The entirety of Christendom loves the idea of having Christ as Savior and going to heaven. However, the vast majority of this group has very little use for what Jesus actually said. These people claim to love God and worship Him, but in reality, they have made a god in their own image, one who does things the way they want. This majority that believes it has accepted Jesus as Savior has actually rejected Him because these people do not do the will of the Father. It is spelled out in no uncertain terms in Matthew 7:21-23 that to enter the kingdom of heaven, one must do the will of the Father. This is what the parable of the wise man (24-27) is all about. If we hear and act upon the words of Jesus, then we build our houses on the rock; however, if we hear and do not act upon the words of Jesus, we build houses on sand. There is no question or ambiguity here; if we wish for Jesus to be Savior, we must accept Him as Lord and submit ourselves to doing His will.

Jesus said that we are to worship the Lord our God and serve Him only (Matthew 4:10; Luke 4:8). Under the Old Covenant, God’s people had strict rules about how to worship Him. The priests had to bathe themselves before coming into the presence of God and were to wear certain clothes as they performed their duties (Exodus 28-29). There were regulations concerning the various sacrifices (Leviticus 1-7). There were certain times of the year when they were to present themselves before God to worship (Exodus 23). The Israelites had all these instructions on how to properly worship God, but this is not the case with the new covenant. There is no checklist provided in the New Testament that tells us what is acceptable or what is unacceptable. This does not mean, however, that anything goes, for Jesus told the Samaritan woman that those who worship God must do so in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Since God desires obedience rather than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22), it behooves us as partakers of the New Covenant that we search the New Testament Scriptures to see what God has authorized, and then, to do it. [Editor’s Note: The New Testament provides instructions, approved examples and divinely given implications respecting every aspect of Christianity that we need to know to please God. In addition, several lists of sins clearly show what God prohibits. Therefore, both from positive and negative lessons throughout the Gospel, mankind can know what is expected of him. This is

In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.” (Isaiah 6:1-3) Uzziah was king of Judah for 52 years (2 Chronicles 26:3). He did what was right in the sight of God, and God blessed him and prospered him (4-15). For the better part of his reign things were going well for the nation of Judah, both materially and spiritually. However, Uzziah grew proud and was struck with leprosy (16-21). With the king dead, people, including Isaiah, wondered what was going to happen next. What kind of king would Jotham be? The correct answer is, “It doesn’t matter what kind of king Jotham or anyone else is; they are not really in charge.” Isaiah saw a vision that reminded him of that very thing. God is the One who sits on the throne, and it will never be vacant.

In Exodus 17:8-16, we find the account of Amalek coming out to fight against Israel after Israel had left Egypt. Moses told Joshua to choose men for the fight, and then proceeded to tell Joshua that he would station himself on top of the hill with the staff of God in his hand. As Moses held his hands up, Israel had the upper hand and was winning the fight; however, as soon as his hand lowered, the tide turned and Amalek prevailed. Aaron and Hur, who were with Moses, then sat a stone under Moses, and then they held his hands up for him so that Israel might win. His hands were steady until the sun set, and Joshua overwhelmed the people of Amalek. Judges 3:31 is the only verse in the Bible about the judge Shamgar. Shamgar defeated 600 Philistines with an ox goad. An ox goad is a tool for driving oxen; basically it is a large staff with a pointed end with which you goad (drive) oxen. The Bible is full of exploits and showcases of the power of the Almighty. What are we so afraid of (Romans 8:31)?

Hell, it seems, has lost a lot of its fire over the last few decades, and perhaps even through recent centuries. The reason for this lies in the fact that mankind has forgotten one simple precept: God hates sin, and He will punish those who refuse to repent and turn to Him. When you deny the existence of hell, you deny the Bible. When you overemphasize attributes like love and mercy, and neglect attributes like wrath and justice, you deny God. While God most certainly is a God of love and mercy, He is also a God of vengeance (Deuteronomy 7:4; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9). It does not take long to find proof of this; simply read Genesis, and you will find two major events in the first 19 chapters. Genesis 19 records the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as the neighboring cities in the valley, on account of their great wickedness. Prior to this is the greatest catastrophe this planet has ever seen – the great flood. Genesis 6-7 details the account of the flood that destroyed “all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land…” (Genesis 7:22 NKJV), man and animal, because of sin. Since the Bible unequivocally declares that the wicked will be punished, it behooves us as Christians to make sure that we warn as many as we can, and show them the way to safety. “Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…”

The duty of the man is be the leader of his home (Ephesians 5:22-33; Colossians 3:18-25; 1 Peter 3:1-7). Many have turned away from this responsibility because they don’t know how to be a father, themselves. Many don’t want to be “nailed down,” some are just frightened at the responsibility, others just don’t see it as a big deal, and our current society is not helping at all. Hollywood is portraying men as ignorant, selfish and irresponsible. This is what children grow up watching on television (and listening to on the radio), and it then becomes their norm. Then the cycle continues. Christian men, it is time that we step up and take back the home, but how? We can do this by following the example of Ezra (Ezra 7-10). Ezra was a priest during the days of the exile, and he was charged with leading Jews back to Jerusalem to restore the Law. There are a number of different points that stand out in Ezra’s leadership that will help us become real men, men of God. (1) We have to set our hearts to (a) study the law of God, (b) practice it, and (c) teach it to others (7:10). (2) We must surround ourselves with leading men, others who have a like mind to do number one (7:28). Finally, we must humble ourselves before God and seek His blessings (8:21).

I saw a movie a long time ago where a couple who grew up on a deserted island were discovered. One part I remember in particular is an altercation that took place between the native male and one of the male “discoverers.” During the fight, the native wrestled a gun away from his attacker. I remember the part because upon receiving the gun, he held it in a funny fashion and began thrusting it like a spear; that was all he was accustomed to doing. He had never seen a firearm before and no idea what it was capable of; for years he had been using his spear to hunt and fish. The memory of the scene fades at this point, but the lesson stands firm in my mind: It is one thing to have a weapon, but it is an entirely different matter, however, to be proficient with it. We are in the midst of a great spiritual battle against Satan and his minions (Ephesians 6:11-12). No firearm will aid us in this fight, only “the sword of the spirit” can avail (6:17b). When the time comes for us to engage the enemy, if we are not proficient with our weapon, that is, if we have no knowledge of God and no relationship with Him, we will be destroyed, just like Israel was destroyed (Hosea 4:5). If we wish to fare better than Israel did, then we must become proficient with the sword; that is, we have to study

How important is it not only to do what God has said, but to do it in the way that He has told us to do it? Another way to ask the same question is this, “Does God really mean what He says?” As you consider the answers to these questions, consider the example of Moses. In Numbers 20, the congregation of Israel began to grumble because there was no water (2-5). In this case, God told Moses to speak to the rock in order that they might have water (6-9). Note that in Exodus 17 there is a very similar account, but in that case Moses was instructed to strike the rock; however, in Numbers 20, Moses was told to speak, not to strike. Nevertheless, Moses, frustrated with the rebelliousness of the people, struck the rock and it brought forth water (10-11). Does this mean that it does not matter that Moses struck instead of speaking? Though the rock brought forth water, God was very displeased with Moses and Aaron, and He forbade them from entering the Promised Land (12). Why? “Because you did not believe in Me, to uphold Me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel…” (12). Thus, when we don’t do what God says in the way He says to do it, it demonstrates a lack of faith on our part, and our action does not honor God. [The New Testament is the source of God’s instructions for mankind living today (Ephesians 2:15;

First Samuel 17 records a challenge issued by a mountain of a man to an entire opposing army. The challenge came from Goliath of Gath, who stood six cubits and a span. A cubit is about 18 inches; this means that Goliath stood well over 9 feet tall! The dare was made to the entire army of Israel: send out your champion so that we can do battle. Morning and evening for a period of 40 days the Philistine giant defied the armies of God with no answer. When David heard this, he could not believe that no one would accept his challenge, and so accepted the challenge himself. What gave David the courage to stand before the giant, with the confidence that he could defeat him? He trusted God. With God at his side while defending his father’s sheep, David as a shepherd had already killed a lion and a bear. David knew and understood that if God was with him, the giant, and any who defied the living God, would share the same fate as the lion and the bear. It was because of his unwavering trust in God that at the end of the day he, a youthful shepherd, the youngest of his family, stood over of body Goliath, the Philistine champion. [Christians can do whatever God wants them to do if they rely on the strength of Jesus Christ to do it (Philippians 4:13). ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, King of the world, built a great statue of gold. On the day the statue was dedicated, the king gave an order to fall down and worship the idol when the music played. This event was so momentous that the king gathered all the governors of his empire to come pay homage to himself and his new statue. Among the witnesses of the event were three Jews by the name of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. They were given the same order as everyone else—at the sound of the music, fall down and worship the idol. The penalty for anyone’s disobedience (i.e., not worshiping the idol) was to be cast immediately into the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:1-18). There was a dilemma here similar to one found in Daniel 6—honor God or honor the king. Believers are to be subject to governments since they are instituted by God (Romans 13:1f), but what about when they give orders contrary to the law of God? In those cases, we must obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29). Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego stood boldly before the king and said, “No.” Knowing the command of the king and the punishment to follow for breaking the command, they were believers and would not violate the law of God. We, also, must boldly stand against the king and his fiery furnace when he commands us to violate the law of God. [A fiery furnace may not await the children of God who opt to

Deuteronomy 6:13 says, “You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him, and swear by His name.” This is the verse Jesus cited when Satan tempted Jesus to worship him. God stated, and Jesus affirmed, that only God is to be worshipped. As we read through the Bible, we find men attempting to worship angels, but the angels refused it (Revelation 22:8-9). We also find men trying to worship other men, which was also refused (Acts 10:25; 14:8-18). Whenever a servant of God is worshipped, either men or angel, they refuse, because only God is to be worshipped. That being said, what are we to make of the fact of Jesus accepted worship? Hebrews 1:6 quotes from Psalm 148:2 where angels worship Him, and we find several instances where men worshipped Him (Matthew 2:11; 14:33; 28:9, 17; John 9:38). There can only be one conclusion: Jesus accepts worship because He is God. Otherwise, He contradicts His own words as found in Matthew 4:10 and Luke 4:8. Thomas said it very well when the resurrected Christ appeared to Him in John 20:28, and our cry should be no different!

When it comes down to it, this universe was either planned by intelligence, or it is completely accidental. As you contemplate the choices, here are a few things to consider. One last question: how many “accidents” will you admit to until you realize that these are no accidents at all, but designs? [Editor’s Note: The created universe is evidence of something (Romans 1:20). Is it evidence for design or accident? The Designer also provided written revelation—the Bible, especially the New Testament for all people living today. ~ Louis Rushmore]

The Bible is the final authority. Many want to appeal to uninspired creeds, church tradition, prophets or the purported voice of God Himself. Once again, the Bible is the final authority. The problem with uninspired creeds is the very fact that they are uninspired. It does not matter how old they are, they hold no authority when it comes to matters of faith. Many hold to the church’s traditional interpretation to the Bible over what the Bible actually says; this is simply an invitation for eisegesis (making the Bible say what you want it to say). Some hold to prophets, but the problem is that there are no more prophets, and there have not been any since, at the very latest, the very beginning of the second century. What about those who hear God speaking to them? I’ve learned that you can’t tell people they don’t hear something, so the real question is, “How can you be sure that it is really God speaking?” The only way to know is to verify it with what is written. If God is really speaking to you, He won’t contradict Himself; otherwise that would make Him a liar and the author of confusion. Also, once the Bible is read to verify what is ‘heard,’ you’ll find that God no longer communicates to us in that fashion, but only through the Bible. Let us rest on the authority of the Bible, and not go beyond what is written (1 Corinthians 4:6).

Everything about Christianity revolves around the resurrection of Jesus. Paul made it abundantly clear that if Christ is not raised from the dead then we are still in our sins, and we are to be most pitied among men (1 Corinthians 15:16-19). If there is no resurrection from the dead, if Jesus did not die and rise again, then we are wasting our time. Since everything hinges on the resurrection, can you be sure that Jesus rose from the dead? We were not there to see it, and our observations tell us that dead men stay dead. Would you believe me if I told you my grandfather was raised from the dead? What if I told you I saw him with my own eyes? Therefore, why believe the biblical account? Four facts of history need to be addressed. (1) Jesus lived in first century Palestine. (2) He was crucified by the Romans. (3) His tomb was found empty. (4) His disciples claimed He was raised from the dead. The fact of the matter is that no explanation fits the facts better than resurrection. First of all, there is absolutely no reason to doubt the New Testament documents in terms of authenticity and accuracy. Second, if Jesus was not raised, then what happened to His body? A guard was placed there to prevent theft (Matthew 27:62-66). Some believe he fainted, but the Romans (1) were professional executioners and (2) ensured Jesus was dead when they stabbed him (John 19:31-37). Some believe

What does the Devil look like? There is a pretty interesting picture in Revelation 12 and 17 that depicts Satan as having multiple heads, horns and a massive tail that sweeps away a third of the stars. Even though these words are not meant literally, it still presents a terrifying image of what (and who) the Devil really is. The Devil is truly an ugly being, but is that how he is going to present himself to us? The really scary thing about him is that he is not going to present himself to us as the monster that he really is. Who would pledge allegiance to him if he represented himself as he really is? Some would, but he doesn’t want some. He wants us all. So to get the rest of us, he is going to dress himself up in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15). He is not going to come to us as an agent of darkness, but as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). He will disguise himself as a prophet of God (1 Kings 13) or maybe as an elder of the church (Acts 20:28-30). This is why we must be as shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16).

In John 3:16 Jesus called Himself God’s “only begotten Son.” There are some who take this as evidence of Jesus being not divine, alleging that something that is “begotten” is created. What does it mean to be the “only begotten Son”? The phrase “only begotten” appears six times in the New Testament. Five times it was used by John (John 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9) and one time by the Hebrews writer (11:17). If we wish to understand what it means to be the “only begotten Son,” then we must examine all of these passages to see what can be learned from each. That being said, every time John uses the phrase, he talks about Jesus, but the Hebrews writer talks about Isaac. There in Hebrews 11, the heroes of faith are recounted and Abraham is listed among them for a number of reasons, one of which being his sacrifice of Isaac. What is interesting about this usage is that the Greek word behind the phrase literally means “only child,” yet Isaac was not Abraham’s only child. Even back in Genesis 22, where the story is found, Isaac is called Abraham’s only son, but he is not. So what are we to make of this? Most commentators remark that Isaac is the only child of Abraham through Sarah, which is true enough. However, there must be something more behind the usage other than a literal, born child. The “only begotten,” then, denotes a special relationship. Isaac is the

There are two parables in Matthew 13 that discuss the worth of the kingdom of heaven. In verse 44, a man sold all that he had to buy a treasure hidden in a field, and in verses 45-46, a merchant sold all that he had to buy a pearl of great value. Obviously, the kingdom of heaven is worth far much more than anything we can find here on earth, but are we ready to believe it and live like it? Most of us are ready to confess with our mouths that we believe in Jesus and with our mouths acknowledge His Lordship, but with our mouths only. Our lives send different messages, often times speaking louder than our words. We skip Bible class and show up late to service (if we do decide to go). We fill our lives with all kinds of filth and starve ourselves of the bread of life. We act in such a way that says that the kingdom of heaven is just not that important to us. Jesus said that this will not work. The parables teach that we must be willing to give up everything for the kingdom. If we are not willing to give up everything else, we will not receive the kingdom of God.

The frustrating thing is that everyone understands what authority is. We do not go behind doors that say “Authorized Personnel Only” if we know we are not authorized to do so. If our doctor prescribes us medicine, we expect the pharmacy to fill that prescription and do nothing else, except perhaps make sure that it will not cause any problems with any other medicine we take. The simple fact is that authority is a very simple concept to understand. What makes this all frustrating is that it is easy to understand, and we all follow it (for the most part) – except when it comes to matters of religion. When it comes to matters of the Bible, we no longer need a “Thus says the Lord.” It has come to the point, even within the Lord’s church, that we are guided more by what we think, feel and want than what God has spoken. Brethren, God is a Spirit, and those who worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). This means that there is a right way to do things and a wrong way to do things. There is only one way to know what that truth is, and it is His Word (John 17:17). The Bible, and the Bible alone, is our guide, and let anyone be cursed who teaches anything other than what has been written (Galatians 1:8-9; Revelation 22:18-19).

One of the major tenets of the beliefs of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is that Jesus Christ is a creature, not God. They do not believe in the trinity; they simply teach that Christ was a created spirit-person created directly by God (which is why He is called ‘Son’) who existed long before our history began. Jesus was the instrument that God used to do His creating on earth, which is why He is called the “Word.” The claims made by Jehovah’s Witnesses are completely unfounded. The Bible does teach the trinity, and it also teaches the deity of Jesus Christ. Jesus is God who took on flesh, and not only does the Bible assign Him the title of “God,” but it is one that He claimed for Himself on numerous occasions. One of Jehovah’s Witnesses favorite texts that they put forward, which they say teaches that Jesus is a created being and not God, is Colossians 1:15. Here, Paul wrote that Jesus is “the firstborn of all creation.” What else can that mean except that Christ was the first thing that was created? Does it, then, mean that since Christ is also the “firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18) that He was the first to be revived from death? Certainly not! Christ Himself raised several from the dead during His ministry, not to mention the several who were raised from the dead in the Old Testament. What does it all mean, then? The meaning of the passage as a whole

Countless millions across the globe and throughout history have asked the question, “What must I do to be saved?” The Bible says in John 14:6 that no one comes to the Father except through Jesus. The vast majority of people on earth believe that all we have to do to go to heaven is to believe in Jesus. However, the Bible says that if we want to go to heaven, we have to obey the Gospel (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10). Christ is coming back, Paul says, and will take vengeance on those who do not know God, and those who do not obey the Gospel. This means, then, that if you know God and do not obey the Gospel, you will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction. The next question should be, “What is the Gospel?” This is a critical question to ask because it has to be obeyed to go to heaven. The Gospel can be found in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, and it is the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. How can we be obedient to the death, burial and resurrection? Paul addressed this in Romans 6:1-4. We are united with Christ in the likeness of His death through baptism. If we want to go to heaven, we must obey the Gospel, which means submitting ourselves to be baptized into the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38).

Some people teach error because they simply don’t know any better. They have good intentions and are sincere in what they believe, but they just happen to be wrong in what they believe and what they are teaching. Others are just plain wicked. Jesus calls them “ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). One of the last messages Jesus gave in the Sermon on the Mount was to beware of these false teachers who are dressed in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are selfish beasts. It is the duty of all believers everywhere to test the spirits (1 John 4:1). We must constantly be on the lookout, and constantly observing fruit. This is so important because it is impossible for good trees to produce bad fruit, and bad trees to produce good fruit (Matthew 7:18-19), and Jesus told us that we can spot these wolves by observing their fruit (20). There are many out there who talk a good game and look the part, but really have no part of Christ. We must watch out for them and remove them from the flock (Romans 16:17-18; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13).

There are many in the past who have given us many rules by which to live: the Iron rule, the Silver Rule and the Golden Rule. The Iron rule is “might makes right.” It cares nothing about justice or mercy, but is concerned only with power. The Silver rule is “Don’t do to others what you don’t want done to you.” The Golden Rule, contrary to popular belief, is not “the one with the gold rules,” but “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12). While there is a close resemblance between the Silver and Gold rules, there is a very stark distinction between the two. The Silver Rule is very passive and reactive; it gives no calling for service to others. While it looks good on the surface from afar, upon closer inspection, it is found to be quite selfish. The people of God are to be a people of active service to one another. This is the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 6:19-24 is a commentary on the first 18 verses of the chapter. When Jesus tells us not to lay for ourselves treasure on the earth, He is speaking about those who practice their righteousness to be seen of men. Those who are all about fame and notoriety care little for the afterlife, but have concerns with how they are perceived in the here and now. When their piety becomes a show, they are storing up for themselves treasure on earth. The problem is that there is little security down here. Thieves break in and steal, and moth and rust destroy things stored down here. If we wish to have everlasting treasure, we must store riches in the most secure location – heaven. In heaven our treasure cannot be stolen, nor can it be destroyed by moth or rust; and remember that where your treasure is, that is where your heart is, too. The way to ensure you are storing up your treasure in heaven is to make sure that your eyes are clear and healthy. We are not speaking of literal eye health, of course, but spiritual eye health. If the eye is healthy, the body will be full of light; if the eye is bad, the whole body will be full of darkness. You cannot serve two masters. A clear eye recognizes this and serves God, and no one or nothing else. A bad eye tries to have God and something else. Those who practice their righteousness to be seen

In a long section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus contrasted the traditions of the scribes and Pharisees with the spirit of the Law. In the first of this section, Jesus dealt with murder versus anger. The Jews were told that murder was a sin. It was a violation of the sixth commandment, “Thou shalt not murder” (Exodus 20:14 NASB; “Thou shalt not kill” KJV). What we have to infer here is that though they were teaching that murder is wrong, hate and anger were permissible. It seems as though they were teaching that it is fine to be angry with one’s brothers (without cause, KJV) and to hate them. You could call them all sorts of evil names (“Raca” or empty-headed) and say bad things about them (“fool” Matthew 6:22), and that would be okay because no one was actually, physically killed. The Law says “Do not kill,” but Jesus said not to hate or to be angry (without cause). Remember, also, that the Law says, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). Our relationship with God is important, but our relationship with our fellow man can hinder that relationship with God. This is why Jesus taught that if a brother has something against another brother, he should go and make it right with him before giving his offering (Matthew 5:23-24). We cannot be angry people if we wish to enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus told us that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, we will not make it into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20). The scribes were the ones who were charged with writing things down, like the Law. The Pharisees were the “spiritual elite” in the days of Jesus, at least in their own eyes. So, how is our righteousness supposed to surpass the righteousness of those whose sole responsibility was to write the Law and those who lived their lives by it? The answer is that though they knew the letter of the Law, they did not know the spirit of the Law. John and Jesus both call them a “brood of vipers” (Matthew 3:7; 12:34; 23:33). In Matthew 23, Jesus really let those people have it. Seven times they were called hypocrites. They were called fools and blind men (19) and whitewashed tombs (27). A good summary can be found in verses 23-24. The scribes and Pharisees were supposed to be so holy and so righteous, yet they neglected the weightier matters of the Law. They taught that some aspects of the law were more important than others, and that the less important aspects were not necessary to observe. The way our righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees is that we teach the whole purpose of God (Acts 20:27).