Gospel Meeting with David Lanius

If you are in the Loveland, Colorado area on June 5-8, please come and join for a gospel meeting with David Lanius from Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. In addition to the 7 lessons he will be preaching for us, we will have a congregational singing on Saturday afternoon

at 1:30 P.M. on June 7th. Please come and join us!

Forsaken the Right Way

We read in 2 Peter 2:15 “They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.” How sad it is to see those that once walked in the ways of the Lord to abandon His love and go the way of Satan. Yet there are many that have not forsaken the way of the Lord and remain steadfast in His service. These are the ones that understand that the right way, the way leading to eternal life has been dedicated by Jesus Christ. The Hebrew writer wrote: “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh” (Hebrews 10:19-20).

Our Duty to the Right Way

The Christian’s duty is not to forsake the right way of the Lord (2 Peter 2:15). Earlier in verse 15 we can learn where we are not to even speak evil of it, and in Acts 13:10, not to pervert the right way of the Lord. We have a responsibility in this life and that is to FIND the right way and then enter into it. Jesus said: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). Failure on our part to find and enter the right way will cost us our very soul! Let us be determined to know the right way (Acts 18:26), teach it (Luke 20:21), and then walk in it (Isaiah 35:8-9). Don’t forsake the right way.

Why Some Christians Are Not Devoted

I have wondered many times why it is that some Christians do not seem to be truly devoted to their Christianity. I now believe it is because they do not understand what it means to be a genuine disciple of Christ. One can never hope to be the kind of Christian God intends for one to be if one has not learned discipleship. Webster defines disciple as: “A pupil or follower of any teacher or school; A follower of Jesus". Every Christian must learn that one must forsake every person and every thing and put Christ FIRST in their life. To forsake is to "give up; renounce; leave; abandon; desert.” Those unwilling to do so will not enter into heaven and will never become the servant that Jesus expects one to be! When a Christian can truly grasp the importance of following Christ, doing ALL His commandments, then one will become an effective servant in God's kingdom. When one does not learn this lesson first and foremost, then one will find that they are spinning their wheels and being unstable because "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24).

We Must Take A Stand For Jesus Above All Else

Every Christian must first strive to do Christ's will. Jesus said that only those that do His will enter into heaven and those that don't will be cast away into an eternal hell (Matthew 7:21-23). In Matthew 10:32-39 we can learn a valuable lesson on what Jesus truly means by being a true disciple of His. We have got to be willing to confess Jesus each day of our lives before men. No matter where we are, or what we are doing others should see us living a life as a Christian "proclaiming godliness". It is only when we take a stand FOR Christ that He will take a stand for us: "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32-33). One of the toughest things we must do as Christians is to go against the personal beliefs of our own parents, brothers, or sisters. Jesus addresses that in this passage. We must be prepared to even put our physical family second to Jesus if we ever hope to have eternal life with Him. He said "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me" (Matthew 10:37). When we make decisions to do things with our family at the expense of doing Christ's will then we are not worthy of being His disciple (Matthew 10:35-38).

We Must Be Willing To Deny Self and Serve Jesus

This may be the hardest lesson for a Christian to learn. Until one can put their own interests, passions, and desires, second to serving Christ, then one is not ready to be a disciple of Jesus. Jesus said "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it" (Matthew 16:24-25). Many will be cast away into hell on the day of judgment because they would not deny their own lusts and desires and put Jesus first!

Excuses Won’t Cut It - We Must Not Look Back

In Luke 9:57-61 Jesus urged several to follow Him. But in each case they made excuse for why they had to do something else first. Jesus sums this up by saying "No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62). Then later in Luke 14:16-33 He told the story of the man that made a great supper and invited many. But those that were invited made excuses why they could not attend. Jesus invites us to join Him in teaching others and living the Christian life but many make excuses on why they can't put Jesus first in their life.

A disciple of Christ truly loves Jesus and one another (John 13:34-35; 14:15,21,23) A true disciple will continue in His word. Jesus said: "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed" (John 8:31). See also Acts 14:22. A true disciple will be faithful until death (Revelation 2:10). Only a dedicated disciple is worthy to wear the name Christian (Acts 11:26).

Each and every Christian must be determined to follow Jesus. If you do, you can have peace through His word which says; "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). Let us be determined to walk in the light of Christ, serving Him because we have a sincere desire to and not looking back because we KNOW that our reward is ahead of us if we remain faithful to Jesus until the day of our death! May God bless each of us as we strive to put Jesus FIRST each day that we live!

Shaping Our Lives

As we live each day we encounter various trials that we have to learn to deal with. As Christians, we understand that these trials will be before us and that they are a test for us individually, as we prove to ourselves and to God that we are able to overcome these trials and pressures of life. In James 1:2-4 it says "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” It is interesting to note that James tells us to count it “all joy” when we encounter these various trials and tribulations in life. Why joy? Because when we understand that these trials are tests of life and we do overcome them, then we can be joyful that we did so, knowing that as a result, we can someday have an eternal home with our heavenly Father.

Our Christian Walk Is Not Easy

When we are striving to walk in the paths of righteousness, obeying God’s will and not man’s, then it is certain that we will suffer persecution. “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). Do you feel that you are suffering some type of persecution as you live your daily Christian life? If so, then you must be doing what God expects of you as a Christian. It is not easy to tell someone that you are with not to use that kind of language around you. It is not easy to tell one of your friends that you cannot go to that movie because there is bad language, nudity, and other things portrayed therein that God would not approve of. When we take a stand for Jesus in ALL things that we do, then we WILL suffer some type of persecution in our life.

A beloved sister in Christ, Ellen Kyle, wrote a beautiful poem that goes along with this thought of shaping our lives. It is entitled “The Stone Cutter”.

THE STONE CUTTER

I watched a stone cutter as he worked with great care,

He was cutting and shaping a stone so fair.

I looked but I couldn’t see where it would go,

Finally I stopped him and told him so.

He pointed to a spot on a building so high,

That it almost seemed to touch the sky.

With the blows and cuts to the stone so fair,

I’m shaping it down here so it fits up there.

As I stood there and thought about what he had said,

A truth in my life took shape in my head.

I started to tremble as tears filled my eyes,

For I was beginning to realize,

The trials in my life that have hurt me so bad,

The things that trouble me and make me feel sad,

Are the blows that a heart of stone must receive.

And it’s through these struggles that God shapes my will,

And if I only let him, my well of strength He’ll fill.

So I try now to remember when trials are everywhere,

God is shaping me down here so I’ll fit up there.

---Ellen Kyle

Allowing God To Shape Our Life

When we allow God to shape our lives then we can have joy knowing that when the end comes we will be able to “fit up there” with Him in heaven. Christians should be the happiest people on earth. Christians fully understand that those trials, tribulations, and persecutions will be there, and KNOW that if we will be patient and let God direct our steps (Jeremiah 10:23), then we will be rewarded for our steadfastness. Have you allowed God to shape your life? If not, won’t you now be determined to live for him each day, allowing God to shape your life into an individual that will not be afraid to deal with life’s trials so that in the end you will “fit up there” in heaven above!

Forgiveness

Have you ever noticed how miserable some people are and wondered why they were that way? Sometimes it's caused by being long on memory and short on forgiveness. If a person remembers every unkind thing anybody has ever said or done to them, they'll be miserable. Forgiveness is one of the great spiritual medicines.

To harbor grudges, to cultivate malice toward others, or to refuse to forgive, will hurt us far more than the one our ill feelings are directed toward. Colossians 3:13 says, "Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." Under the law of Moses, they were commanded, "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD." (Leviticus 19:18).

We demonstrate love when we willingly and readily forgive. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says, "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."

Let us obey a very plain commandment and leave vengeance in the hands of God. Romans 12:19 says, "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord." Thus, we need to give place to the wrath of God. He will punishing those who do evil, and we need to leave the matter in His hands.

To be true disciples of the Lord, we must forgive "from the heart." Jesus said, "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses." (Matthew 18:35). 

Studying God's Word

When Paul traveled from Thessalonica to Berea and found some of the Bereans to be more noble-minded than many he had encountered in Thessalonica. In Acts 17:10-11, Luke says, "Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men."

If the determining factor was our eagerness in receiving the word of God and daily searching of the Scriptures, would Luke think you or I to be fair-minded?

2 Timothy 2:15 says, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Hebrews 5:14 says, "But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." 1 Peter 2:2 says, "As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby..." 2 Peter 3:18 says, "...But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

Bible study is important and essential for those who wish to receive God's approval. It is through the revelation we call the Bible that we learn of Christ and how we can receive eternal life. Let us examine the Scriptures daily that we might grow in the grace and knowledge of God.

Abounding in Everything

Many who say they are Christians seem to try to give what they believe to be the minimum service to God. They try to obtain "just enough knowledge," do "just enough teaching of others," have "just enough love," etc. to get by. This attitude is not taught nor approved in the New Testament.

The New Testament stresses and enjoins us doing the maximum, our sincere best. As Christians we're to be spiritually ambitious, and abounding in our service to God. The word abound means "to exist in abundance" or "to overflow." Paul exhorted the Corinthians, "But as you abound in everything; in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us; see that you abound in this grace also." (2 Corinthian 8:7). In Romans 15:13, Paul wrote, "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

We should abound in love. Paul wrote in Philippians 1:9, "And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment..." By thus abounding in love, love will be the control and motivation of our lives.

We need to abound in knowledge. The Scriptures teach that we are to add knowledge, increase in knowledge, and grow in knowledge according to 2 Peter 1:5, Colossians 1:10, and 2 Peter 3:18. Without knowledge of God's word, we are blind and cannot see afar off, according to 2 Peter 1:5 and 9. Without knowledge of God, we are unable to walk pleasingly to Him according to Colossians 1:9-10. Without knowledge, we are unable to approve the things that are excellent according to Philippians 1:9-10. We're to strive to possess knowledge to the degree of it being in abundance and overflowing. 

Are you abounding in your service to the Lord, or are you trying to do the bear minimum?