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RECAP NEWSLETTER - 7/30/5 Issue 40
"Your Duty" Too many Christians today get a broad 'purpose' confused with their Christian duty. Our primary duty as a Christian is not to promote self, but to serve Christ. In these verses, we see Paul reminding young Timothy what is most important. The very first thing that Paul reminded him of was that Timothy needed to be different than the world. In verse twelve, Paul admonishes, "be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." Six different areas were supposed to be separate from the world's way. His speech was to be sound and uncondemnable (Titus 2:8). His lifestyle, manners, conducts, and behavior (conversation), was to be free from any appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). This would also include music, as it affects your outward conversation. Having 'christian' words to the world's satanic music does not make the lifestyle, manner, conduct, and behavior that it exemplifies Christian! Another trait was Charity. He was to demonstrate God's love in a cold, uncaring world. Compassion, mercy, grace, and "apt to hospitality" (I Timothy 3:2). His disposition and emotions were to reflect Christ. He was not to be engrossed with learning the cold dispositions and apathy from the hellivision! The world was to see a faith demonstrated in how he lived, not looking on things temporal, but looking forward into eternity. His life was to reflect the faith that one day he was going to see Christ face to face, and was going to give account of himself to God. Purity. Sinlessness of life. These were going to take work. It would demand attention to detail as he went through the daily routines of life. A consciousness of the fact that he was an example of a believer. How was he to accomplish his duty? In verse thirteen, we find that Paul instructs him to "give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine." Reading God's Word, listening to preaching and exposition, and also the reading, studying, and meditating on doctrine. Too many churches do not put an emphasis on the doctrine. Without the doctrine, you cannot be an example! Everyone then defines for himself if he is a good 'example'. Studying the doctrine, what we stand for, what God's Word dictates, gives us a sure standard to check our life against. I've run across several individuals now who think that the church is outmoded, the 'church age' is past, or that they do not need to go to church. They are wrong. Granted, it needs to be a church that is teaching sound doctrine, and those are getting harder to find. But, it is the attending to the exhortation of God's word that we are constantly reminded of things we have already heard, and need to follow. It gets our mind meditating on what we have read, providing a balance against private interpretation. The Bereans checked what Paul said in the scriptures. This point of doctrine is so importation, that Paul reminded Timothy of it again in verse sixteen: "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." Are we examples of the believers, or we examples of the world? Christian, these days the world needs a light set on a hill, someone that stands out, someone who by their word, conversation, charity, spirit, faith, and purity will bring others to Christ. Have you been attending to your duty? I Timothy 3:15 exhorts us, "Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all."
MISCELLANEOUS
QUOTES A man shows his character by what he laughs at. Purify. Simplify. Verify. Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are, to some extent, a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece - by thought, choice, courage and determination. - John Luther
CURRENT EVENT RECAP Many weeks have passed since our last RECAP, so there is a broad array of topics that could be addressed. I was reminded of II Thessalonians 2:3-4 - "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." Our world is pretty close to accepting such an individual. There was an interesting statement a couple of weeks ago about the latest Harry Potter books. The writer remarked, "Harry Potter is a global long term project to change the culture. In the young generation inhibitions against magic and the occult are being destroyed." The world's inhibitions against accepting of the occult and turning away from God are almost gone. Children and adults are familiarized with occult terms, names, morals, and thought. They are not just coming from Harry Potter, but television and kid's programs, even 'christian' magic books like Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings. Not only is the world endorsing occult thought to people, but the church is even helping through ignorance! Our society and world is ripe to accept the man of sin because of the lifestyle of sin already accepted. Romans 1:21-32 starkly reminds us of the consequences of sodomite activity. In verse 28, God declared that they do not like to retain God in their knowledge, they are haters of God (vs. 30), and even do so knowing that there is a God (vs. 32). When we look at just our nation and see the culture of sin that is growing and flaunting, do we realize the attitudes and spiritual state of our nation? They are already looking for a man of sin to accept their lifestyle and openly mock God. Our country is building homosexual retirement centers, declaring homosexual sin as normal, declaring that marriage by fornication is right, having notable comedians lead lives of fornication and plan cruise tours encouraging others to do so, and our country has been saturated with so much homosexual smut that the UCLA is now establishing an archive to preserve it, we have several homosexual cable and television channels creating and broadcasting sin, major homosexual events at our country's largest theme park (who also produces more filth with it's subsidiary Miramax), and we also have a President and First Lady who enjoy telling disgustingly lewd jokes. Christians, wake up! If you think for one second that God does not have reason to judge our country by having it nuked to oblivion, remember what God says: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Galatians 6:7. An even scarier thought is 1 Peter 4:17 - "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" The church is ultimately responsible. Other nations started secular, and then had Christian movements in them. Communist China was established as atheistic, but has had a underground Christian movement blossom and grow. America is different from any other nation because we started as a Christian nation and then went downhill. Remember the verse we read, "except there come a falling away first?" The Christianity of America has fallen into deep apostasy. Sure, there are many churches that still preach God's Word faithfully, but many churches have adopted another gospel. There is no non-essential doctrine. James Sundquist defines it well as, "A false teacher is simply someone who systematically does not tell or teach the truth about what Scripture teaches." Like I stated in the last RECAP, if your church is not teaching the unvarnished truth, get out. Every time that you attend there, you give credence to their false teaching, unintentially giving others a reason to stay and be led astray. Obviously, in the list of events this past month, there have been notable incidents of terrorism as well. I believe I have mentioned it before, but I have always felt and stated that the next 'terror' incident was probably going to be in Britain. Namely, because they and the US seem to be a tag team effort as of now. Another reason is that (taking a conspiratorial view of history) there could not be another convincing Sept. 11 incident here without a terrorist incident somewhere else to lend credibility to the terrorism network story. As a bonus, it conveniently justified renewing the Patriot Act, squelching any last minute debate, and also opening the door widely for new clampdowns. When the next Sept. 11th incident happens, there will be an even larger draconian governmental response, and with hardly a whimper from the people. I do not go into much detail on conspiratorial matters on my website, namely because other websites have that info covered well anyway. The main reason, however, is that it is not my focus. As Christians, we should be looking at the events occurring in the world around us as fulfillment of prophecy that we are even at the door of the Lord's return. In light of that, we as Christians should be evaluating how we are living, and strive harder to serve Him. With that said, I do believe that September 11th, Madrid bombings, and the London bombings were deliberately done with government complicity and support. It would be similar to Hitler's burning of the Reichstag. I am very concerned now, because what I would call 'phase 2' is now largely done. The first phase was Sept. 11th. That set the stage, got the police state laws rolling, created a mindset of fear in the American populace. The second stage would be an incident overseas to bolster support for the homeland policies, both in Iraq, and legislatively. Phase two is still developing, but there will not be much time before stage three: another incident in America. I do not pretend to know what it may be. Nuclear, biological, natural, etc. - take your pick. However, it is coming. 1 Thessalonians 5:3 "For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." Are people saying Peace and safety? Maybe in a desirous sense, hoping for peace and safety. Matthew 24:6 and Mark 13:7 remind us that wars and rumors of wars will be hallmarks that the Lord's return is near. So, what should Christians do? "Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober." I Thessalonians 5:6. As Christians, when we see prophecy being fulfilled, and the beginning of sorrows getting worse, we should be ever more sober to attend to God's Word, and to be the example that we should be. Do not live for this world - seek Christ first and highest of all!
REMINDERS & PRAYER REQUESTS
Pray for the requests in PrayerList, and also in iChurches.
May God richly bless, |