Web of Lies

Have you ever met an individual who would make a statement and then contradict himself moments later? While not everyone who does this will fall under this category, it is usually the mark of a habitual liar. That is one who is in the habit of lying. Those who choose to constantly tell lies are a trouble not only to others but to themselves. “The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble.” (Proverbs 12:13). The person who spreads falsehoods lays a trap for himself. How? Eventually, he will be found out. One can probably think of an episode of a television show where the main character tried to get out of a situation by lying. He tells one elaborate lie after another and is eventually found out. He is then made to sleep in the bed he has made. When a person lays out a web of lies, he often must keep up with one lie and build upon others. Unless he has a perfect memory, he will eventually get tangled in his own web and is found out. He also must live in fear of being found out. On the other hand, the just person who speaks as God would have him to speak will be saved from trouble because he does not have to keep up with lies. Remember, “A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence.” (Proverbs 13:2). Furthermore, Christ said, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.” (Matthew 12:36). Are you in the habit of telling lies? Please stop. You are only hurting yourself in the end.

Who Does God Call a Fool?

Who Does God Call a Fool?

We know April 1^st as “April Fool’s Day.” It is a day when (hopefully) good natured practical jokes are played on others for the enjoyment of all. When trying to find the origin of said holiday, I noticed that no real origin could be found so I will share a number of possible ones. It is said that it came to be when the Julian calendar, which celebrated the New Year around March 25^th was changed to the calendar we use today. Another possible beginning is that of the Roman holiday “Hilaria” which celebrated the end of winter. Others point to the ruler Constantine allowing a jester by the name of Kugel to rule as a king for a day. It is said that Kugel appointed one day in which humor was celebrated. Regardless of its beginning, it is a day when these jokes are played the joker usually refers to the jokee as an “April fool!” So we refer to the one unfortunate enough to be part of the joke to be called a fool. While this is done with a light heart there are moments within the pages of the Bible that God refers to individuals as “fools.” He does not do it with a light heart but with a serious tone. When God does it He does so to rebuke those to whom He speaks. Who, according to the Bible, does God call a fool?

One Who Denies the Existence of God. “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good” (Psalm 14:1). This covers the individual who denies the existence of God claiming the world and the things therein to have been created through unproven science. This would cover the persons of the world who is “religious” and yet is part of a religion which excludes God. These individuals would be fools in the eyes of God.

One Who Trusts in Riches Over God. After being called on by an individual to “divide the inheritance” Jesus offers a parable concerning covetousness (Luke 12:13-21). He spoke of a rich man who brought forth plentifully. He was so abundant that he had no room to store what he had reaped. What was his solution? Tear down the old barns and build bigger! Why? So he could rely on those things to bring him relaxation, comfort, and a good life. Where was God in this equation? This man trusted in his riches “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” (Luke 12:20). Jesus summed everything up by saying that this was the man who lays up treasures for self but is NOT rich toward God (v. 21; cf. Psalm 49).

One Who Slanders Another. How often do Christians make passing statements about non-Christians or even their own brethren which could be counted as slander? Slander is basically an attack on someone else’s character. Why is it that Christians feel the need to tear each other down? Sometimes it’s even played off as, “I love brother so and so but…” and proceed to say something regarding that person’s character or actions. We do not say it to that person to help them grow but to someone else. God said, “He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool” (Proverbs 10:18).

One Who Seeks His Own Wisdom Over the Wisdom of God. This is similar to trusting in riches over God. There are many who seek to commit his ways and do things as he sees fit. His advice is better than any advice which can be given. Jeremiah said, “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). There are many who look to their own wisdom rather than true wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). God has spoken to man and said, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise” (Proverbs 12:15). Paul said of the Gentiles of time past, “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22).

There are many other times in which God refers to an individual as a fool and in the future these will be brought out. The question we need to ask ourselves is, “Am I a fool?” If one of these things describes you then the answer is, “Yes.”

The Necessity of Hearing

When writing to the church at Rome Paul made an important statement when he wrote, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Understandably, anything that is written in the Bible is important for us to take into consideration. If it were not important, it would not be there for us to read. Here Paul makes an important statement concerning faith. How is biblical faith produced? It is through the hearing of God’s Word. This was a point which the Christ made during His time on earth. “Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved” (Luke 8:12). Notice that hearing is a necessity which precedes belief and salvation.

Take note of the book of Acts and how the act of hearing the Gospel is stressed. On the day of Pentecost, the devout Jews who were in Jerusalem were confounded because they heard Galileans speaking the languages of these Jews who had gathered together from all over the earth. “And how hear we every man in our own language?” (Acts 2:8). “And they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41). Even after Peter and John were later arrested, those who heard Peter’s preaching the resurrection of the dead through Jesus obeyed the Gospel. “Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of men was about five thousand” (Acts 4:4). It wasn’t just the preaching of the apostles, but also Christians such as Philip in Samaria. “Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did” (Acts 8:5-6). Even for those who make the claim that an angel came to them with a message from God and that angel saved them, we notice that an angel sent a man to preach the Gospel to the Ethiopian Eunuch. The Eunuch had to hear God’s message as preached by a man (Acts 8:26). The angel did not save the Eunuch. Philip preached the Christ through Isaiah 53 and the Eunuch obeyed the Gospel. One can even turn to the apostle Paul as an example of one who needed to hear God’s message. After being blinded on the road to Damascus he was told by Jesus, “Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do” (Acts 9:6). What was he told? “And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). There are countless other examples in the book of Acts but hopefully these examples will drive home the intended point.

Never once did any of these people have some sort of “epiphany” which caused a sudden belief in God. God’s Word was the catalyst which softened the hearts of these individuals to serve God and His Will. It is the same catalyst which will spur an individual to become a Christian and will spur the Christian to continue in service to God.

Thought of the Week: Resolutions

This is the time of year which many make we call “New Year’s Resolutions.”  Basically, it’s a number of changes or goals that an individual hopes to make in the new year.  One may make the decision that he will lose weight and exercise more. He may make the statement, “I’m going to run x distance every day!”  Some will even make it a resolution to read a certain number of books throughout the year. Those are all well and fine but a friend once said, “Resolutions were made to be broken.” While things may start off well enough, the resolution is not often kept for a number of reasons. One may lose sight of the goal set. One may even set the bar too high and commit to keep that which is unattainable at the moment. That person gets discouraged and gives up.

While this should not be a resolution, may it be the goal of every Christian to live a more Christ-like life. Unlike some resolutions which are too difficult the commandments of God “…are not grievous” (1 John 5:3). We can keep them. Weight loss for the Christian is easy if we choose to “…lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us…” (Hebrews 12:1-2). We may not read as many books as we’d like to this years but we can “…give attendance to reading…” the Holy Scriptures (1 Timothy 4:13). Furthermore, no Christian can lose sight of the goal if he makes the decision to “…press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14).

Thought of the Week: What Will Your Epitaph Say?

Ever walk through a cemetery on the way to a particular burial plot just to notice the epitaph on a gravestone? An epitaph is a summary statement to commemorate a person’s life. It may say something along the lines of, “Loving daughter, mother, and wife,” “Brave Soldier Who Fought to Defend the Lives of Many,” or “When All Hope Was Gone, He Never Gave Up.”

Sometimes, these epitaphs are humorous in a morbid way. In Philadelphia, on the tombstone of a man who died of yellow fever in 1790 is written:

Grim death took me

without any warning

I was well at night

and dead in the morning.

 In describing the death of one Anna H., who fell from a presumed fall, has an epitaph which reads:

Here lies the body of our Anna

Done to death by a banana

It wasn’t the fruit that laid her low

But the skin of the thing that made her go.

Some even described individuals who weren’t well liked. In Nova Scotia a tombstone reads:

Here lies Ezekial Aikle

Age 102

The Good Die Young.

 Sometimes, an epitaph does not properly describe an individual’s life. That’s not to demean that person in the least bit but it is true. Maybe the words written do not do proper justice to the person in the grave who was so caring that it is hard to express in such words. Sometimes, that person doesn’t deserve the words written on the grave.

Throughout the Bible there are “epitaphs” concerning certain men and women. It is through these that we remember them and their character. If your epitaph were to be completely honest about you, what would it say? Would it be similar to the ones we read of in the Bible? Would it be said that you had “forsaken the right way and gone astray” as those who followed after the way of Balaam, loving the wages of unrighteousness (2 Peter 2:15). Would your tombstone read that you wanted to be first like Diotrephese, who loved the preeminence (3 John 9)? Maybe it would say that you, like David, were after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). Will it read “Ready to be Offered” (2 Timothy 4:6) or “Unprepared to Meet Thy God”? Hopefully, it can be etched in stone that we “became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered” (Romans 6:17). Sadly, there will be some who it could be said are “not able to enter in because of unbelief” (Hebrews 3:19).

Thought of the Week: Prior Proper Preparation

In high school, my Agriscience teacher had a saying which he would constantly use to those of us who were FFA officers (Yes, for those who know me, I was an officer in the Future Farmers of America). We would start planning for the FFA’s yearly banquet the day after the last one occurred. We would ask him why and he would mention the “Six P’s.” If someone was late with an assignment given to them, he would again mention the “Six P’s.” Finally, someone asked him what the “Six P’s” were. He went to his office and made enough copies of a sheet of paper to give to all of us. On that paper was written, “Prior, Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Product.” In other words, if one properly prepared for what was in the future, that one should not fail. How true this is for Christianity. Is not Heaven a “prepared place for a prepared people?” Sadly, Christ offered a parable concerning the lack of preparation which many would have (Matthew 25:1-13). There were ten virgins waiting for the coming of the bridegroom before the wedding feast. None of them knew the exact time of his coming. Five were wise in the fact that they were prepared by having sufficient oil for their lamps. Five were foolish in the fact that they did not. While the ten slumbered, the bridegroom came and the five foolish tried to get prepared by borrowing from the five wise. Since, the wise only had enough oil for themselves and the foolish; it did not work out that way. The five foolish then tried to get prepared while the bridegroom was coming by going into town and getting their needs. While they were gone, the bridegroom came and the wise went into the marriage feast with him and the five foolish were left outside the gates, being told, “Verily I say unto you, I know you not” (Matthew 25:12). Jesus ended the parable by saying, “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 25:13). In other words, be prepared because we never know when Jesus is coming back to this earth. In this instance, instead of preventing a poor product, we find that “Prior, Proper Preparation Prevents Eternal Damnation.” 

Will You Be Mocked? by Wayne Rodgers

Brother Wayne Rodgers is the preacher at the Oceanside church of Christ. Wayne and I graduated from the Memphis School of Preaching in 2009. You can find his blog, Wandering Off the Beaten Path, by clicking this link. Wayne is a great gospel preacher and is a blessing to the church.

Approximately 3,000 years ago, the wise man Solomon wrote, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Prov. 20:1).  A lot of wine has “passed under the bridge since then,” but lots of folks are still being deceived by the “rag­ing mocker,” alcohol.  The statistics tell the sad story of alcohol abuse in America.  More than 70% of adult Americans drink alcoholic beverages, and 1 out of 10 becomes an alcoholic.  Alcohol is the most abused drug in our society, costing our nation over $100 billion dollars annually in lost production, medical costs, property damage, violent crime, and death, not to mention the misery which results from the effects of this deadly drug.

Did you know that over half of all fatalities, resulting from car crashes, are caused by drivers who are “under the influence?” Every 48 seconds a person is injured in an al­cohol related auto accident, disabling over 500,000 people annually.  Alcohol is involved in 30-40% of all sexual abuse cases, and over 675,000 children annually are the victims of child abuse at the hands of a sub­stance-abusing caretaker.  Over 5,000 babies are born each year with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and according to a former Surgeon General, alcohol causes more deaths, than all major diseases combined.  Law enforce­ment experts agree, alcohol abuse is the leading cause of nearly every type of crime.

                 

When all the statistics are considered, how foolish it is that some “Christians” still advocate the consumption of alcohol in moderation, so long as one does not become drunk. Again, Solomon gave wise counsel when he wrote, “Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? Who hath bab­bling? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup…, At last it biteth like a ser­pent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall be­hold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea... They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake?  I will seek it yet again” (Prov. 23:29-35).   

A careful study of God’s Word reveals the devastation, which results from consuming alcohol, referred to in the Scriptures as, “the raging mocker.”  For instance, Lot became guilty of incest with his daughters because he became drunk (Gen. 19:33-35).  Nadab & Abihu were likely “under the influence” when they offered “strange fire” leading to their demise (Lev. 10:1-11).  Amnon was easily slain by the servants of Ab­salom, because he made the foolish mistake of getting drunk (II Sam. 13:28-29).  Queen Vashti was dis­honored by her husband, Ahasuerus, when at a drunken feast he ordered her to pa­rade her beauty before the crowd (Esther 1:1-22).  Belshazzar lost the kingdom of Babylon to the Medes and Per­sians, because he desecrated God’s sacred temple vessels, during the midst of a drunken feast (Dan. 5:1-31).

                 

God’s Word says the human body is to be preserved in purity as the temple of the Holy Spirit. “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (I Cor. 6:19-20).  However, alcohol destroys that temple. Ethyl alcohol reaches the bloodstream 30 seconds after ingestion, where it begins its damaging work.  Consuming it, in even small quantities, kills brain cells, impairs judgment and coordination, and adversely affects nearly every major organ of the body.  Overwhelming medical evidence shows there is no level of drinking that is not harmful to the body.

Christians are warned to guard our influence and not become a stumbling block to the weak.  We are not to abuse our freedom in Christ, by causing the weaker brother to sin, and social drinking falls within the jurisdiction of this counsel.  “Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.  Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God (I Cor. 10:32).

Yes, wine is still “the rag­ing mocker,” and millions are still being deceived by its influence.  However, the faithful child of God will wisely avoid strong drink, lest he become addicted to this work of the flesh, and miss inheriting the king­dom of God (Gal. 5:21, I Cor. 6:9-10).  Has “the raging mocker” fooled you?  Please think about it seriously.  

The bold letters tell the story of exactly what alcohol will do for you.  It will take you AWAY from God, your family, your job, and your life.