The End of the Lord

by Mac Hammond 

The book of Job is the most concentrated example of suffering we have in the entire Bible, yet to the frustration of many theologians, the “whys” of his suffering are never really answered.

Perhaps it is because God wants us to learn from something else. James 5:11 says:

Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. (KJV)

God uses the story of Job to tell us that it doesn’t matter what you’re going through or the nature of the challenges you are facing; the principles are the same for all adversity. What matters is that you understand how to be patient like Job—you could also say his endurance—and something called the “end of the Lord.”

Everything for Christ

Written by Jack Hayford

All things were created through Him and for Him. – Colossians 1:16

Every year, my wife Anna and I enjoy the splendor of the autumn landscape; its colorful display always ignites anticipation in my soul for the celebrations of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Perhaps autumn is my favorite season not only because of its beauty, but for what it represents—the harvest.

Harvest is indicative of multiplication, not simply of crops, but also of human souls. On Earth, we know that if we plant good seed and nurture it, we will reap a fruitful harvest. In Scripture, harvest is about reaping what God has promised through the seed of His Son—abundant and eternal life. That harvest, characterized by God’s adequacy, victory, and revival, is multiplied through us to others as we open to everything He intends for our lives. In that regard, there are two special dates that stand out in my life.

What Part Does the Virgin Mary Play In My Salvation?

There are some who teach that the Virgin Mary is a coredemptress, that she assists people in attaining salvation because she has special access to her Son. These are very well-meaning people, but the Bible differs with that view.

The Bible teaches, in the writings of the apostle Paul, that there is one mediator, or go-between, between God and man--the man Christ Jesus (see I Timothy 2:5). We do not need a mediator or buffer between Jesus and us.

When Jesus was on Earth, He was in a house teaching the people and ministering to them. There was such a large crowd outside that it was impossible for Mary and Jesus' brothers to get in. Word was sent to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You." Jesus then pointed to His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother." (Matthew 12:46-50). In this statement He elevates all who love Him to the status of being in His "immediate family." He was laying claim to a larger family than merely His earthly family, including His mother.

Go When You're Ready

"With long life will I satisfy [you], and shew [you] my salvation." (Psalm 91:16)

Did you know that it's not God's will for you or anyone to die young? His will for you is to live the full number of your days. You ought to live 70 or 80 years, and if you are not satisfied, live a while longer! The Bible says that when Abraham died, he died at a good old age, full of years. That's the way it ought to be with all of us.

Some believers don't realize that and they've gotten themselves in a mess. When they get sick instead of just believing for healing, they start wondering if it's God's will for them to die. "Maybe He's ready to call me home," they think.

Don't ever entertain thoughts like that. If God has His way, He won't call you home until you're good and ready to come. The Apostle Paul understood that. In 2 Timothy 4:6-7, he said, "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." Paul didn't die until he and Jesus were ready for him to go.

The Power of Faith Filled Words

If we want to start seeing the power of God manifest in our lives, we will have to start paying attention to what we say. Words have power—more than any of us realize, but we often speak them as though they are meaningless. Because of that, most of us at one time or another have been hung by our tongues.

Matthew 12:36-37 says,

“But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”

“Every idle word” simply means nonproductive. These are words that you speak but don’t believe. For example, you might say, “I’m dying to see my grandchildren.” You really don’t mean you’re dying, but you say it anyway to emphasize the importance of the relationship.

Every time you say things that you don’t really mean, it begins to numb your heart. Unconsciously, each idle word is making it just a little bit harder for you to believe that what you say will actually come to pass when you mean it and it really counts.

Discipleship Versus Evangelism

Most Christians believe that the primary purpose of salvation is to avoid hell. That may have been what you were taught, but it’s not what the Bible teaches. In fact, that kind of thinking serves to inoculate people from the truth of the Gospel concerning salvation.

If we simply ceased to exist at death and if there was no hell, I still believe that Jesus would have come to earth and died for us. Why? Because salvation is about having a relationship with God. God’s main reason for sending Jesus was to restore fellowship. It just so happens that as we restore our relationship with God through salvation, one of the perks—one of the great benefits—is that we miss hell and gain heaven.

Nowhere in the Scripture did Jesus tell us to go and make converts. Let’s look at what is commonly referred to as the Great Commission, found in Matthew 28:18-20. It says this:

Faith That Pleases God

Written by Jack Hayford

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. - Hebrews 11:1

Faith is the essence of our relationship to God and the instrument by which the gift of salvation is received: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Jesus, in teaching the lesson of the withered fig tree (Mark 11:20-26), demonstrates that faith is the key that releases the resources of heaven into our situation. He tells the astonished disciples, "Have faith in God...whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them" (vv. 22, 24). Strong's defines this kind of faith as conviction, confidence, trust, belief, reliance, trustworthiness, and persuasion. In the New Testament setting, it is the divinely implanted principle of inward confidence, assurance, trust, and reliance in God and all that He says.*

Jesus in the Old Testament

Written by Rev. Daniel Forster

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14, ESV)

It is common today to think of Jesus only in conjunction with the New Testament. We look at Jesus as the baby in the manger as the place where the story begins and sadly miss what He fulfilled – the promises that came to pass. Jesus is mentioned and prophesied about all throughout the Old Testament. Jesus was with God before creation even began and was with God and His chosen people all throughout the Old Testament until it was time for Him to be revealed.

God sent prophetic words and promises about salvation to the prophets of the Old Testament – promises of freedom from sin and an eternal life with God. One of the most common of these scriptures is in Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Where Are the Nine?

"And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?" (Luke 17:17)

Ten lepers, hopeless and incurable, had come to Jesus, begging for His help, and He had miraculously healed them. All ten should have fallen down to worship and thank Him, but only one praised God and thanked Jesus for His marvelous deliverance, while the others rushed away.

We are at first amazed at such ingratitude, until we realize that not more than 10 percent of even those people who know about Christ ever stop to give Him thanks for His innumerable blessings--life, freedom, food, shelter, health, family, and especially easy access to the Bible and His gracious offer of salvation--far greater in value than the gift of special healing received by the ten lepers.

Stuck

Written by Debbie West

Take today’s next step: Take the 35 Day Challenge and get unstuck.

“Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:12b-13)

When my niece Caroline was almost two years old, I took her to the mall to run an errand for her mom. While we were there, we went to the indoor playground. It was a closed-in area for preschoolers. I sat among parents who watched their children crawl through and climb over the pint-sized obstacle course.

At one point I realized that I couldn’t see Caroline, so I stood and began walking toward the other end of the play area. I hadn’t taken two steps when I heard a child’s loud cry. Sure enough, it was Caroline. Another dad was holding her, scanning the play area to find the parent. I reached out and took her from him. “She stuck her head in one of the shoe cubbies and couldn’t get out,” he told me. “I don’t think she’s hurt but it scared her.”

HEALING IS GOD'S WILL

Matthew 8:2, "And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." MATTHEW 8:1-4

Leprosy was a hated disease and its symptoms are described in detail in Leviticus 13:1-46. This leper believed Jesus could heal him, but doubted His willingness to heal him. Jesus showed him His willingness to heal, and since He is no respecter of persons, He established a precedent for us (Rom. 2:11). This leper did not know God's will concerning healing, but this is not the case with us. The Word of God is the will of God, and it reveals that it is always God's will to heal.

Isaiah 53:5, makes it clear that when Isaiah said "with his stripes we are healed", he was speaking of the physical healing of our bodies. Jesus provided for physical healing as well as forgiveness of sins. The very word "save" (Gk.-"sozo") is translated "made whole" in reference to physical healing in Matthew 9:22, Mark 5:34, and Luke 8:48. James 5:15 says, "the prayer of faith shall save (Gk.-"sozo") the sick." 

Vitriol infests Rick Warren family’s grief

Pastor Rick Warren greets the audience
before a forum with the presidential nominees
at his Saddleback Church on Aug. 16, 2008.
Religion News Service
file photo by Ann Johansson.

(RNS)  Pastor Rick Warren, the best-known name in American evangelism after Rev. Billy Graham, lost his 27-year-old son, Matthew, to suicide on Friday (April 5).

In the days since, uncounted strangers have joined the 20,000 congregants who worship at the megachurch network “Pastor Rick” built in Southern California, Warren’s nearly 1 million Twitter followers and hundreds of thousands of Facebook followers in flooding social media with consolation and prayer.

“Kay and I are overwhelmed by your love, prayers, and kind words,” Warren tweeted on Sunday. “You are all encouraging our #brokenhearts.”

But a shocking number are taking the moment of media attention to lash out at Warren on their digital tom-toms. The attacks are aimed both at him personally and at his Christian message.

Do We Have Guardian Angels?

Dr. Roger Barrier, Preach It, Teach It

Editor's Note: Pastor Roger Barrier's "Ask Roger" column regularly appears at Preach It, Teach It. Every week at Crosswalk, Dr. Barrier puts nearly 40 years of experience in the pastorate to work answering questions of doctrine or practice for laypeople, or giving advice on church leadership issues. Email him your questions at roger@preachitteachit.org.

Dear Roger,

Recently I attended a funeral service for one of my long-time friends named Randy. There came a moment in the service where the minister invited people to share testimonies of how Randy had touched their lives and what he had meant to them.

The first one to speak was Randy's brother, Will, who proceeded to share that he had a guardian angel named Ralph, and that Ralph had a message of love for all the people. Will then shared Ralph's message that God loved them. It all seemed a little quirky to me that Will had a guardian angel named Ralph.

Who Is The Holy Spirit?

 by Mike Mobley in Christian Living

Photo by hidesy

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. 

References to the Holy Spirit are numerous in the Bible. The Holy Spirit is coequal and coeternal with God the Father and God the Son in every divine attribute. Each works differently and occupies a different role with respect to the divine work of salvation. 

Although referred to as a source by many, the Holy Spirit is a person. The Holy Spirit possesses all the divine attributes of God -attributes such as 

• omnipresence (Psalm 139:7 - Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?), 

Knee-Deep In Daffodils

Our Daily Bread 

Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn

READ: Luke 24:13-34

The Lord is risen indeed! —Luke 24:34

When the first flowers of spring bloomed in our yard, my 5-year-old son waded into a patch of daffodils. He noticed some debris from plants that had expired months before and remarked, “Mom, when I see something dead, it reminds me of Easter because Jesus died on the cross.” I replied, “When I see something alive—like the daffodils—it reminds me that Jesus came back to life!”

The Overflowing Cup

Dear Reader: Happy Passover! For the next eight days, we celebrate Pesach (Passover), offering you devotional reflection tied to this very special observance as well as Torah readings for each day. Since no work is done on the holiest of these days, these devotions were prepared in advance for you.

"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." —Exodus 20:2

Today is Day 4 of the eight-day Passover celebration. The Torah reading for today is from Exodus 22:24–23:19.

Are you a pessimist or an optimist? Believe it or not, one day, according to Jewish tradition, God will want to know.

The Sages teach that there are a series of questions each person is asked when his or her time on Earth has come to an end. Among those questions are "were you an honest person?" and "did you make time to study God’s Word?" One of them is also "did you anticipate salvation?" In other words, were you an optimist? Did you anticipate that things could get better and that God would help you?

Come To The Table

Written by Jack Hayford

When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer..." (Luke 22:14-15)

On the night before He was slain, Jesus opened up the Passover Seder to being more than a religious observance; it became a Communion Table in which He invited His disciples to partake of His fullness and life. It was here that the truth of our salvation, pre-figured in the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, would be fulfilled. As He broke the matzo, the unleavened Passover bread, and took the cup with them, He reinterpreted the practice that had been going on for centuries, applying it to Himself. Jesus was becoming the ultimate Pesach Lamb.

Get Ready for the Impossible

by Rick Warren

“He chose to give us birth through the word of truth …” (James 1:18a NIV)

God wants to use his Word to give you a fresh start in life.

Without God’s Word, we could never be saved. We wouldn’t be headed for Heaven. We wouldn’t know about Jesus’ death on the cross. We wouldn’t know about God’s purposes for our lives.

Without the Bible, we can’t know God.

God wants to give you all of that — but it starts with his Word. Through the Bible, God recreates our life. When I feel like I’m at the end of my rope, God uses the Bible to give me a fresh start, a do-over. The Bible calls it being “born again.” In James 1:18, the Bible says, “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth …” (NIV).

Are You Trapped In Darkness?

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." - Ephesians 5:8

Chile's Atacama Desert is said to be the driest place on earth. But in August 2010, the route to the San Jose mine, where 33 men had been trapped for over a month, was carpeted in a rare, lush spectacle: an explosion of purple flowers - the beauty of hope. It took 17 days after the collapse for rescuers to discover that all of the trapped men were still alive, yet getting them out was another thing altogether. After many unbelievable maneuvers, precise techniques, and God's help, each man was pulled to safety and back into the arms of their families.

Celebrating Spiritual Birthdays

BY SUSAN

One of the biggest days for parents of young children is their child’s birthday! All over the country, moms go to great lengths to celebrate in a fitting way. One mom rents a clown, another a horse and buggy, yet another a restaurant complete with games and food. Cupcakes or cakes are often spectacular and gift bags beautifully arranged. Even moms (often older, more exhausted, and wiser ones!) who do not go to great lengths still celebrate their child. It’s a rare parent who forgets or ignores this special day. And usually this day is shared with lots of friends and certainly remembered by relatives. It’s an important day. It’s a genuine celebration of one of God’s most precious gifts — our child.

But there’s an even more significant birthday celebration. It’s the day our child asks Jesus to come into his or her heart. Too often, this day is noticed and a parent rejoices, but rarely is this good news shared with others. Oh, how it needs to be!