Truth in HD October 2013

8/14/2019 Truth in HD October 2013

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/truth-in-hd-october-2013 1/14

the universe will be simpler." -

Henry David Thoreau

“Life Coaching is a profession

that is profoundly different

from consulting, mentoring,

advice, therapy, or counsel-

ing. The coaching process

addresses specific personal

projects, business successes,

general conditions and transi-

tions in the client's personal

life, relationships or profes-

sion by examining what is going on right now, discover-

ing what your obstacles or

challenges might be, and

choosing a course of action to

make your life be what you

want it to be.

Life Coaching is a designed

alliance between coach and

client where the coaching re-

lationship continually gives all

the power back to you, the

client. We believe that you

know the answers to every

question or challenge you may

have in your life, even if those

answers appear to be ob-

scured, concealed or hidden

inside.”

Hardly Biblically based is it?

Then there are the churches

for people who don’t like

church. I’ve even read of

some with in the Reformation

Movement. How can you be a

Christian and not love theChurch that Jesus bought with

His own blood? It’s an oxy-

moron!

We are promised in Mat-

thew’s Gospel that the “Gates

of hell will not prevail.” Praise

the Lord. The translation from

the Greek means that we, the

Church, will not be overpow-

“And I tell you, you are Peter,

and on this rock I will build my

church, and the gates of hell

shall not prevail against it.”

Mat 16:18 ESV

THE CHURCH IS UNDER-ATTACK IN OUR DAY! It

has been since the beginning of

the church age. Satan is alive

and battling Christians as much

as he is able to. The attacks

come from within the church

and from those outside of thechurch. For example, from

without there are activists that

are constantly seeking after

their own agenda and trying to

push it on the church. Madalyn

Murray O'Hair was an Ameri-

can atheist activist. She was the

founder of the organization

American Atheists. She is best

known for the Murray v. Cur-

lett lawsuit, which led to a

landmark Supreme Court rul-

ing ending official Bible-reading in American public

schools in 1963. This came one

year after the Supreme Court

prohibited officially sponsored

prayer in schools in Engel v.

Vitale (Wikipedia). It has been

fifty years and we see where

we are today in our society

without that influence in the

public schools. What activists

claim as a victory has resulted

in moral decay in our country

and the generations that havefollowed.

Now, the church is confronted

with those who have an agenda

for gay rights and same sex

marriage and sad to say, some

church groups and denomina-

tions have already fallen victim

to that agenda.

WE are also confronted with

spiritual battles from within

the church. Many trends in

the life of the church have

come and gone and many

pastors and parishioners

alike look for gimmicks for

church growth without any

dependence on the Holy

Spirit. One trend in particu-

lar is a program called,

“Church without walls.”

They’re motto says, “We’renot going to church we want

to be the church.” My dear

friends those that are saved

according to the Bible can

say with great confidence

and enthusiasm, “WE ARE

THE CHURCH!”

There’s another program

called “Natural Church De-

velopment.” Maybe we

should be in the Supernatu-

ral church development. I

was always amazed that. If itis natural why does there

have to be a program to pro-

mote it?

We are dealing with and

encouraged to change termi-

nology so we don’t offend

anyone. I like to call some

of the changes in terminolo-

gy “church euphemisms.” It

is doing the same thing with

a different name. Some pas-

tors for example do not want

to be called pastor but en-courage folks to look at

them as a “life coach.” On

the website lifecoach-

ing.com it says;

What Is Life Coaching? " Go

confidently in the direction

of your dreams! Live the life

you've imagined. As you

simplify your life, the laws of

The Church You Can Believe In Today: The Gates of Hell

Shall Not Prevail by Bruce Wilson

The Truth in HDTruth in HD

V o l u m e 3 ,

I s s u e 1 0

O c t o b e r 2 0 1 3

Inside this issue:

Revival In the Word and Spirit 2

Being the Church 4

Avoiding Rejection 6

The Work of Satan

The Realities of Christ

8

9

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Atheists

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abington_School_District_v._Schempp


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engel_v._Vitale




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Atheists



When I consider the setting for the book

of Revelation, I’m always impressed with

what God had to say to the Church in the

midst of persecution. Sixty-three years

had passed since Jesus had been crucified.

In about 95-96 A.D., the Roman emperor

Domitian banished John to the lonely Is-

land called Patmos. The book of Revela-

tion tells us, “I John, your brother and

partner in the tribulation and the kingdom

and the patient endurance that are in Jesus

was on the Island called Patmos on ac-

count of the Word of God and the testi-

mony of Jesus”(Rev. 1:9). Lillie

McCutcheon points out that he was sen-tenced to hard labor in the lead quarries

on the island (P.

15, The Symbols

Speak). Sister

McCutcheon

pointed out that

in ages of des-

pair, the message

of Revelation

gave courage and

hope of eternal

victory to mil-

lions suffering

persecution and

death. The truth

in its pages chal-

lenges the church of today to engage in

the final conflict of the ages. Here the

Christian will find a new edge for his

sword of the spirit; faith becomes strong

in the promise of final victory (P. 16, TheSymbols Speak).

We aren’t facing a sentence in a lead

quarry but we face challenges to our faith

today and the book of Revelation speaks

into our lives and calls us to revival. Sis.

Lane, of Lane Bible School, wrote in her

unpublished manuscript on Revelation,

“Satan never signs a peace treaty, He sees

to it that tremendous pressure is exert-

ed upon everyone who takes a stand

for Christ in this World” (P. 60). Every

day he throws at us anything possibleto get you to turn from the Lord or at

least to back off in your commitment

to the Lord.

So what does the Lord say to the

Church in the midst of persecution in

the first century and today that encour-

ages us and reminds us to seek Him?

In Revelation chapter eleven we are

confronted with two witnesses. The

importance of these witnesses goes tothe very life, authority, power and

structure of the Church.

Let’s begin with authority. I was re-

cently told of a change taking place in

a denominational group to help the

district’s financial struggles. It seems

someone has come up with the idea

that their problems will be solved if the

district has access to the bank accounts

of the local congregations and they can

just make automatic withdrawals for

the district. That struck me as a meth-

od I never noticed in the Bible! That

sounds like the exercise of a line of

authority that I don’t find in the Bible

either.

What does the Bible have to tell us

about authority? In Revelation 11:3 we

are told these two witnesses have the

authority to shut the sky that no rain

fall during the days of their prophesy-

ing. When we read the close of Mat-

thew 28:8 we discover Jesus saying,

“All authority in heaven and on earth

has been given to me.” Power and au-

thority in the church belong to Jesus

and if anyone else exercises authority,

it is delegated authority from Jesus.

C. W. Naylor stated in the second

verse of “O Church of God,”

“Divinely built, divinely ruled, To

God she doth submit, His will her

law, His truth her guide, Her path

is glory lit”. The hymn directs us

to the Word of God as authority

within the body of Christ. F. G.

Smith points out who the two wit-

nesses are by leading us through

scripture. In John 5:39 for in-

stance, “you search the scriptures

because you think that in them

you have eternal life; and it is

they that bear witness aboutme” (ESV). Then he takes us to 1

John 5:6, “And the Spirit is the

one who testifies, because the

Spirit is the truth.” Smith states,

“The two divine agents, authorita-

tive and final, are evidently the

Word of God and the Spirit of

God” (P. 124, The Revelation

Explained).

D. O. Teasley wrote in 1901,“Back to the Blessed Old Bible,

back at the Master’s call, back to

the Words of our Savior, loving,

obeying them all, never in sects to

be scattered, never again to do

wrong, Unity, Holiness, Heaven,

ever shall be our song, Back to

the blessed old Bible, back to the

light of its Word: be on our ban-

ners forever, Holiness unto the

Lord” (Hymnal of the Church ofGod, 1953 ed.). The authority in

the Church is Jesus and He mani-

fests that authority through the

Word of God and the Spirit of

God. Smith had stated the Word

of God is His revelation and the

Spirit His empowering.

In John’s day the message was

Revival in the Word and Spirit by Henry Scoff

Page 2

T h e T r u t h i n H D

V o l u m e 3 ,

I s s u e 1 0

Divinely

built, divinely

ruled, to God

she doth

submit...





The Book of Acts is the history of the birth

of The Church. In Acts one we read of

Jesus’ ascension to heaven and of the dis-

ciples returning to Jerusalem and gathering

in the upper room. It is worth noting that

each individual is named in the 2nd half of

verse 13 “ Peter and John and James and

Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew

and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus

and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of

James All these with one accord were

devoting themselves to prayer , together

with the women and Mary the mother of

Jesus, and his brothers” (Emphasis mine).

Did you notice that there were differences?

Educated and uneducated one used to

work for the hated Romans as a tax collec-

tor and there was one who was pledged to

the overthrow of the Romans: a Zealot.Two of the eleven were brothers and want-

ed to be first in the coming Kingdom.

There were women and the brothers of

Jesus. They were as different as the pieces

of a puzzle.

Yet they were of one accord, in agreement,

unified by their belief and in their purpose,

and they prayed. And look at what hap-

pened, the Holy Spirit came and the end

result was the addition of about 3000 to

their number. In Acts 2:41-47 we read “So

those who received his word were bap-tized, and there were added that day about

three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the

apostles' teaching and the fellowship,

to the breaking of bread and the pray-

ers. And awe came upon every soul,

and many wonders and signs were being

done through the apostles. And all who

believed were together and had all things

in common. And they were selling their

possessions and belongings and distrib-

uting the proceeds to all, as any had

need.

And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their

homes, they received their food with glad

and generous hearts, praising God and

having favor with all the people. And the

Lord added to their number day by day

those who were being saved .”

Did you see what they were? They were

devoted. The Encarta Dictionary on my

computer defined “Devoted” as, “feeling

or showing great Love, commitment, or

loyalty.” With great love they were com-

mitted and loyal to 4 things: the Apostles

teaching, the Fellowship, to the breaking

of bread, and to prayer.

Have you ever been puzzled? Not the

kind of puzzled where you are confused

or perplexed, though that could be part

of it, but where you realized you were

part of something bigger or better but

didn’t know how you fit in? Each of us

are like the pieces of a puzzle, uniquely

different, and yet when we are devoted

to one-another and joined together in

fellowship we become one and show the

total picture of the Church. Vs. 44 tells

us that all who believed were together.

Not just once a week for an hour or so;

but, that day by day they attended the

Temple. Their devotion to God and eachother was obvious to all and they found

favor with all the people.

Unfortunately in today’s church, the

devotion that was found back then simp-

ly is not there. Just as it is sometimes

difficult to put all the pieces of a puzzle

together, the individual members of to-

day’s church have a hard time being one

with each other and must learn to fit into

the whole, to get along, and be the

Church.

We’ve seen it and heard it; divisiveness,

discord, and disunity, a judgmental and

critical attitude that tears down and belit-

tles; “I don’t like the songs we sing”,

“The Pastor’s sermons are to long and

did you see that tie.” “That is not the

way I would have done it” and so it goes

one thing right after another. Is that be-

ing The Church?

Nit- picking and complaining about what

is going on, stating that they would have

done it differently, better or bigger andletting not only those in the church know

but also those outside the church. That

will not build unity or the church and

shows just who they are truly devoted to.

If we want to see revival, it has to start

with His church being ready, and if we

are only united in our apathy and luke-

warm devotion to attending a church

service once a week we won’t make the

cut and are no different than any other

group that gathers once a week, or

so, religious or not.

Either we are united and devoted to

His Church, seeking the Lord and

walking in unity. Or we are still achild of Adam and stand united

with him: condemned. That is not

the unity Christ prayed for when He

prayed for you and I.

In John 17:20-23 Jesus prayed “I

do not ask for these only, but also

for those who will believe in me

through their word, that they may

all be one, just as you, Father, are

in me, and I in you, that they also

may be in us, so that the

world may believe that you havesent me.”

So that the world may believe, that

they would be compelled to come

to Christ and His church. He con-

tinues, The glory that you have giv-

en me I have given to them, that

they may be one even as we are

one, I in them and you in me, that

they may become perfectly one, so

that the world may know that you

sent me and loved them even as you

loved me.”

In being devoted to the fellowshipof believers, the body of Christ, we

participate with and in the Church

so that the world may believe. Only

in Christ will we find unity, peace,

and the grace to overcome. Only in

Christ will we ever be one and only

in the one-ness He prayed for can

we influence those outside the

Church for Christ.

If you are not working towards uni-

ty, you are working against it! And

in working against the unity Christ prayed for, you are working against

Him and His Church!

Are your words building up, en-

couraging words or are they tearing

down and discouraging? Is pride

keeping you from doing the right

thing, being righteous, and working

towards unity? Are you going

through something right now that

God is trying to use to make you

Being the Church by Kenny SeidlerPage 4


V o l u m e 3 ,

I s s u e 1 0



more Christ like, are you fighting it?

Every critical word uttered and every

act of selfishness committed shows

where our true devotion lies.

The Great Commandment: “Love the

Lord your God with all your heart

and with all your soul and with all

your strength and with all your mind';

and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.” What you love is seen in your

focus and priorities, where you invest

heart, soul, mind, and strength as

well as your money and time. (Love

= T I M E) In Ephesians 4 we read, “ I

therefore, a prisoner for the Lord,

urge you to walk in a manner worthy

of the calling to which you have been

called, with all humility

and gentleness,

with patience, bearing with one an-

other in love, eager to maintain the

unity of the Spirit in

the bond of peace.” Would that not be being de-

voted /showing great love? The NIV

says “Make every effort to keep the

unity of the Spirit”. This passage of

scripture tells us that it takes work,

effort on our part, an eagerness, to

keep unity in His Church.

Pastor David Hall, in his sermon on

unity urged us to refute division. He

said “When you hear that which is not

unifying, but dividing, don’t partici-

pate in it, refute it, don’t just walk

away stand there and refute it!”These are our brothers and sisters in

Christ, your church, the body of

Christ, in which you worship and are

an active member, why would you

not defend that which you love and

are devoted to? If we do not show our

devotion, our love and loyalty, to

those we profess are our brothers and

sisters, what does that say to the

world? Unity of the Spirit is main-

tained in the bond of peace. We are to

have a peace-loving spirit that looks

to find things that we can agree onrather than those over which we disa-

gree. What you look for, you will

find. The Holy Spirit in Romans 12

tells us “ If possible, so far as it de-

pends on you, live peaceably with

all .” As far as it depends on you,

means that you are to do all that you

can to bring peace to whatever situa-

tion you may be involved in, whether

in the family of God, with your family at

home, or in the work place.

In Ephesians 4 we are told to walk worthy

of our calling, to be humble, gentle, pa-

tient, and to bear with one another in love.

When being right becomes more im-

portant than the God appointed relation-

ships of the church we are not living out

the Great Commandment, being Christ-like or being The Church.

In John 13 Jesus Said “ A new command-

ment I give to you, that you love one an-

other: just as I have loved you, you also

are to love one another. By this all people

will know that you are my disciples, if you

have love for one another ”(34-35). Learn-

ing to love unselfishly as Christ did, and

does, is not easy. It runs against the grain

of our self -centered nature. But it can be

done in Christ through grace. When we

are one, bound together by Christ's love,the world will see God's love through us

and in us and it will compel them to the

church. It is easy to say, that we love one-

another, but we must also practice it. 1

Cor 13:4-7 “ Love is patient and kind;

love does not envy or boast; it is not arro-

gant or rude. It does not insist on its own

way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does

not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices

with the truth.Love bears all things, be-

lieves all things, hopes all things, endures

all things.” Verse 8, Love never fails

(ESV). It is love for God and love for one -

another that forms the bond of peace that binds us together as one. Verse 4 There is

one body and one Spirit—just as you were

called to the one hope that belongs to your

call—one Lord, one faith, one bap-

tism, one God and Father of all, who is

over all and through all and in all .” Just

like in a marriage we need to learn to get

along and understand that we are now one,

our differences complement or complete

the whole. We cannot be critical of the

church, each other, leadership or of the

programs, planning, and events of the

church. That does not build unity orshow the love of God or the love we are

to have for each other to a lost andhurting world. Over the years I have par-

ticipated and encouraged programs and

events in the congregations in which I was

involved that would bring us together and

help us to get to know one another and

hopefully build relationships, I have also

encouraged events in the community so

that they would know the church was

there, but programs and

events do not build unity

or His church, they encourage it. An event

whether in the church or outside cannot bring

the commitment needed to build His church. In

Matthew 16:18 Jesus said “ I will build My

Church.” Pastors are not to build it they are

only to feed, tend, and shepherd the flock. In

wanting unity I lost my focus and instead of

seeking unity in the Lord I tried throughevents. You and I cannot build unity or the

church through events. The only way the

church will grow is if there is unity in Christ.

The local church has become lukewarm and

feeble, disjointed, and broken into individual

pieces, no longer active or viable to many of

the communities where they have been placed

(See Revelation 3:16). In fact if the church

should disappear most communities wouldn’t

even notice. The Local church is falling short

in its efforts to reach the lost, some are sin

sick and separated into denominations that

quarrel and bicker over their differences.And the world sees Christians spilt and divided

over what they deem as minor issues.

So what builds the church? Numbers? We can

draw the numbers up with events: concerts,

smoke and lights, entertainment. But that is not

building the church. Is it programs and books

on how to build your church? Many of us have

tried that “Church in a box”, that is what it

was , what it is, one size fits all, does not work,

our congregations are not those of the Mega

churches like Willow Creek, or Saddleback.

And revival services, that’s been done, but ifthere is no devotion, no love, they are just an-

other event…

So what does work? The verses of God’s word

that we have looked at today lay out the blue

print for growing the church. Devotion to the

apostles teaching, and the fellowship, to the

breaking of bread and to prayer, not events, not

programs, just following the instructions and

examples laid out for us in His word. We have

the blue print, the example of that very 1st

church and how it grew. But today’s church is

broken into many individual and very different

pieces that need put together. The church needs

revived. Three words start the recipe for reviv-

al that the church so desperately needs if it is to

grow. “If My People”, in order to be His peo-

ple we must be united in Christ, we must be the

church, the body of Christ. ONE church made

up of individual puzzled pieces that are united

in purpose, united in calling, and united in

Seeking the Lord. Are you going to be that

church?

Page 5



Siblings can be so incredibly different.

Brothers or sisters can look and act dif-

ferent, have different interests, and like

different topics of study. If you’re a

brother or sister, consider for a second

the variations within your family.

Two brothers many years ago displayed

very different interests in life, which lead

ultimately to jealousy and murder. One

man’s interest was holy, the other’s was

defiled. Cain and Abel could not have

had characteristics farther from one an-

other. Abel was a shepherd, so he

worked with livestock. Cain was a

farmer and worked the fields, dealing

mainly with fruits and vegetables.

The account of Cain and Abel (Genesis

4) is not really a joyful story. Since it is

not one with a happy ending I don’t pic-

ture it being made into a movie anytime

soon. Regardless, it is recorded in the

Bible, so it is valuable for us to learn

from. Every passage recorded in the

Word is beneficial for us to study. 2 Tim-

othy 3:16 says, “ALL scripture is

breathed out by God, and is profitable for

teaching, for correction, for reproof, and

for training in righteousness.” And for

this reason, we study the whole of scrip-ture, even this account. I hope by the

end, you will learn how to have a heart

like Abel, even when it’s tempting to

have Cain’s attitude.

Like I said, this story is far from upbeat

because it ends with Cain killing his

brother out of jealousy. Consider Cain’s

point of view. Here he is presenting God

a portion of his vegetables that he had

planted and harvested. He gave God a

sacrifice. Along came Abel, his little

brother, who also gives a sacrifice. They both gave up something for Him, but

God accepted only Abel’s offering, re-

jecting Cain’s. From his point of view, I

could see myself getting jealous that God

would pick which brother was His favor-

ite.

Did God favor Abel over Cain? Does

God have favorites? Could it be that God

preferred shepherds over farmers? May-

be you’re thinking that’s an easy answer -

NO!!! God doesn’t show partiality, it

says that in scripture. Okay, then what

was so terrible about Cain’s sacrifice?

Did he not give enough vegetables? Did

he pick the wrong kind of peppers? Or

was it that God wanted something living,

like a calf or sheep? If that is the case,

was Cain out of options, since Abel had

the livestock?

When it comes to God’s rejection, it may

be a little confusing. We surely don’t

want to experience the rejection Cain

faced when we try to offer God some-

thing. We may not be offering God fruits

or vegetables, but what about our tith-

ing? Yeah, it may be collected like eve-

ryone else’s tithing, but what if Godlooks at us and is not pleased or content

with what we tithe? What if he rejects

our attempts to help others? Or even

scarier - what if he rejects our request for

salvation? How does that work? Can he

really reject us?

I know there are a lot of questions, but

just think about it for a minute. Right

now we are going to look at this account

as a way to learn “HOW NOT TO BE

REJECTED BY GOD.” There are two

guidelines I want to give you that will prevent you from being rejected. I don’t

want your sacrifices, like Cain’s, to be

unworthy. Let’s make our sacrifices

worthy of acceptance.

Guideline 1: God NEVER rejects genu-

ine. Acting out of _____________ and

____________ makes you genuine to

God. Let’s fill in those two blanks.

1 Corinthians 13: 1-3 says, “If I speak in

the tongues of men and of angels, but

have not love, I am a noisy gong or a

clanging cymbal.

And if I have

prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and

all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so

as to remove mountains, but have not

love, I am nothing. If I give away all I

have, and if I deliver up my body to be

burned, but have not love, I gain noth-

ing.”

LOVE is genuine. Give to God out of

LOVE, and it will be pleasing to Him.

Hebrews 11:3-4: By faith we understand

that the universe was created by the

word of God, so that what is seen

was not made out of things that are

visible.By faith

Abel offered toGod a more acceptable sacrifice

than Cain, through which he was

commended as righteous, God

commending him by accepting his

gifts. And through his faith, though

he died, he still speaks.

FAITH is genuine. Give to God

out of FAITH, and it will be pleas-

ing to Him.

Therefore, acting out of LOVE and

FAITH makes you genuine to God.

Abel gave out of faith. Cain, on the

other hand, gave only what waswithin his “comfort zone” to give.

He didn’t give enough that would

cause him to rely only of God to

provide for him. “Comfort zones”

are where you find lukewarm

Christians. I asked the youth what

lukewarm meant, and they said,

“When you take a shower, luke-

warm water is when the tempera-

ture isn’t too hot and isn’t too

cold.” Lukewarm showers are the

types of showers we like to take

because they are COMFORTA-BLE.

While lukewarm showers are ac-

ceptable, lukewarm Christians are

not. Revelation 3:14-17 says, “And

to the angel of the church in Laodi-

cea write: ‘The words of

the Amen, the faithful and true wit-

ness, the beginning of God's crea-

tion. I know your works: you are

neither cold nor hot. Would that

you were either cold or hot! So,

because you are lukewarm, andneither hot nor cold, I will spit you

out of my mouth. For you say, I am

rich, I have prospered, and I need

nothing, not realizing that you are

wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and

naked.” Cain is an example of luke-

warm faith. God wants us all in or

all out. He does not want someone

stuck between two sides (hot v

cold), sitting on the fence.

Avoiding Rejection by Josie Davis

Page 6


V o l u m e 3 ,

I s s u e 1 0



There are other aspect of GENUINE

that could be mentioned here as well.

Genuine means your ON FIRE for

God. Willingness, honesty, and other

traits help define a genuine giver.

Keep in mind that if your offering to

God is genuine (out of love and

faith), he will honor it.

Guideline 2: God NEVER rejects our

best. Right now I want to look closely

at the two sacrifices given by Cain

and Abel. In the course of time Cain

brought to the LORD an offering

of the fruit of the ground, and Abel

also brought of the firstborn of his

flock and of their fat portions. And

the LORD had regard for Abel and his

offering (Genesis 4:3-4).

Throughout all of history, God has

always ask that we give our first ofeverything to him. Did you know that

the concept of tithing is that we give

God the first 10th of the money we

earn? Tithing is an act of worship,

like Abel’s offering. Abel gave the

FIRST of his flock. He gave lovingly

and faithfully the firstborn, which

was a huge sacrifice to his livelihood.

He could have rationalized, as many

people love to do, and decided to

allow his firstborn to mature and re-

produce at least 3 or 4 more

firstborns. Thus he would increase hisflock and give to God the same if not

more from his flock. The problem

here is HUMAN RATIONALIZA-

TION and lack of faith. He decided

faith needed to be in action. He sacri-

ficed enough to have to rely on God

for supplies.

He brought his BEST from the flock

to God. He knows our best, and asks

us to be our best for Him. We are not

called to be other people’s best (by

comparing their abilities with ours),

but we need to live up to our best for

God. “You shall set apart to the Lord

all the first opens the womb. All the

firstborn of your animals that are

male shall be the Lord’s” (Exodus

13:12). “ Honor the Lord with your

wealth and with the firstfruits of all

your produce” ( Proverbs 3:9)

My wealth may not be as great as

your wealth, and your wealth may be

nothing like Bill Gates’ wealth, but that’s

not the point. Give of the firstfruits of all

your produce. Being at YOUR best is

pleasing God. That also means to give

God the first of your time, talents, praise,

and worship. Make it FIRST and out of

FAITH and LOVE- God will honor your

sacrifice.

We haven’t really addressed one ques-

tion: Did God still favor Abel over Cain?

In other words, was there room for 2 ac-

ceptable sacrifices? Could God have ac-

cepted both Cain and Abel’s, or was he

looking at whose was better?

A lot of children are convinced that their

parents play favorites. At my house

growing up, it got so bad that my mother

bought all of us shirts that said, “Mom’s

Favorite.” We used to fight when one

child received our parent’s attention. Inever knew who I was more frustrated

with, my parents or my sibling getting

their attention. Looking back now, I see

that complete jealousy in me was the real

issue. Cain was the same way. Jealousy

drove him deep into hatred, which lead to

murder.

There was enough room in God’s heart to

love and accept both brothers. Of course

there was something wrong with Cain’s

gift, he was the problem. We already

went over how Abel gave what cost himdearly, but in contrast, Cain did not.

Comparing the two offerings, we can see

that God was dealing with formalistic

worship and true worship.

Cain’s style of sacrifice is compared to

today’s religious practice that says “I

have to.. I have to.. I have to!!” But

Abel’s true form of sacrifice is different.

God wants to hear our heart’s cry the

same way, “I want to… I want to.. I want

to!!” The focus is not on what the men

brought to God, rather it is on the men

and their heart conditions. God’s favor

was pointed directly at the person first,

then- and only then - towards the offering

that person brought. This truth applies to

our worship today. If the heart attitude

and condition is not found acceptable, the

gift brought to God will likewise be unac-

ceptable.

Cain’s heart, not the sacrifice, was the

true issue. You can see his heart condi-

tion revealed when his face was “cast down”

and he burned with jealousy. Cain showed the

truly sad state of his heart when he murdered

his brother. God searches our heart EACH time

we come to worship Him. He desires a heart

that is authentic in praise and on fire for him.

Lukewarm praise is rejected, but firstfruits are

accepted. God will never reject you and block

you from salvation, as long as you are genuine-

ly giving him your all. Authentic worship

makes a person an authentic Christian.

Page 7





Page 9

The Realities of Christ by Nick Wilson

Revelation1:9-20

I had an English teacher in high school that used to tell us, “It is not reality, but one’s perception of reality that defines our actions

and behavior.” In many circumstances that statement is true, and we see it illustrated all around us. When I was growing up my

family never locked the doors of our home. There was little need to do so. We lived in a small town and crime was generally not

something that was a great concern for us. We felt safe and trusted that God would protect us in our home. I had a friend who lived

a few miles away whose family held the opposite perception of the town we lived in. Not only did they lock their doors when they

left the house, they kept their doors and windows locked when they were home. They faced the same reality as my family, but per-

ceived it in a different way. It is not my purpose to comment on the correctness of either perception, but to point out that our per-

ception affects the way that we live.

Perception affected the church of John’s day just like it does in our era. From the perspective of the early church there was little

hope. The last apostle was in exile on Patmos, and the empire of Rome worked to stamp out their existence. As John considered the

state of the church and wondered how God would work in such a hostile world his perception met reality. Jesus Christ revealed a

vision that reminded John who established and sustains the church. He saw a vision of the glory of the one who built God’s church

in this world; a vision that reminded him of the work that Jesus continued to do among God’s people. John wrote this vision to the

church so that they could forge ahead into a hostile world with confidence that the reality of their situation was more hopeful than

the common perception. Whether it was a church that considered their circumstances dire, or the Romans who believed that they

could overcome God’s work, the reality was that Jesus Christ still carried out the work of God.

Jesus Walks Within the Church

“Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the mist of the

lampstands one like a son of man…” (Rev. 1:12, 13). No matter what the church faces, Jesus walks among His people. From the

beginning of time God has desired fellowship with those who place their faith in Him. In the Old Testament we read about the con-

struction of the tabernacle in the wilderness, and later, the temple in Jerusalem. God commanded the building of these structures so

that He could live among His people. When John saw this vision of Jesus He was walking among His people – the place where we

commonly expect to find God.

Jesus does not simply walk among the church, but He does so in purity. William Barclay explains that the vision of His head and

hair reveals the eternal purity of Christ to us. “The snow and the white wool are emblems of stainless purity.” The Son of God

walks within His church to establish the purity that defines Him among the people who represent Him. His purpose is to set them

apart and purify them. “So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood” (Heb. 13:12).

To sanctify the people, Jesus set them apart for one purpose. He overcomes the double-mindedness of those who seek to serve Him

and the world simultaneously and turns our attention solely to God. He works to set the people apart so that the works of the world

no longer distract from God’s work and witness through their lives. As God’s people interact with family and friends, go to work

and school, and live with a testimony of their priorities, God is seen through the things they do. God does not want a church that

serves Him as they work toward other things, but people who will put Him above all else. He looks for people who will act as ifthey represent Him in all aspects of their lives – because they do. That is why James wrote, “Draw near to God, and he will draw

near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8).

In this vision of Christ, John saw One who is pure as well as one who is able to discern the purity of others. His eyes of fire pierce

the depths of the soul and reveal the purity of our motives. As the church carries on the business of God’s kingdom it is necessary

for us to assess our motives. People can speculate as to the motives of others, but no other person really knows. Nobody can really

be positive why any of us do what we do, but Jesus Christ who walks among us always knows. He is aware of the reasons for our

service to God. That alone should be enough to help us to be honest with ourselves about purity of motive.



Page 10


V o l u m e 3 ,

I s s u e 1 0

He does not simply stand within His church to judge His people, but walks among the lampstands of the temple and makes inter-

cession for God’s people. “[His garment] is a description of the high priest…Jesus is our High priest, even in heaven.” As we

strive to live within God’s will Jesus stands before God on our behalf. “The former priests were many in number, because they

were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Conse-

quently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for

them” (Heb. 7:23-25). No matter where God’s people find themselves, or what He calls them to do Jesus Christ stands as our eter-

nal high priest. “He was girt about with a golden girdle, the breastplate of the high priest, on which the names of his people areengraven; he was ready girt to do all the work of a Redeemer.”

Jesus Holds the Messengers to His Church

The motives that seem to be called into question most often are the ones whom Jesus holds in His right hand. He tells us that the

seven stars He holds are the angels of the seven churches. The term angel means messenger . Many scholars agree that this refers

to the pastors of these congregations. Their ministry and fate lie in His hand of power (the right hand).

Many Christians today have taken the fate of pastors into their own hands. They make judgments as to the motives and purposes

of pastors. As we consider the work of pastors it is important to be familiar with at least a few of the Scriptures that address the

response of people to God’s messengers.

During the time of Isaiah we read, “For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the

instruction of the Lord; who say to the seers, ‘Do not see,’ and to the prophets, ‘Do not prophesy to us what is right;

speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusion, leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy

One of Israel” (Isa. 30:9-11).

We read in Jeremiah, “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of Anathoth, who seek your life, and say,

‘Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, or you will die by our hand’ – therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘ Be-

hold, I will punish them…’” (Jer. 11:21, 22).

Amos wrote, “Now therefore hear the word of the Lord. ‘You say, “Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach

against the house of Isaac.” Therefore thus says the Lord: “…you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall sure-

ly go into exile away from its land”’” (Amos 7:16, 17b).

There is an authority given to those whom God has sent to His people as messengers. They are under a great burden to speak on ly

God’s word and no others, but they possess this authority nonetheless. God could have sent heavenly beings to each congregation

in this world. He could have thundered His direction from the highest mountain, or from the very throne room of heaven, but He

did not. He chose to use those whom He has called to preach His word. Jesus Christ holds them in His right hand so that this word

might be proclaimed clearly to the people of God. The Apostle Paul recognized this call when he wrote Romans: “How then will

they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how

are they to hear without someone preaching” (Rom. 10:14)?

It is imperative that the church of this day make every effort to understand the importance God places on this. “For since, in the

wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those

who believe” (1 Cor. 21). When the rich man in Hell asked for one to be sent to his brothers the response from Abraham was,

“They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them” (Luke 16:29). There are those who have been called by God to deliver

His word, and Jesus Christ holds them in His hand. This is not to say that pastors are infallible, but far too many have lost sight of

the fact that Jesus Christ has called them, and will protect them when necessary. There are times when it must be recognized that

God will speak to them, and we must take heed.



Jesus Provides Every-

thing Needed to Sustain the Church

God has given us more than messengers of His word to sustain the church. It is no coincidence that each of the characteristics of Jesus in

John’s vision are listed in the letters written to the churches in chapters two and three of Revelation. They see the Son of God as the One

who provides for every need that they face, and today we live with the reality that He provides for all that we need.

Jesus Christ stands among the people with feet “as burnished bronze.” When John saw these feet of bronze the vision of Ezekiel would

have come to the forefront of his memory. Ezekiel saw four creatures bearing the throne of God among His people in exile. Ezekiel 1:7

tells us, “Their legs were strait, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf’s foot. And they sparkled like burnished bronze.”

These beings that Ezekiel saw revealed the throne of God. They surrounded Him, and His light came from their midst. Jesus walks within

the church as the one who brought the throne of God into the midst of man. He came into the darkness of the world to walk among man

and restore his fellowship with the Holy Creator. No matter how much resistance we face from the world, God’s throne is still among

those who will submit to Him. Through persecution and trial, tribulation and difficulty God’s presence is with us. This is a promise that

the church carries into a hostile world.

God’s throne is the place from which His word proceeds. Jesus bears the throne of God in the New Testament temple, and from this place

proceeds the sword of His mouth. The word of God comes into the world through the church. When our perception tells us that we face

overwhelming obstacles, God gives us a word that will overcome all enemies. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any

two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the

heart” (Heb. 4:12).

This sword of God’s word brings conviction that will cause the sinful world to stand exposed before God. It will work in each heart, and

place each soul before the measuring rod of our Lord: “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isa. 55:11).

God’s word always carries power with it. That’s why John heard the voice of Jesus that was “like the roar of many waters.” Matthew Hen-

ry commented, “His voice was as the sound of many waters, of many rivers falling in together. He can and will make himself heard tothose who are afar off as to those who are near. His gospel is a profluent and might stream, fed by the upper springs of infinite wisdom

and knowledge.”

Just like a rushing river the word of God cannot be held back. Man may put a dam in front of it to slow its progress, but the power of God

builds behind it until it cannot be contained. It will always burst forth into the world with the full power of heaven. It can be suppressed,

but never contained, slowed but never stopped. Jesus spoke to the church in such a way as the world could not overcome the wisdom and

power delivered by the Son of God. If our words, once spoken, cannot be taken back, how much harder would it be to stop what has been

spoken by God about the church? Can anyone stop His promises, or hope to inhibit His power? No power on earth, or from hell, can keep

God from carrying on His work through the willing, submissive soul. Our perception may tell us that things are hopeless, but the reality

we live is that we serve a God whose very word cannot be overcome. It will work when it becomes a reality in the lives of His people.

There are thousands of directions the church can look today for something that will sustain God’s work. We can consider each circum-stance we face and the felt need of each person, but how can we possibly act on so many different perceptions of reality? The reality the

church faces today is the same as the one John faced. Jesus Christ walks among us; holding the fate of those He has called; testing our

motives and purifying us; interceding on behalf of God’s people; redeeming lost souls; speaking the word of God and overcoming ene-

mies. We base our view of reality on a lot of different things, but shouldn’t it be on only one? Shouldn’t the church live in light of the

reality of Jesus Christ?

Page 11



CHURCH OF GOD BIBLE INSTITUTE

A Biblical Educaon for God’s People Today Flexible and Aordable…

A Completely ONLINE, TWO-YEAR, DIPLOMA Course of Studies

Especially for…

Ministerial Candidates…Leaders in the Church…Sunday School

Teachers…

All who desire a solid Biblical Educaon and Spiritual Growth

Classes in…

Old and New Testament Survey – Theology - Church of God History

The Role of Leadership - Teaching Children - Pastoral Counseling -

and much more

$1300* for Enre Two-Year Course (13 classes)

$100* for Individual Classes (Choose from 20 subjects)

*Does not include the cost of textbooks

Scholarships and Liberal Payment Plans are Available

For an online brochure and applicaon, email the Dean of Bible In-

stute Studies at: [email protected]

or Call: (423) 783-8988

Accepng Applicaons for the 2013 Fall Semester Now

Page 12


V o l u m e 3 ,

I s s u e 1 0

mailto:[email protected]





Page 13

Be sure to check out

The Culture of God’s

Kingdom, a new book

written by Nick Wilson.

It’s available on:

Amazon.com

Barnes and Noble

Westbowpress.com

It’s also available for

Kindle.



ered! That is a promise from Jesus.

No doubt we will be attacked, but thevictory has already been won. WE are

able to stand with the power of God in

us through the Holy Spirit.

God gave us the battle plan in Scrip-

ture and the intelligence on the enemy

the devil. The Bible says, “Be sober -

minded; be watchful. Your adversary

the devil prowls around like a roaring

lion, seeking someone to devour. Re-

sist him, firm in your faith, knowing

that the same kinds of suffering are

being experienced by your brother-

hood throughout the world.” 1Pe 5:8-

9 ESV

We are also commanded to put on the

full armor of God. Eph. 6:11-18. And

Jesus said He would not leave us as

orphans and that He would never

leave us of forsake us. The Bible says,

“Teaching them to observe all that I

have commanded you. And behold, I

am with you always, to the end of the

Truth in HD

The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail ...Continued From Page 1

B r i n g i n g T r u t h i n t o F o c u s

-Our intent is to circulate this publication en-

tirely by email. If you would like to receive

The Truth—In HD on a monthly basis, pleaseemail us at this address:

[email protected]

-It is our desire to discuss the truth of Scripture

openly. If you have any questions or com-

ments, please email us. (Only comments

deemed appropriate will be printed.)

-PLEASE FEEL FREE to produce as many

copies of this publication as you would like.

We encourage you to forward this by email,and give copies to your friends.

-For further discussion on doctrinal topics,

please see:

www.holinessreformation.blogspot.com

Writers may be contacted by email at

the following addresses:

Nick Wilson:

[email protected]

Josh Wilson:

[email protected]

Henry Scoff:

[email protected]

Bruce Wilson:

[email protected]

Josie Davis:

[email protected]

Kenny Seidler: [email protected]

Blair Spencer: [email protected]

Nick Wilson

627 Woodward Ave.

Kittanning, PA 16201

(814) 490-9429

[email protected]

age” (Mat 28:20 ESV) and also, “And I

will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you

forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom

the world cannot receive, because it

neither sees him nor knows him. You

know him, for he dwells with you and

will be in you. " I will not leave you as

orphans; I will come to you” (John

14:16 -18 ESV).

Finally, Jesus said, “I WILL BUILD

MY CHURCH!” The church, the called

out ones, the congregation of the saints

both here on earth and in heaven. His

Church, His body, is alive and well

despite what some would think. What

the Lord builds cannot be torn down!

In Psalms 136 the phrase, “His love

endures forever” is repeated 26 times. 1

Peter 1:25 says, “The word of the Lord

stands forever.” 1 John 2:17 says,

“Whoever does the will of God lives

forever.” John 12:34 says, “Christ will

remain forever.” Luke 1:33 says,

“Jesus’ kingdom will never end."

We are a blessed people, God’s

Church, and the victory is ours! We

will receive the victor’s crown

when we go on to glory. Praise His

holy name!

Documents

Truth in HD October 2013