringing about Vietnam’s independence from France, and ending a war which had turned the tide of public opinion in France against the war.

The American Army of the West was forced to contend with the unconventional warfare utilized by the Native American Indians whose attack and retreat methods coupled with their ability to launch deadly assaults from hiding created such unease that time and again the forward progress of the nation was stalled, and Eastern newspapers reflected a growing frustration with the military’s failure to affect a speedy victory over the disparate tribes.

Fidel Castro made guerrilla warfare so popular in the Western hemisphere, as he operated from remote mountains to eventually overthrow and depose Fulgencio Batista of Cuba in 1959, that revolutionaries sprang up in nearly every Central American Country.   The “Big Stick” diplomacy of Theodore Roosevelt evolved to a “Walk Softly” approach as the Communist advanced inexorably forward under the leadership of Castro disciples like Che Guevara who became the spiritual leader of revolution in the Banana Republics, due in no small part to the fear of entanglement in more prolonged, costly, and painful guerrilla warfare.

Then the ominous and effective tactics of Ho Chi Minh, when once again pitted against overwhelming military power, led to the disenchantment of yet another nation as America lost her will to defend an embattled people.  The public clamoring for an end of American participation in the bloody conflict, led to an ignominious retreat from Saigon and the consignment of millions of Vietnamese to the brutal atrocities perpetrated by their new communist masters.

Ho Chi Minh, an autocratic dictator who ruled by force of arms,  was not constrained by the need for popular support.  Casualties, wrought in pursuit of the ultimate goal of victory, were little more than logistical inconveniences.  Hoards of sapper squads penetrating defenses in suicidal attacks did little to affect military victory, but the emotional effect they left on the fragile psyche of a soft American populace cannot be overstated.

Today, America again stands against multiple foes who are little influenced by public opinion or the need for popular approval.  While these enemies give little thought to affecting a military victory, they are purposeful and vicious in their attacks upon the soft underbelly of the collective American psyche.    Lacking the firm resolve with which to confront these enemies we might well return to the wavering and mushy “jello diplomacy” of the late 1970's & the Obama years.

Middle Eastern Terrorism, Chinese Expansionism, and Russian Militaristic Intrigue have been relegated to back burner priority as the Covid-19 pandemic has decimated the nation’s once explosively dynamic economy.  And the battle raging across the fruited plain has devolved into a blame game, as leftists on the West Coast, Big Cities, and Upper East Coast, with a complicit national media, seem more intent on attempting to discredit a President, than in returning the country to her former prosperous, powerful, and influential position.

Never doubt that the guerrilla tactics of the main players have lessened, however.  China’s actions in the aftermath of the spread of the Huwan originated virus have exposed that countries leadership as ruthless and ambitious for world dominion, while Russia appears to be playing their typical waiting game as they foment confusion and probe for weaknesses which will allow them to gobble up yet another indefensible country.    The Middle East Terrorists, meanwhile, are experiencing fewer disposable monies directed toward terrorism because of the oil glut and decline in demand for oil.

Perhaps the most odious participants in the current drama are the Pelosi/Schumer liberals who are continually attempting to hijack every initiative by attaching onerous plan after onerous plan intended to build some measure of political capital, rather than affirm integrity and statesmanship.  They obfuscate to the degree that their tactics seem drawn from the Guerrilla Tactic Handbook.

What lies ahead should we not stand firm and establish policies which will deliver us from dependence upon these self-serving governments whose sole desire is to subjugate and/or destroy America, is a repetition of both real and contrived crises until the American people either capitulate, or rise up and strike out decisively against our foes.

I believe the greatest threat to world peace would be our unwillingness to seize this moment in history to re-establish our complete independence and become once again self-reliant.  I pray our politicians and the American Public grasp this moment.

The Wake of Johnny Davis

It wuz the Sprang afore my eighth birthday that Jack come to live with us.  During them days thar war’ many Jacks traveling the southern route of Highway 80 through Meridian.  It was the time of the Great Depression and nobody seemed to thank much of a stranger showin up at our place thar’ along the Sowashee Creek.

 Now Pap didn't thank anythang jest happened.  He'as big believer that the Almighty was working thangs out to benefit them whut belonged to Him.  So, since him and Uncle Will wuz a'figuring on clearing that thar new ground south of the creek and since Jack war willing to work fer feed and found, it peered to him that this was the Almighty's way of saying to git to it.

 I‘as always jest a little scart’ of Jack. I thank maybe it was cause of that thar scar that started at the corner of his left eye, curved back in front of his ear and ended right on his adam's apple.  He said once that he'd got it from a gator down in Lou’siana.  Pap said the gator was mor'n likely a Cajun frog sticker.

 But, in spite of my fear, I’as drawn to him like a tack to a lodestone.  He had a queer way of looking at ya, almost like he’as pulling your leg.  And that twinkle in his eyes, devilment Pap called it, seemed to say, "Sump’um's ‘bout to happen."  Well I just couldn't get enough of him, er his stories either fer that matter.

 He told stories about every kind of thang imaginable, but most of them wuz about practical jokes.  Like the time he found a bunch of boys and girls skinny dipping in the creek over near Montgomery.  He took all their clothes and left town.  You found yourself wondering if such thangs really could happen.  Yet, there always seemed to be ‘nough truth in’em to whur they just might have.  But nuthun he ever told topped what actually happened one August Night.

 Johnny Davis had been coon hunting down on the Valley Road and he died when he fell out of a tree and plumb broke his neck.  Well, Pap took all us over to the Davis house whur the body was laid out in the parlor.  In them days people'ld come to the home whur the body was laid out and set up with the body all night, ever’ night until the funeral.

 As the evening wore on, the sweltering August heat influenced nearly ever manjack  to work his way out to the front porch and into the front yard with the hope of catching a good breeze. Jack said that he'd stay in the house with the body while er’body cooled off.
 
The 'squiters started to find the range as the even'n wore on and people started to head back inside.  Somebody asked whur Jack had got off to, but nobody thought much about it until one of the wimmin went back into the kitchen to fix some coffee.  Comst a few minutes a bunch of high pitched, hysterical screams seemed to rattle back and forth off the walls and throughout the rooms.  Er’body was tripping over er’body else as we all tried to crowd through the door to get to the kitchen. By the time we finally reached her, the screams had trailed off to a kind of pathetic wail.
 
She’as whiter‘n airey ghost and she jest kept a’wailing and a’pointing.  Soon’s we all turned towards the source o’ her distress, I felt my blood run cold, for thar’, propped up in the corner behind the door, with a fresh rolled cigarette stuck in his mouth, and his arms crossed just like the funeral home director had left him, was ol' Johnny Davis.
 
I don’t think I’m the only one who was scart’ nearly to death, cause someone ran back to the parlor to see if the casket was really empty.   To this day, I’ve not heard such screaming and carrying on. 
 
By the time Pap and the others finally got poor ol' Johnny back in his casket agin and everybody settled down, it was pretty late for us young'uns.  Pap said they hunted for Jack most of the night but didn't see hide nor hair of him.  He said it was just as well cause lynching fever’d already hit some of the men and they had plenty of ropes.
 
It seemed to me like most of Meridian was at the funeral.  Pap said that folks are just naturally curious about such strange happenings.  Uncle Will said that ol'  Johnny'd  probably thank Jack for causing such a turn out for his burying, if he could.  E'rybody kinda laughed and it seemed like the anger just disappeared.

After a spell people stopped talking about Johnny's wake.  E'rybody seemed to forget Jack ‘cept me and Pap.  But now and again something would happen to cause folks to think about ‘ol Johnny standing there in that corner with a cigarette in his mouth, and er’body'd laugh.

We didn't hear from Jack for a long time, but I knew we'd see him again.   An I for shore knowed I'd ner’ fergit the wake of Johnny Davis.

"The Wake of Johnny Davis" Copyright by Mike Rasberry, 1996. All rights reserved. 

I’ve Discovered I’m Lazy

I have come to the realization that I’ve grown very lazy in my dotage.  I really don’t want to do anything except sit around and drink coffee and tea.  Now, this might not be a new reality, but it certainly is a new recognition of that reality.

I watch my wife, Diane, up and out like a bee buzzing about doing this and that as if she simply cannot stop.  She has more energy in her right arm than I have in my entire body.  I get tired just watching her.   Oh, I still do stuff, but I just don’t want to any more.  I take great pleasure in the cows, horses, and dogs; but I no longer want to expend the effort to care for them.  I have a great sense of accomplishment when I complete a task, but I’m always wondering, “why bother?”   

I find great pleasure in writing, reading, and studying but my brain is saying that all that seems like a lot of work, and I’d rather be on a creek bank with a fishing pole, if I didn’t have to do what is necessary to make even that happen.  Yes, I’ve become very lazy.

Horseback riding is so relaxing and it allows me an opportunity to think without having much interruption; but catching the horse up, then saddling him sound like work.  And, now that the horses have all grown higher than my leg will reach, just mounting sounds like work.  Yes, there’s little doubt, I’ve become lazy.

I really think I could sit around in my sleeping clothes all day and just do nothing.  My clothes need be put away, but bending over to pull that drawer out is seemingly needless exertion.  The clothes are fine piled where they are, and at least I’ll know where they are the next time I decide to get dressed.  The odds are rising that I’m definitely lazy.

I am a little hungry.  Is there anyone who will bring my meal to me, perhaps a damp cloth so I can wipe my hands.  

I’m not certain there’s a cure for this ailment.  I’m not certain I want one. 

Making Wise Decisions

I hope that you fully understand the import of James 1:5,6, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.”

Sometimes, I forget the simple message that God will give me wisdom to make decisions, if I ask in genuine faith.   We, who are the Children of God, by faith in Jesus Christ; should not allow ourselves to become paralyzed through the inaction self-doubt brings. 

Such paralysis robs us of our initiative, our energy, and our creativity.   Prolonged periods of it might even adversely affect our physiology, making us ill.

We are told in Scripture that there is safety in a multitude of counselors, but sometimes we must act according to our own understanding of the situation.   At such times, it is comforting to repeat the passage above and ask God for guidance and wisdom in making the decisions facing us.

Someone remarked to me that it is well and good to do that if one is walking with God in the power of His Holy Spirit.  Well, let me tell you that I’m thankful that I don’t have to be perfect to ask God for wisdom.   What I must do is believe that He hears me, and that His Word is true.  Then, I must act on what I say I believe, knowing that He that is within me is greater than he that is in the world.   I’ve asked Him, by faith, believing, and He’s promised to guide me in such situations, so I act on the desire He places within my heart.  

I’m telling you that it is an energizing joy to ask, believe, and act on that which He leads me in.   The world, and carnal believers have problems with those of us who don’t spend our time halting between two opinions while awaiting a “sign.”   If you’ve honestly asked for wisdom in a matter, and you’ve done it believing that He hears and rewards those who faithfully seek Him; then trust Him to put into your heart and mind what he wants you to know.  

Just a brief warning.  He will never lead you to do anything which violates Scripture.   But He has given you a mind to understand and a heart to receive His instruction.   Trust Him and act on the desires He places within your heart and mind.  It will bring you great peace, and it will make you more productive in His service.

“Too Old, Too Broke, Too ...”

I’ve been told that I’m too old to start a new church.  I will be seventy-two in June.  I’ve also been told that I don’t have the financial wherewithal to start a new church.  BOTH STATEMENTS ARE TRUE in the natural world. 

I believe God has stirred my heart to take His Church into the market place during these latter days, so that the disinterested, those who fallen out of church, and those who have an animus toward His Church will be confronted with the opportunity to turn to Him by faith.  I believe God wants me to lead a Church which is “Unchained” to tradition, personal family relationships, social norms, or economic downturns.

I realize my limitations, but I also know that God is NOT limited.  For that reason, the name of the new church will be “FaithWay Baptist Church.”   Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Faith is substance, and it is the evidence of God’s Divine provision.

No one comes to the Father, except through the Son, and only then when drawn by the Holy Spirit; and that coming is based upon faith.  So, the way of Faith is the only way to God, and the way of Faith is the only way to achieve God’s call upon one’s life.

Therefore, FaithWay is descriptive of not only how we come to Christ, but of how we live out the life He calls us to.

Baptist denotes the primary doctrinal position of the church.  There are several non-negotiable positions the church will hold.   They will be spelled out for each individual who becomes a part as he/she goes through a New Member class and agrees to them before becoming a member of the Fellowship.

Church separates the Fellowship from other organizations.   We do not organize to rid the world of evil, sickness, pain, or poverty.  We organize to reflect the life of Jesus in our everyday interactions with people as we devote ourselves to His purpose of seeking and saving those who are lost.

FaithWay Baptist Church will soon begin holding Bible Studies centered around our Membership Covenant.  Those classes will teach everything one needs to know to become a full member.   Classes will probably be held in the homes of interested individuals. 

Ministry Opportunities Available:

A Leadership Team to formulate and carry out ministry objectives, while overseeing the responsibilities listed below.   Team Leaders and responsibilities will evolve and should not be considered rigid.   All team leaders will undergo an intensive training program concerning the Membership Covenant, and be able to lead cell and training groups in the future.  All team leaders must have an outside source of income because the Fellowship will not be able to sustain paid staff for a couple of years, because much of what is received will be re-invested in the facilities, missions, and outreach.

• An individual who can develop and lead a vigorous and exciting musical worship program, that features a blending both contemporary and traditional music.

• An Administrative Assistant to the Senior Pastor to handle extensive writing and publishing of training and outreach materials. 

• An individual to help develop a budget and maintain financial records, and present monthly financial statements.

• An individual whose primary responsibility is maintaining the property and grounds.  This would include recruiting people to assist.

• An individual whose focus is on training and education.  Cell group leaders will answer to this individual.

• An Associate Pastor, who will be trained and serve in all capacities, and function in the Pastor’s stead when occasions require it.

• An Individual whose primary focus is missions and outreach.

• Others as the need arrives.


Now A Personal Word.    I’ve been told that I need to find at least ten people who will give one thousand dollars, and who will be ready to do it again if I get into a bind.   Well, I’m always in a bind, and I don’t know many people who can just send me a thousand dollars at the drop of a hat.  I do know a few thousand people.  I’m asking them to prayerfully make a commitment to send a monthly donation for two years for our personal support.  Any amount will be appreciated and honored as a gift to God’s work.  Both Diane and I receive small Social Security Checks, but no where near enough to sustain us in this endeavor. 

Until the church is organized donations can be made to Faith-Walk Ministries International.  I do have a Pay Pal account, & I’m told funds can be deposited in it. 

Don’t Lean on Swinging Gates

People regularly visit my pasture and whether they be riders, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, or just people looking and talking, they all tend to prop, or climb on the gates.   I understand this because my gates are ideally suited to place a foot on the bottom rail and lean with one, or both, arms on the top rail.  Children seem to find the rails ideal for climbing.  However, what they don’t seem to realize, or remember, is that these gates are somewhat flimsy and only supported on one end.   Repeated leaning and climbing on such gates requires continual repair and/or replacement.


These gates seem much more substantial than the gates of my childhood and youth which usually were of two types.  The first was constructed of four strands of barbed wire, attached to a pole at both ends with another pole in the middle to keep the wires from becoming tangled.  One of the poles was attached permanently to a gate post while the pole on the other end was placed in a loop of wire attached to the bottom of the opposite gate post and the top of the pole had a wire loop which was slipped over it to secure the gate in position.  These gates were not conducive to leaning, or climbing, on because of the prickly nature of barbed wire.

A second type of gate prominent in those days was actually a series of poles inserted horizontally in notches on both gate posts which were slid out, one at a time, in order to open the gate.  This gate seemed more sturdy than it actually was and numerous poles were broken as people climbed, or leaned, on them.   I remember an occasion when I was riding the top rail like a horse when it broke and deposited me on the second rail which in turn also broke.  They definitely were not intended for play.

Even though my modern gate seems more substantial that those earlier gates, it is not intended to support one’s weight.   I’m afraid that many people today are leaning on things which appear substantial, but of themselves are no more stable than my swinging gates.  Education, money, position, pleasure, and health are all worthy pursuits, but they alone, or combined, cannot support
you unless their pursuit is guided by your total commitment to Christ and His purpose for your life.  The old hymn, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” reminds us that our primary source of support and help is found when we are leaning on Jesus, safe and secure from all alarms. 

Don’t be surprised when the swinging gate you are leaning on comes crashing to the ground.  Put your trust in Jesus, He cannot fail, He must prevail.

SEEING HIM WHO IS INVISIBLE

Just a few weeks ago I preached a sermon entitled “Seeing Him Who Is Invisible.”   I want you to know that it is a subject which is very real to me.

I am no different that everyone else.  I become frustrated with society’s foibles.  I become angry at duplicitous politicians.  I become anxious about the future.  I become discouraged when I am rejected, or ignored.   And I become concerned about the direction of my children and grandchildren.

However, the most debilitating thing I experience is hurt when my actions and words are wrongly attributed to nefarious, or selfish motives. 

Such hurt has the potential to completely derail me from the path God has laid out for me.  The realization of that potential is sufficient in my life to stir me to once again get alone with “Him Who Is Invisible,” and seek a fresh sense of His presence in my life.  Now don’t misunderstand, I fully know, by faith, that He is always near.  But the sense of His personal care and provision for me lifts me from the doldrums, and it is as if I’ve had a conversation with Him. 

I simply do not understand those whose theology will not allow for two way communication between Holy God and man.   There seems to me those around us who believe that God only speaks through His Word.  They discount completely the personal leadership of God in our lives, lest they be associated with those who claim to have received “Revelation” from God.   I believe that all truth can be misused by false teachers, and such is the case with those who believe God has shown them something “different,” or “new.”  

Therefore, I am not afraid to say that God shows me something, or has told me something.   I might not have received it verbally, but I know His leadership, and it is as nearly verbal as one can have without it actually being so. 

James admonishes Believers to not make plans without finding the will of God in the matter, or at least putting the matter in God’s hands.   “If God wills, I will go,” is a clear indication that I should seek His face in all matters.

Because I’ve learned to seek “Him who is invisible,” I can find rest, peace, and hope in spite of whatever is thrown in my path.  I wish this for each reader of this article, that you develop a close intimate relationship with God by faith in Jesus Christ, and that He becomes more real to you than any human being.

Remember, He will not give you “new truth,” nor will He contradict Scripture.  However, He will be a friend who sticks closer than a brother.  He will be a constant and abiding companion who guides you, as you seek to serve Him.

Taking Pleasure in Simple Things

This morning was my turn to stay awhile with Mom.  I took advantage of the time to “plunder around” in her living room.  It is filled with “stuff” from a couple of families, and one must be careful lest he gets lost.  However, I had my iphone with the GPS and felt fairly certain I could find my way back to the kitchen eventually.


During the course of my plundering, I saw a simple coffee cup with a crack and a chip and the words Johnny “Chip” Rasberry written in something like fingernail polish. 

Seeing that cup brought back a rush of memories of my Dad.  He was a very simple man who enjoyed life almost as much as he enjoyed people.  The simplest thing could be a source of repeated pleasure for him.

Listening to, or watching a Cardinals Baseball game; drinking coffee with friends and relatives; riding his dog in the back of his truck; and of course talking about his children.  I so want to learn to just enjoy life and people.  Even today, people who knew my Dad speak of his love of life, his friendly personality, his sparkling eyes, and his ready smile.

For many of my generation, those growing up now, life is very complicated and finding joy in a chipped and broken coffee cup is simply not going to happen. 

Perhaps you’re wondering just what the significance of the coffee cup was, and is.  Well, as I’ve said Dad was a great one for fellowship.  On a couple of occasions when he stopped by the Rolling Creek Baptist Church Parsonage for coffee with the Pastor, the Pastor’s wife served him coffee in this chipped cup.  My Dad teased her endlessly about giving him the chipped cup and it became “his” cup.  Every time he visited he was served with that cup.  Eventually she gave it to him as a memento with the inscription mentioned above.  That cup had a place of prominence in their den, and Mom eventually moved it to the living room.

Dear Lord, Please teach me to enjoy the simple things of this world as gifts from You, and to not take lightly those relationships You grace my life with.  Thank You, Lord for reminding me of the great joy available to us for just “living” in this world.  I ask this in the sweet and holy name of Jesus, Amen.

Public Worship

I love contemporary music, if I am able to sing along with it.   I love to listen to it, but many worship services I've attended seem more like concerts where the congregation is not expected to participate in the singing.

This blogger expresses my views quite well in this article entitled, "Why I Didn't Sing When I Visited Your Church."

Whether it is Contemporary, Southern Gospel, or Hymns; if I can't hear the words being sung because the instrumentation is so loud, then I simply don't consider it worship.  Sometimes I feel like I'm being whipped into a frenzy by religious cheer leaders desiring me to cheer the team across the goal line.

Excitement should be an integral part of any worship service, and many services are totally lacking in any sense of anticipation of God doing something.  But easy to sing, well known songs, enhance a service.   I don't mean to imply that "new" music should not be introduced, it should.  However, the preponderance of worship music should be music that almost anyone coming into the service could participate in.

Please take a few moments and read this article by Tim Challis.  I really appreciate Susie Fairchild Lott pointing me to this article.

I'm Sorry

Such a small word, but perhaps one of the most important words in the English language.   To say, “I’m sorry,” is to say that I’ve been wrong and that, too, is a phrase that is very important.  Most of us have such an elevated sense of our own “rightness” that we cannot recognize when we are wrong, and to say, “I’m sorry,” without a sense of having been wrong is disingenuous at best and reeks of manipulation.

I’m wrong so often, that I have difficulty understanding how others can be so wise and correct in all their doings.   Nearly every bad thing that has happened to me is a consequence of either some wrong attitude, or some wrong action.   I think that my only really redeeming quality is that I try to be open to correction.  Such correction, either from another individual or from God, breaks my heart and causes me to cry out to both God and those I’ve offended for forgiveness.  Though people are not always ready to accept my proffered apology, God knows my heart and receives me and wipes away the guilt, leaving me free to begin again.

Starting over with a broken and contrite heart, allows me to experience the presence of God in a very unique way.  It is at that point that I realize that I need His guidance and cannot rely upon my own finite understanding of life and life’s issues.   He is willing to guide me to heights of usefulness, which I never before hoped to attain.  

I have discovered that the primary hindrance to reaching the point of brokenness which results in offering a genuine “I’m sorry” is pride.  Scripture tells us that number one thing God hates is pride.  It was pride which caused Lucifer to rebel against God.  It is pride which keeps me, at times, from admitting I’m wrong.  Pride causes me to defend my position more vehemently and to act irrationally when I am attacked.   

The opposite of pride is humility.  Humility allows me to be wrong.  Humility allows me to treat others with respect.  Humility allows me to recognize the weaknesses and needs of others without discarding them because of those weaknesses, because I realize that God has accepted me, even with all my weaknesses.   

Lord, Please teach me humility in order that I might be able to genuinely say, “I’m sorry.”  I ask this in the sweet name of Jesus, Amen.

The Dedication of Robert Barnwell

The History Channel records this about Robert Barnwell:
 
    At age 16, Barnwell enlisted as a private in the Patriot militia. Wounded 17 times in the Battle of Matthews’ Plantation on St. John’s Island in June 1779, his supplies were taken and he was left for dead on the battlefield. Fortunately, a slave found him and took him to his aunt’s nearby plantation, where he recuperated. He rejoined the militia as a lieutenant the following spring, only to be taken prisoner by the British during the siege of Charleston in May 1780. Barnwell spent the next 13 months imprisoned on the ship Pack Horse. Still undeterred, he joined the militia after his release, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel by the end of the War of Independence.

Oh, that we could find that kind of dedication more widespread today in both political and spiritual matters.   It seems that nearly everyday unveils the kin of someone wounded or killed in war who is launching an all out attack on our attempts to defeat an enemy who shows no quarter, and exacts a terrible price from those he rules.   While in our churches, more and more we hear of people renouncing their belief in God because of some ill which has befallen them or one of those close to them.

Please do not be discouraged by the sudden discovery of those whose lives are ruled by selfish motives.    Many have never been challenged before, and have been carried along by the swift current of popular opinion without forming personal convictions.

We see this often in the lives of those who seem to “turn their backs on God.”  Christ taught clearly that in order to be His disciple one must be willing to subjugate all personal desires, dreams, and relationships to His purpose for the disciple’s life.   That one starting out and finding the way too hard, or too long is not worthy to be called His disciple.  Those who “return” to the way of the world seem never to have had their nature changed.  It is like the proverb: “The dog returns again to his vomit, and the pig again to wallow in the mud.”  That is because their natures have remained unchanged. 

The dog might be trained, curried, and manicured; but it is still a dog.  The pig might be washed, perfumed, and bound with a beautiful ribbon; but it is still a pig.  Eventually they will do again what their true nature requires.

Those who are born again into the Kingdom of God receive a new nature.  It is against their nature to reject God.  They might have momentary lapses and digressions, with even severe doubt; but their very nature mitigates against bringing a reproach upon the name of God.

From "A Word For Living"   ©            2005                 Mike Rasberry

Inflatable Tires

  The photo is of Charles and Frank Duryea with their third automobile which was the first to use pneumatic tires, circa 1895.



According to “This Day in History,” it was in December of 1892 that Alexander Brown and George Stillman of Syracuse, New York, patented an inflatable automobile tire. Before the pneumatic tire, wheels were often made of solid rubber. This made travel a bumpy experience. After all, the streets of 1892 were made of dirt or cobblestone. Some horse-drawn carriages had been made with inflatable tires, but Brown and Stillman got the first patent for pneumatic automobile tires.

Smoother rides are something we all look forward to.  I remember bouncing from the wagon seat as my uncle’s mule pulled our wagon to the corn field.  The hard wooden wheels provided little cushion as we moved across the corduroy like  bumps in the sun hardened red clay tracks which led to the field. 

Today, we seem preoccupied with “smooth sailing,” a euphemism for life going along at a comfortable pace with little conflict. But the fact of life is that “...in this life we shall have tribulations.”   Scripture continually proclaims that one need not be overcome by the complexities or perplexities of life, but that the genuine Believer in Christ can have a sense of smoothness, no matter the bumps encountered.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In all things give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”   It is encouraging for me to know that nothing befalls me without the knowledge and permission of God.   The same God who created the heavens and the earth desires to make my path smooth.  This is not some sort of fatalistic defeatism.  It is rather an enthusiastic embracing of the promise of God that even though I might walk through the darkness of the valley, He is there comforting and guiding my steps.  

Just as pneumatic tires made automobile travel more comfortable; so one’s faith in Jesus Christ, and His leadership, makes the bumps of life easier to take and more meaningful. 

From "A Word For Living"   ©      2005      Mike Rasberry

Building Lives that Last

The History Channel reports that on  November 7, 1940; the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington State collapsed.  http://www.historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp

The bridge was opened on July 1, 1940 and was the third longest suspension bridge in the world.  It greatly increase traffic across the Narrows, but it seemed to attract even more people to view a flaw in the structure.  It would swing so much in the winds that it was likened to a roller-coaster ride, and earned the name “Galloping Gertie.”

Numerous attempts were made to stabilize the bridge, but all failed leading to the dramatic collapse.  A more stable bridge was built using lessons learned from the memorable collapse.

Lives are not so easy to rebuild as bridges.  When people use their own understanding, and begin to inculcate error in the life-building process, it usually results in dramatic and far-reaching consequences.   Lives are often shattered on the rocks despair as the bridge they presumed safe collapses under the winds and pressures of life in the world.

Scripture tells us in Psalms 1 that there is a way which leads to success and we can have confidence that the Chief Engineer knows how best to build the bridge of life. 

The Holy Bible, New King James Version

Psalm 1
1Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
4The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.


From “A Word For Living”    ©          Mike Rasberry     2005

God Never Sleeps

In the sixth chapter of the Book of Esther the King is having difficulty sleeping, and orders that records of the Kingdom be brought that he might have them read.  In the course of events the king learns of a notable deed done on his behalf by Mordecai.   Now the king was unaware that his most trusted advisor had hatched a plot to have Mordecai killed, so he appoints that advisor to honor Mordecai throughout the capital city.  Eventually the plot is exposed and the advisor is executed upon the very scaffold he had planned for Mordecai.

This story points out the fact that God is often working behind the scenes to bless and protect His people.  I’m amazed at the times we become so pre-occupied with our predicaments that we lose sight of the fact that God is on our side.  Just because He is not bringing about cataclysmic events to show Himself in charge, we can be sure that He is.

I think He delights to show Himself strong in unexpected ways.  If you’re a “Child of God”, you can be sure that He never sleeps, but is always working with precision to so order events that yours will be a highly blessed life.

Don’t allow the seemingly overwhelming circumstances of the day to rob you of the confident joy of knowing that God is in charge, and that He is actively working on your behalf.

From "A Word For Living"              ©             2005      Mike Rasberry

Holiness

                   
“What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use—men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men—men of prayer.”
                                E.M. Bounds


The message we share with the world around us is only as effective as the life we live.  Holiness is the continual emptying of self and surrender to Christ.   When sin grabs our thoughts, we must recognize it.  The quicker we recognize it the sooner we can confess it, and be cleansed.  Our holiness is not dependent upon our ability to always think right thoughts.  It is dependent upon our ability to recognize wrong thoughts, confess them, and accept Christ’s forgiveness before we act upon them.

If we are to reach the world for Christ, we must allow Christ to flow through us.  The world needs to see His holiness manifested in us, and the VERY GOOD NEWS is that it is possible to live such a life.  Not sinless perfection, but continual awareness of His presence and willingness to be restored again and again.

I pray that today will be a day for you to experience the “Power of God’s Presence” in your life by living the “Christ in Man” lifestyle before the world.

From "A Word For Living"   ©   Mike Rasberry 2005

Eternal Security of the Believer

 

Eternal Security of the Believer
By Dr. Harry Ironside

FOREWORD

This brief work consists of a message delivered in the D. L. Moody Memorial Church on a Lord’s Day morning and the substance of two Friday meetings when questions were submitted and then answered from the platform. Careful editing might have eliminated everything that looks like repetition. But inasmuch as it is by constant re-affirmation that truth is lodged in the mind and heart, I have not pruned the answers as much as I otherwise might have. Let me say that my object was not controversy nor the besting of an opponent, but rather the edification and enlightenment of the people of God, so that the knowledge of the truth might deliver from legality and give true liberty.

H. A. IRONSIDE
Chicago, Illinois
April 24, 1934

Can A Believer Ever Be Lost?

It has been announced that I will speak to you on a subject which has occasioned a good deal of controversy among the people of God. I want to take as a starting point--not exactly as a text, because we shall be looking at a good many Scriptures--Romans 8:38-39: “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor power, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This is the inspired answer to the question of verse 35: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” That is, once we have been justified by faith, who is there, what power is there, that can separate from the love of Christ? And the answer, how full, how clear, not a shadow, not a doubt, not a question left, when the apostle says that neither death nor life shall separate! Can you think of anything which is neither included in death nor in life? Neither death nor life shall separate!

No unseen powers can separate the believer from Christ, “neither angels, nor principalities, nor powers.” These terms are used again and again in the New Testament, particularly in the Epistles, for angelic hosts, good and evil. When our Savior rose from the dead He spoiled principalities and powers, that is, He defeated all the hosts of evil led by Satan; and so we may take it that the angels referred to here are good angels, and the principalities and powers are possible evil angels. But there is nothing that good angels would do and nothing that evil angels can do which will result in the separation of the believer from Christ. And then further he says, “neither things present nor things to come.” Again let me put the question, Can you think of any experience through which a believer might ever go which is neither a thing present nor a thing to come? And the Holy Ghost says that neither things present nor things to come shall be able to separate us from the love of Christ. As though that were not enough, He speaks in a more general way when He says that neither “Height nor depth (nothing in heaven, nothing in hell), nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” It looks to me as though we are safe if we are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Eternal Security: Its Meaning

When we speak of the eternal security of the believer, what do we mean? We mean that once a poor sinner has been regenerated by the Word and the Spirit of God, once he has received a new life and a new nature and has been made partaker of the divine nature, once he has been justified from every charge before the throne of God, it is absolutely impossible that that man should ever again be a lost soul. Having said that, let me say what we do not mean when we speak of the eternal security of the believer. We do not mean that it necessarily follows that if one professes to be saved, if he comes out to the front in a meeting, shakes the preacher’s hand, and says he accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior, that that person is eternally safe. It does not mean that if one joins a church or makes a profession of faith, is baptized, becomes a communicant, and takes an interest in Christian work, that that person is forever secure. It does not mean that because one manifests certain gifts and exercises these gifts in Christian testimony, that that person is necessarily eternally secure.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said to the people of His day, as recorded in Matthew 7:21-23: “Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. 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.” Such people then may have been very active in what is called Christian work--they have preached, they have cast out demons, that is, their influence has been such that men and women have found deliverance from satanic power through their ministrations in the name of Jesus, they have professed with their lips, they have accomplished many wonderful works, but they are found in that day among the lost, and when they plead their great activity and their earnestness in Christian testimony, the Lord says to them, “I never knew you.” Notice, He does not say to them, “I used to know you, but you have forfeited My favor and I do not know you any longer.” He says, “I never knew you.”

The Sheep Of Christ

You remember how He speaks of His own in John 10:27-30: ”My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.” Of His own He says, “I know them.” Of these others, in spite of all their activity, in spite of all their accomplishments, He says in the day of judgment, “I never knew you.” That is a very solemn thing. That answers a question that is frequently put to us. I do not know how many times I have had individuals come to me with a hypothetical case like this: “Suppose a man who joined the church, who professed to be saved, who for a number of years was a very active Christian worker, perhaps a Sunday school teacher, perhaps an elder or a deacon in the church, maybe a minister, but after some years of apparent consistent Christian living and helpfulness in testimony he turns his back on it all, returns to the world, utterly repudiates Christianity, and now denies in toto the gospel he once professed. How does that square with your doctrine of the eternal security of the believer?” That does not touch the matter at all. The apostle John tells us how we are to understand a case like that. He says in 1 John 2:19, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us,” or literally, “That they were not altogether of us.” That is, it is possible to do all the things that I have spoken of and yet never be regenerated. It is quite possible to join a church, to make a Christian profession; it is quite possible to observe the Christian ordinances, to teach and to preach, and yet never be born again. If one teaches and preaches the truth, it will produce good results and will do men good whether the teacher or the preacher be real or not, for it is the truth that God uses. Of course He can use the truth to better advantage when it is proclaimed by a holy man living to the glory of God than when it is proclaimed by a hypocrite. Nevertheless, God uses His truth regardless of who may proclaim it, and that explains how people may do mighty works in the name of Christ and yet never be born again.

Christ’s One Offering

When we say that the believer in the Lord Jesus is eternally secure, we base it upon a number of lines of scriptural testimony. In the first place, we rest it upon the perfection of Christ’s one offering upon the cross. Personally, I never can understand how thoughtful people, taught by the Holy Spirit of God, can carefully read the Epistle to the Hebrews and not see that throughout that Epistle the writer is contrasting the many sacrifices offered under law with the one sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. That to which he particularly calls attention is this: under law every time an Israelite sinned, he needed a new sin offering, and every year the nation had to celebrate the great day of atonement when a new offering was presented to God for the people. Why? Because those sacrifices could never take away sin, they simply covered sin for the time being. But we are told in Hebrews 10 that when the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world and offered Himself without spot to God, the effect of His sacrifice was eternal. Verse 14 makes this clear: “For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” Perfected for how long? “Oh,” says somebody, “as long as they are faithful.” No, that is not what it says. “He hath perfected for ever.” Why? Because the sacrifice is all-efficacious.

I am sure my brethren who deny the doctrine of the eternal security of the believer do not realize that in so doing they are putting a slight upon the finished work of Christ, they are reducing the sacrifice of Christ practically to the level of the offerings of bulls and goats in the Old Testament dispensation. I am sure they do not mean to do that, for they love their Lord just as truly as I trust I love Him, and they do not want to dishonor Him. But they are afraid that this doctrine will lead people to be careless about their lives, and therefore they stress the possibility of a man losing his salvation after he has once been justified by faith. But they do not pursue that to its logical conclusion; they do not see that it is a practical denial of the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are saved eternally because the sacrifice of Christ abides.

When I came to the Lord Jesus Christ and put my trust in Him, not only were all my sins up to the day of my conversion forgiven, but all my sins were put away for eternity. When a young Christian, I was taught something like this: I thought when I was converted that all my sins, from the time of dawning accountability up to that night when I put my trust in the Lord Jesus, were put away, and now God had given me a new start, and if I could only keep the record clean to the end of my life, I would get to heaven; but if I did not keep it clean, I ceased to be a Christian and I had to get converted all over again. Every time this happened the past was under the blood, but I had to keep the record clean for the future. What a God-dishonoring view of the atonement of Christ that is! If only those of my sins that were committed up to the moment of my conversion were put away by the atoning blood of Jesus, what possible way would there be by which sins I have confessed after that could be dealt with? The only ground on which God could forgive sin is that Jesus settled all upon the cross, and when I trust Him, all that He has done goes down to my account.

What Of Future Sins?

A lady came to me one day and said, “I do not understand you there. I can understand that Christ died for the sins I committed up to the night of my conversion, but do you mean to tell me that Christ died for my future sins?”

I said, “How many of your sins were in the past when Christ died on the cross?”

She looked puzzled for a moment, and then the light broke in, and she said, “How foolish I have been! Of course they were all future when Jesus died for me. I had not committed any of them.”

God saw all your sins, and He laid upon Jesus all your iniquity. Therefore, when you trusted Him, you were justified freely from all things. Do you say, “Does it make no difference then if a believer sins?” That is another question, and it would take a whole evening to go into that, but here is the point: the moment you trust the Lord Jesus as your Savior, your responsibility as a sinner having to do with the God of judgment is ended for eternity, but that same moment your responsibility as a child having to do with a Father in heaven begins. Now if as a child you should sin against your Father, God will have to deal with you about that, but as a father and not as a judge. That is a line of truth that stands by itself and does not contradict what I am now teaching. It explains some things that bewilder people when this doctrine is brought before them.

The Spirit’s Perseverance

In the second place, we base the doctrine of the eternal security of the believer upon the perseverance and omnipotent power of the Holy Spirit of God. Look at Philippians 1:6. Writing to these saints, the apostle says, when he thanked them for their fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Do you see that? Who began the good work in you if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus? The Holy Spirit of God did. It was He who convicted you of sin; it was He who led you to put your trust in Christ; it was He who through the Word gave you the witness that you were saved; it is He who has been conforming you to Christ since you first trusted the Lord Jesus. Having thus taken you up in grace, the Holy Spirit has a definite purpose in view. He is eventually going to conform you fully to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ, and He never begins a work that He does not intend to finish. “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” If when you were a poor sinner the Holy Spirit had power sufficient to break down your opposition to God and to bring to an end your unbelief and rebellion, do you think for one moment that He does not have power enough to subdue your will as a believer and to carry on to completion the work that He began?

People say, “I see you believe in that old Baptist doctrine of ‘once in grace, always in grace.’” Or another says, “I understand you hold that old Presbyterian idea of ‘the final perseverance of the saints.’” I do not know why this should be called either Baptist or Presbyterian, only to the extent that Baptists and Presbyterians agree with the Book, and the Word of God clearly shows that once God takes us up in grace nothing can separate us from the love of Christ so that evidently the expression, “once in grace, always in grace,” is a perfectly correct one. But, on the other hand, I am not so enthusiastic about the other expression, “the perseverance of the saints.” I believe in it; I believe that all saints--all really belonging to God--will persevere to the end, for the Book tells me, “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13), and if a man starts out and makes a profession but gives it all up, he will never be saved, because he was never born again to begin with, he was never truly changed by grace divine. On the other hand, the reason he endures to the end is not because of any particular perseverance of his own. What I believe in, and what the Word of God clearly teaches, is the perseverance of the Holy Spirit. When He begins a work, He never gives up until it is completed. That is our confidence.

Experience And Faith

Forty-three years ago the Spirit of God in grace led me to trust the Lord Jesus Christ. I have had many ups-and-downs since then, as the old folks used to sing in a camp meeting I attended:

I am sometimes up and sometimes down,
But still my soul am heavenly bound.

I have had varied experiences, but the wonderful thing is this, the Holy Spirit of God has never given me up. And if at times I have been wayward and willful and did not immediately bow before God and repent of my waywardness and willfulness, then I found I had to come under the rod, my Father’s rod, and He whipped me into subjection until I came to the place where I was ready to confess by failure and be restored to fellowship with Him. But I was just as truly His child while getting a good whipping as I was when the effects of it had restored me to fellowship. Your child does not cease to be your child when you have him over your knee and are using the slipper on him. It is because he is your child and because you want him to grow up to be a well-behaved boy that you do that. And so we believe in the perseverance of the Holy Spirit of God, that having begun the work He will carry it on to completion.

New Creation

In the third place, we base the doctrine of the eternal security of the believer upon the fact of the new creation. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 we read: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” That verse may be rendered like this: Therefore if any man be in Christ, this is new creation; old things have passed away, and all things have become new.

What do we mean by new creation? Just this: we were once in the place of death; we were once utterly lost and ruined. How did we get there? Follow me now. It was not by any act of our own. Do you say, “I did not get into the place of spiritual death by any act of my own?” No, you did not. Do you say, “I was not lost because of any act of my own?” No, you were not. But why were you numbered among the lost? Because you were born into the world a member of the old creation of which Adam the first was the head, and every child of Adam’s race comes into the world lost and is under sentence of death. And so we read in verse 14, “The love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead.”

The Two Adams

Let me try to make that clear. Here is Adam the first, the head of the old creation, and he was placed on trial in the Garden of Eden. The entire world was represented in him--you were represented in him, I was represented in him. As the Spirit of God says of Levi, “He was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him” (Hebrews 7:10), so we, every one of us, were represented there in Adam when the old creation was on trial. Adam failed, and God said, “In the day thou eatest thereof, dying thou shalt die.” As a result of that failure the old creation fell down in death, and every person that has ever been born in the world since that time was born down there; no one has been born up here, where Adam the first started, except our Lord Jesus Christ, and His birth was a supernatural one. Therefore, as members of the old creation we were all dead, all lost. But now see what happened--our Lord Jesus Christ came into the world (the written Word here speaks of Him as the living Word) and He stood on this plane of sinlessness. Adam was created sinless but fell; Jesus came, the sinless One, conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of a virgin mother, but He saw men down there in death, and at the cross He went down into death, down to where man was, and came up in grace from death. But He did not come up alone, for God has quickened us together with Christ, so that all who believe in Him are brought up from that place of death; and as at one time we were made partakers of Adam’s race, so now we are made partakers of a new creation. What does God do for us now? Does He put us where Adam was before and say, “Now behave yourselves, and you won’t die again”? No, He puts us up higher than Adam could ever have gone except by a new and divine creation. “He hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6), and because we belong to this new creation we can never be lost. You were lost because the head of the old creation failed, and you went down with him. You can never be lost unless the head of the new creation falls, and if He does you will go down with Him. But, thank God, He remains on the throne where God Himself has put Him, in token of His perfect satisfaction in the work He accomplished.

You may have heard of the Irishman who was converted but was seized with a dreadful fear that some day he might commit some great sin and lose his soul, that he might be lost after all, and he trembled at the thought. He went to a meeting and heard the words read, “Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” “Glory to God!” shouted Pat. “Whoever heard of a man drowning with his head that high above water?” We are linked with Him, we belong to the new creation, and that is why we shall never be lost.

Eternal Life Possessed Now

In the last place, we rest the truth of the doctrine of the eternal security of the believer upon the fact that the believer is the present possessor of eternal life. It is not merely that if we are faithful to the end we shall receive eternal life. There is a sense in which that is true; there is a sense in which our hope is eternal life. I am a Christian now if I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ; believing on Him I have eternal life, but I have it in a dying body. I am now waiting for the redemption of the body, and when the Lord Jesus comes the second time He shall change this body of my humiliation and make it like unto the body of His glory. Then I shall have received eternal life in all its fullness, spirit, soul, and body, entirely conformed to Christ. In that sense I am hoping for eternal life. But over and over and over again, Scripture rings the changes on the fact that every believer is at the present time in possession of eternal life. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). Adam’s life was forfeitable life; he lost his life because of sin. Eternal life is nonforfeitable life, otherwise it would not be eternal. “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). Everlasting life is life that lasts forever, and we have it now. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).

His Sheep Follow Him

I have purposely left this point until last because people generally take it for granted it will be the first passage used in taking up this subject. In John 10:27 we are told, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” Notice these three things. It matters not what profession a man makes, if he does not hear the voice of the Son of God he is not a Christian, and therefore the Savior does not know him as His own. No matter what profession he may make, if he does not follow the Lord Jesus Christ, he is only a sham and a fraud and a hypocrite. He may follow for a little while outwardly, like those of whom the apostle Peter speaks, who walk in the way of righteousness and then turn from it. “But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire” (2 Peter 2:22). If that dog had ever been regenerated and become a sheep, if that sow had ever been changed and become a lamb, neither would have gone back to the filth; but, you see, the dog was always a dog, and the sow was always a sow. They were just whitewashed, not washed white, they were never regenerated, and so went back to the old things. But the sheep of Christ are different. “They follow Me,” Jesus says. Be careful. Do not profess to be one of His sheep if you do not follow Him, It is the test of reality. There are many people who tell us, “At such and such a time I was converted, I went forward, I signed a card.” You can do all of these things and be lost forever. What you need is a new birth; and when you are born again, you get a new life; and when you receive a new life, you love to follow Jesus; and if you do not, you are not a Christian. Think about it; examine your own foundations a bit.

A Dangerous Doctrine?

People say, “If you preach this doctrine of the eternal security of the believer, men will say, ‘Well, then it doesn’t make any difference what I do, I will get to heaven anyway.’” It makes a tremendous difference what you do. If you do not behave yourself, it shows that you are not a real Christian. I know that a real Christian may fail, but the difference can be seen in Peter and Judas. Peter failed, and failed terribly, but he was genuine, and one look from Jesus sent him out weeping bitterly; his heart was broken to think that he had so dishonored his Lord. But Judas companied with the Lord almost three-and-a-half years and was a devil all the time; he was a thief and was seeking his own interest. He was even made the treasurer of that company and he held the bag, but we read, “He bare [away] what was put therein” (John 12:6), as this has been literally translated. At last remorse overtook him, not genuine repentance, and what was the result? He went and hanged himself. He was never a child of God. There is a great difference, you see, between a Christian and a false professor.

Justified By Faith

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life.” Do you believe it? I do not understand how people can read a passage like that and then talk about a Christian losing his life. It would not be eternal if it could be lost. “And they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.” The original is very strong here. In the English a double negative makes an affirmative, but in Greek it only strengthens a declaration. “They shall never, no never, perish.” It is impossible, it is unthinkable, that one who has eternal life shall ever perish. “My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand.” Here I am, a poor lost sinner, but the Lord in grace picks me up and saves me, and I am in His hand. And now the Father puts His hand around too, and I am in the hand of the Father and of the Son, and the devil himself cannot get me unless he can loosen those hands. Could you think of any greater security than to be in the hands of the Father and of the Son? “Never perish,” “eternal life”--what wondrous words are these! Do not be afraid of God’s truth. You might as well be afraid of the beginning of the gospel that God can freely forgive and justify a guilty sinner by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. People try to put guards around that truth and say, “Yes, you are justified by faith if you have enough good works to add to it.” That is not true. It is by faith alone, and good works spring from that. When you know you have eternal life, you will find your heart so filled with love for Christ that you will try to live for His glory.

Objections

There will be certain passages coming up in the minds of different ones, and they will say, “What he has said may sound logical enough, but what about this Scripture and that?” Let me say, there is no possible Scripture that will come to your mind that the present speaker has not considered carefully over and over again. I have not time in one address to go into all these, but I can assure you that having examined them all with the greatest degree of care, I have never been able to find one that can set aside this: “Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” If you have a clear, definite, positive Scripture, do not allow some passage that is perplexing, that is difficult to interpret, that seems somewhat ambiguous, to keep you from believing the positive statement, “He that believeth hath everlasting life.” It is because I have a salvation like this to offer to men, it is because God has sent me to proclaim a salvation like this to sinners, that I have confidence in inviting people to come to Jesus, for I know if they get in living touch with my Savior He will make them His forever.

I recently received from a gentleman a tract entitled “All about the Eternal Security Doctrine.” He is afraid that this doctrine may have a tendency to make people careless about their lives. I can sympathize with him in that for this reason: I was a Christian worker in an organization that believed in what is commonly called the Arminian view; that is, when a person gets converted he has a good start for heaven, and then it is up to him to keep on going. As my old instructor used to say, “Getting to heaven is like riding a bicycle: if I stop, I will fall off.” I believed that thoroughly, so thoroughly that when people spoke to me about being eternally saved I used to say, “That is a doctrine of the evil one; that would mislead people and lead folks to become careless,” until I had a rather rude awakening.

I found our halls were thronged by people who were getting converted over and over again every few weeks. It seemed as though that old hymn, “Ye Must Be Born Again,” should really be sung, “Ye must Be Born Again and Again and Again.” That puzzled me, for I never read of anything like it in the Bible. Then I found that the falling away doctrine had a tendency to make people very careless indeed. Let me give you a concrete example. A young man in whom I was quite interested had been addicted to a certain sin in his unconverted days. After he professed conversion he turned from that particular sin, but he confessed to me privately that he had gone out in the darkness of the night, when no one knew where he was, and had fallen into the same sin many times. “How can you do it?” I asked him. “Well,” he said, “I always make up my mind that I will commit the sin and then get converted again when I come home.” I saw from that how dangerous was the doctrine of being saved today and lost tomorrow. The last time I saw that young man, he said to me, “It’s no use; this sin has such a grip on me that I cannot stand it.” “Don’t yield,” I said. “Let me call in several of the others and let us pray with you.” So four or five of us knelt and prayed very earnestly, but he rose again and clenched his fists, for he was in great agony, and said, “It’s no use. I am going out to sin, but I am coming back to get converted afterwards.” I never saw him again, and I do not know what became of him. That, you see, was one effect of this doctrine that a person loses his salvation when he sins but can come back again and get converted any time he desires. Certainly the Word of God teaches nothing like that. You can see that the Arminian view can be used to turn the grace of God into lasciviousness. It is possible for the other view to be misused also. But I want you to see that the misuse of any doctrine does not in itself prove the teaching is wrong. We need definite Scripture upon which to base our faith. If people have no conscience toward God, they can misuse any doctrine in the Bible.

THE CHRISTIAN WALK AND SIN

One of the most frustrating things in the life of a Christian is to fail in his attempt to live the life of Christ.  Christ puts within the heart of each Genuine Believer the desire to live for Him in obedience.  When he fails to live up to what he believes is the standard of perfection, he can easily fall into some very serious error.

The first error is believing that once he is converted, he will no longer sin.  The beloved apostle, John, wrote in 1 John 1:8, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."  That was written for Believers, including John.  He uses the first person, plural because he is speaking to himself as well as other Believers.  He fully understood, in the power of the Holy Spirit, the weakness of the old nature which wars against the new nature.  We must also note that John is speaking in the present tense.  He is saying that if he were to contend that even as he was writing this letter under the direction of the Holy Spirit that he had no sin, it would make him a liar.

I might not be cognizant of any unconfessed and unrepented of sin, but I can be sure that if I genuinely seek His face, He will convict me of that sin, so that I might confess and repent of it.  So the first error I speak of is the error of believing the converted man has no sin.

The second error is becoming discouraged when that sin is realized.  Time and again men and women have shared with me their feelings of despair because they have failed.  Such individuals often feel there is no hope for them, and they sometimes give up saying, "It doesn't work.  I tried it, and all I feel is guilty."  That is exactly why John wrote the next verse, 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sin, He is faithful to forgive our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 

God understands our humanity,  Jesus was tempted, and he knows we will be tempted sorely also.  The closer to Jesus one walks, the different the temptation is.  When one is a new Believer, he might be tempted to engage in the same old sins of the flesh he indulged before his conversion.  When he fails and confesses them, he learns to hate them, and the temptations might become more subtle.  The temptation might not be an openly overt sin, but one of the heart, or mind.  Satan is simply searching for beach head from which to attack.  Prayer life and Bible Study are often where the attacks are centered.  These need be confessed and repented of as much as murder, or theft.

A third error is feeling unworthy to serve.  Self-condemnation often robs people of the great joy which accompanies serving Him.  I have know people who felt they could not be used by God because of their sinful past life.   Some ladies who have had abortions have been so overcome by guilt, they simply cannot function.  Some homosexuals and prostitutes, some felons and murderers, some terrorists feel they have crossed a line where even though God has forgiven them, they cannot be spiritual leaders in Christ's Church.  Paul wrote about this in Romans chapters seven and eight.  Romans 8:1 declares, "There is therefore, no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."    

Chapter eight of Romans is all about the freedom one should experience once sin is confessed and repented of.  We love to attach social value to our sin.  We say it is worse to kill a baby than to kill an adult.  It is worse to steal than to lie.  It is worse to commit adultery than to hate.  However, God hates all sin, and all sin grieves Him.  Through sin we quench His Spirit, but when we believe we are forgiven because we are continually confessing our sin and turning from it, there is NO condemnation.   God doesn't condemn us and Satan cannot condemn us, so Scripture seems to teach that only person who can condemn the Believer is himself.  Romans 14:22.

Now this is not license to sin.  The genuine Believer is grieved because he grieves God.  The genuine Believer hates sin, his own sin, but he rests in the secure knowledge that genuine confession brings genuine forgiveness.   

Dear Lord, Please help Your children to be energized by Your complete forgiveness.  Help us to rest in You, even as we go about the marketplace of life and are subject to the accusations leveled by the agents of our enemy and Yours.  Help us to not cringe in fear of exposure, but help us to diligently seek Your face, and to trust in Your grace, as we confess that which You bring to our mind.  Help us to discern the difference between Your conviction and the enemy's accusation.  I ask this in the blessed and holy name of Jesus, Amen.

Solo Scriptura

I want to begin this segment of "Ponderings" with a confession.  I have often failed to live up to the standards Scripture holds for a follower of Christ.  I find myself rationalizing and even justifying my sin. However, I know that I have an Advocate with the Father who convicts me and leads me in confession and repentance.  And while there can be no justification for sin, I rest in the veracity of His Word.  I often marvel that God continues to use such a weak person as I am, but I take solace in His Word that when I confess my sin, He is faith and just to forgive that sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness.  It is upon the basis of that forgiveness and cleansing that I continue to preach, sing, write, and witness.  It has nothing to do with any inherent "goodness."

I believe the Bible is "God's Word."  It is not a book containing words about God.  It is His revelation of Himself to man.  That conviction is a faith position and what keeps me focused upon Him and His plan, even after I go through a time when I'm distracted by the world's attractions.  I pray that each Genuine Believer will learn that God's Word is sufficient for living effectively and victoriously in this and any age.

The five "Solas" of the reformation are generally affirmed by contemporary Evangelicals.  However, the effective application of these truths often seem to belie that belief.  Should genuine revival be once again experienced, the church must purposely, and deliberately, examine practice in light of these five basics all must believe in order to call herself Christian.

The foundation upon which every doctrine of the Christian faith stands is "Sola Scriptura."  While reading recently from a Catholic theologian's arguments against this doctrine, I was once again impressed that Roman Catholicism stands completely on the fallacious belief in "Apostolic Succession," which claims that each Pope is the lone extant apostle and that his utterings, ex cathedra,  have the weight of apostolic authority, co-equal with Scripture. 

Evangelicals, and until the last few years, Protestants in general, understood the fallacy of that position.  "Solo Scriptura" has, in fact, been called the formal principle of the Reformation.  They understood that the misinterpretation of Scripture and elevation of tradition gave rise to the "Dark Ages," and evangelical abandonment of this doctrine today in order to provide a "meaningful emotional experience" is no less harmful than was that of the bishops of the fourth and fifth centuries.

Secular humanism's philosophical inroads into society through mandated early childhood education has diminished the respect for Holy Scripture, and wrought an emphasis upon quantity rather than quality in contemporary churches.   The result is that competition for those with a bent toward "religion" requires more and more extensive weekly presentations in order to attract a larger and more diverse following. 

Should "Solo Scriptura," or the complete sufficiency of Scripture in order to accomplish God's plan be enough, the entire nature of evangelicalism would change dramatically.  God's purpose of "seeking and saving" a people whose bent is not toward religion by telling them the "Good News" would be sufficient.  However, few seem to believe the sufficiency of proclaiming that while all men everywhere are born the enemy of God, God has sent His Son into the world that the world might be saved, not in order to condemn the world, but in order that a world condemned already might be saved. The preponderance of Evangelicals are too immersed in the numerical church growth movement to believe that the Bible's simple plan will work today.

One man has said that Evangelicals are simply "keepers of the aquarium," shifting fish from one tank to another.  That happens when man made devices and techniques are utilized to attract people to a fellowship, with no corresponding change in one's lifestyle other than church attendance.  These church hoppers are constantly looking for the next new thing, or most entertaining group. 

Once the members are attracted, seldom is systematic Scripture study the basis for spiritual growth.  Encounter groups based more on psychology and and psychiatry are seemingly more often used than is Scripture.  In fact, personal guided Scripture study seems to have almost disappeared, even among the fundamentalist groups.

More and more "Solo Scriptura" is being replaced with extra-biblical signs and miracles which seem to supersede Scripture.  "Experiential religion" carries much more weight in many circles than does the clear teaching of God's Word.  An "it seems to me religion" is rapidly replacing the "Scripture Teaches" Christianity of days gone by.   At one time, the phrase "God said it, that settles it, whether or not I believe it," was the watchword of Christianity, but alas, I fear the situational ethics of secular humanism has obliterated this tenet.

James Montgomery Boice in his book, "Whatever Happened to The Gospel of Grace," wrote the following:

"Unfortunately, it is possible to believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice, as many if not all evangelicals claim to do, and still effectually to repudiate it because we think that it does not work today and are convinced that other things need to be brought in to accomplish what the Bible cannot do.”

My prayer is that God will raise up an army of followers who will  look to Scripture and trust God's Word to be sufficient in all matters upon which it touches.  I do not despair for I'm certain God has reserved unto Himself multitudes who have not yet bowed a knee to the prince of this world system.