Category: Jesus the Light

Text version of radio broadcasts.

Posted on

Jesus the Light 42 Love That Gives 3

 

Christ is the end of the law to everyone who believes

Rom.10:4

 

As well as the poor, the needs of genuine gospel workers are to be supplied by loving giving. Even the Lord Jesus had the physical needs of this life provided in this way. Lk.8:3: “And many others were contributing to their support out of their private means.”

Those who benefit in spiritual things “are indebted to minister to them also in material things” -Rom.15:27. Paul was helped many times in this way so he could continue his good work of teaching the Word of God. Phil.4:14,16: “You have done well to share with me in my affliction. You sent a gift more than once for my needs.”

Believers must not neglect the work of God or those doing it. True servants of God are depending upon God alone to direct His people to care for their needs. Lk.10:7: “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”

3 Jn.5-8: “Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.

“For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the pagans. Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth.”

Believers are the ones to supply the needs of genuine gospel workers. 1 Cor.9:11-14 says: “If we sowed spiritual blessings among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? Those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar. So also the Lord directed that those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.”

Rom.15:27: “For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things.” Gal.6:6 says: “Let the one who is taught the Word share all good things with him who teaches.”

But we must give, not by force or unwillingly, but out of love for God, His kingdom, and His people. In this way, God is glorified and the gospel workers are encouraged and blessed by the love that gives.

Giving is a work of mercy, compassion, and love, not of obligation by law. Love moves a man from within, filling his heart with goodwill towards others. Law only regulates from without by placing demands upon a man whether he is full of love or not.

Obligation through law can never be a worthy substitute for the delight of giving from a loving heart. True Christian giving is never by compulsion. It is a voluntary response of the heart to the love of God and out of love to men.

This principle of love governing godly giving is summarized in 2 Cor.9:7: “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

The words “compulsion,” and “reluctantly” result from the demands of a law requiring a man to give. Law makes no allowance for what a man may have decided in his own heart.

No one who feels forced to do something does it cheerfully.  Obligation can never be a reason for giving that is approved by God in a Christian.

No law can regulate love. Law rather cancels what would otherwise “overflow in the wealth of liberality” -2 Cor.8:2.  It restricts the workings of love through the Spirit of God in a man’s heart.

These believers in Macedonia noted in 2 Cor.8:2-4, even in the midst of “the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty, welled up in rich generosity. They gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.”

What was the secret of their selfless giving? “They first gave themselves to the Lord” -2 Cor.8:5. Their lives were not their own; everything they were and had belonged to God. Christ had given all for them; they in turn gave all to Christ.

Love that pours out generously cannot be limited to a demand to give 10% of one’s resources. The law of tithing that obligated the nation of Israel to give a tenth to the priests of Levi is not a requirement for Christians.

When the priesthood changed from that of Aaron and the Levites to that of Christ and the church, that law was cancelled. It has no relevance for a Christian under the New Covenant. The law of tithing for Israel does not apply to the church.

Heb.7:12: “For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also.” Heb.7:18: “There is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness.”

The law of tithing has been changed because it is unable to produce that glad giving out of love which God delights in. The ceremonial laws of the Old Covenant do not apply to Christians under the New Covenant.

The New has replaced the Old. Heb.8:13: “When He speaks of ‘A New Covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete.” Christians do not have an earthly temple building in Jerusalem. There exists no special priestly tribe of Levi within the church.

No animal sacrifices are burned on the altar by Aaron’s sons. Not an earthly building, but believers in the Lord Jesus themselves are the “holy temple in the Lord, a dwelling of God in the Spirit” -Eph.2:21,22.

No special priestly tribe exists in the church because every single Christian is now called “a royal priesthood…a people for God’s own possession” -1 Pet.2:9. No sons of Aaron are found in the churches who offer up animal sacrifices. Rather, every Christian offers up “spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” -1 Pet.2:5. Since all Christians are now equally spiritual priests, there no longer remains any special priests for tithes to be paid to.

Heb.10:9: “He does away with the first that He may establish the second.” That first priesthood of Levi and the tithes connected with it under Law has been taken away. It has served its purpose. Christ has fulfilled all that the first priesthood was only a dim shadow of. Don’t let anyone deceive you. Jesus Christ is not pressing you for tithes.

The Lord Jesus has replaced that with His New Covenant of grace and freedom. The Law of tithing for Israel by compulsion under that first covenant has been taken away. Christians now give as they have decided in their heart: gladly, generously, and without obligation.

2 Cor.9:7: “Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” And we give because we love, not for any other thing. We don’t give to be given to in return. We don’t give because we think we can win God’s favor by doing so. Giving is not to be motivated by guilt or pride of appearing spiritual.

We give because we love; we love God and the people He has made in His own image. That is genuine giving that the Lord delights in. Let this guide all that you do.

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

 

Posted on

Jesus the Light 41 Love That Gives 2

 

 

You shall freely open your hand to your brother…Needy and poor

Deut.15:11

 

Giving is to be a purposeful and responsible act of love. We are not to just give to anyone, anyhow. We are warned about giving without proper consideration to whom we are giving.

Those who give to the rich will only come to poverty [Prov.22:16]. We should not give to the rich. Neither are we to give to so-called gospel workers who do not teach truth about the Lord Jesus. If we do, we are participating in their evil deeds [2 Jn.7,10,11].

We are not to give to disobedient lazy people who will not work to supply their own needs. Those types of people we are not to associate with [2 Thess.3:7-15]. 2 Thess.3:10: “If anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.”

Clearly, the rich are not in need. Without a question, contributing to religious deceivers is doing nothing for the kingdom of God. Surely, supporting a lazy man is not right in God’s sight.

We are to give to two types of people. They are [1] the Poor and [2] Gospel Workers.

Jesus said: “The poor you have with you always” -Jn.12:8.  These ever-present ones are to be the objects of our compassion and giving. This concern for the unfortunate is a sign of having true religion in the sight of God [Jas.1:27].

The poor have been a major concern of the most spiritually- minded Christians of every generation. All the Apostles are in agreement with this emphasis.

Listen to their statements to the Apostle Paul in Gal.2:10. “They only asked us to remember the poor – the very thing I also was eager to do.”

How we treat the poor indicates whether we love the Lord Jesus. According to His own words in Mt.25:34-46, if we shut our hearts and our hands to the poor, we have done so to Christ. When we see a real need and give to meet that need, it is as if we have given to Christ Himself.

True Christian giving is seen in sharing food, drink, clothing, and shelter with the poor. Mt.25:37-40: “The righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’”

Righteous Job was a blessing to many in need. He is a worthy example for all to follow. This is his own true testimony in Job 29:12,13:

“I delivered the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had no helper. The blessing of the one ready to perish came upon me, and I made the widow’s heart to sing for joy.”

He was obeying the Lord’s commandment about the proper and godly use of money. Deut.15:7-11: “If there is a poor man with you…you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother.

“But you shall freely open your hand to him…you shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work.

“For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’”

Meeting the needs of the poor can be done in different ways.  We may give, lend, or pay them for work they do for us. If the Lord leads you to give, it must be willingly and without complaint [Deut.15:10; 2 Cor.9:7].

God may direct you to lend in order to help the needy.  Someone who borrows must surely repay when he is able to do so. Ps.37:21: “The wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is gracious and gives.”

Even so, the Lord Jesus says that a Christian should consider loaning to a man the same as if he had given. He commands us in Lk.6:35: “Lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.”

Or it may be that a poor man’s need may be met by providing some work for him to do. In this way he will show that he is not merely a lazy beggar, but a responsible man, though having need. This method of helping the poor is seen in passages such as Lev.19:9,10:

“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard. Leave them for the poor and the stranger. I am the Lord your God.”

Even if you have forgotten a bundle of grain in your field during harvest Deut.24:19 says: “Do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless, and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.”

It is true that in West Africa people may not understand that forgotten grain can be taken by the poor without being thought of as theft. But the point is, that God had His people Israel provide for the poor by allowing them to work to satisfy their needs. The book of Ruth is a wonderful story of kindness to the poor in this way.

True love is evidenced by providing the needful things of life to those who lack. It is the type of giving that the Lord approves of. 1 Jn.3:17: “Whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?”

If you see the need and have something to help with but do not give, you have a faith which cannot save you. Jas.2:15,16: “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?”

To do this is nothing more than disobedience, selfishness, and unloving rejection of those we ought to love. Prov.3:27,28: “Do not withhold good to those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give it,’ when you have it with you.”

In fact, the Lord is provoked to wrath if we neglect the poor, but He blesses those who care for them. Prov.28:27: “He who gives to the poor will never want, but he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.”

Prov.14:31: “He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” Prov.21:13: “If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.” This is the love that gives.

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

 

Posted on

Jesus the Light 40 Love That Gives

 

 

For God so loved, He gave

Jn.3:16

 

Nothing is greater than love. It is the necessary requirement in all of life. 1 Cor.16:14: “Let all that you do be done in love.” Every thought, word, and action is to flow from love. Love is the sure evidence of being born of God. 1 Jn.4:7: “Beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”

Love is also the certain proof that we are true disciples of Christ. Jn.13:35: “By this all men will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.” Lacking this, we are no better and no different than any other sinful man.

Though you may have all faith, without love you are nothing [1 Cor.13:2]. Possessing every spiritual gift will profit you nothing without love [1 Cor.13:1-3]. In fact, love is the greatest commandment upon which all other commands depend [Mt.22:36-40]. To fail here is to fail in everything.

Love is what moved the Father to give His Son. Jn.3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” It is the pure motive behind all true giving. The love that gives cannot be compelled.

It is a voluntary decision of the heart to give of itself. Love is a choice to be a blessing by giving to those in need with no thought of self-gain.

Rom.5:5: “The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” This was the reason that the first church immediately and freely gave to their brethren in need [Acts 2:44-46].

 No one taught them to do so. No laws were established requiring this behavior. They were simply “taught by God to love one another” -1 Thess.4:9.

It is what is needed in our own generation to restore us to a selfless life that glorifies God and benefits men: the love of God poured out within our hearts, the love that gives.

Love does unto men as it would wish to be treated itself [Mt.7:12]. The focus of love is upon others, not upon self. Phil.2:3-5: “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourselves.

“Do not merely look out for your own personal interests but also for the interests of others. You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had.”

Concern for people’s needs is possessing the mind of Christ. This is the example which He Himself has set. 2 Cor.8:9: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich.”

He laid aside His own interests, emptied Himself, and gave of what He possessed for the everlasting good of many. This same selfless sacrificial spirit filled the hearts of the first Christians.

Acts 4:32: “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.”

A selfish man is interested in getting. A Christian man is looking to give without thought for himself. This selfless life is at the heart of true Christian living.

2 Cor.5:15: “He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.” This puts everything in its proper place. Living for self is God’s description of a sinful life that one must be saved from.

All believers must deny self or they are not true disciples at all [Mt.16:24]. Serving self and serving Christ cancel each other. A man can do only one or the other but not both.

Selflessness is the principle of Christ which governs the hearts of all His people. They give with no thought of reward in this life [Lk.6:30-36]. They lend “expecting nothing in return” -Lk.6:35.

Christians are so free from thought of self-gain, that they even work so as to give to others.  Eph.4:28: “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.”

Even the rich among true believers are not selfishly seeking their own gain. Their hearts are set, not upon riches, but on sharing with others.

1 Tim.6:17,18: “Command those who are rich in this present world, not to be arrogant or to set their hope on riches, which are uncertain, but on God. Tell them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous givers, sharing with others.” This type of selfless giving is a proof of the love of God within the heart of a man.

It shows that self-seeking is not motivating their actions, that they are “not affected by covetousness” -2 Cor.9:5.

Only a selfless man will do as Christ commands: “Sell your possessions and give to the poor” -Lk.12:33. All that a Christian is and has is to be given for the blessing of others. 

Self is sacrificed for the good of others. Money is viewed in terms of how it may be put to use for eternal purposes. This is what the Lord Jesus told us to do with our resources.

The parable of Lk.16:1-15 describes a self-seeking man who devoted himself for his own personal gain. He was a corrupt man who sought money for selfish and unjust ends. Yet the man was wise according to the wisdom of this world.

He looked ahead to coming days when he could no longer divert funds from his employer into his own pocket. He acted in the present to ensure a future reward.

This is the point of the parable. The lesson to be learned from the unrighteous steward is this; use what you have now for enduring benefits beyond this life.

Jesus said in Lk.16:9: “Make friends for yourselves by means of the Mammon of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.”

Or, as the NIV translation says: “Use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”

Money is to be used as a means of blessing to the eternal well-being of men. It is not to be wasted upon self. Wealth is to be given freely and devoted to the purposes of the kingdom of God.

All that we are and have is to be for the good of others. One day, riches will have finished their purpose in this life. What will we have done with what has been entrusted into our hands?

How have we used the means at our disposal to influence men for the kingdom of heaven? Will there be anyone in the eternal dwellings who will welcome us there due to our sacrifice here on earth for their salvation? Will anyone bless the Lord forevermore that we gave of our wealth here on earth so that they might hear the gospel?

I think we would all be happy with such a welcoming committee.

It is more blessed to give than receive -Acts 20:35

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

Posted on

Jesus the Light 39 Provision for Gospel Work 2

 

 

We need a complete change in our thinking about supporting the gospel work in this, our Nigeria. If we do not return to the pattern and practice of NT support for the gospel work, true Christianity may become a thing of the past in our land.

  1. God’s people will support the work of the gospel; it is our biblical responsibility.

Genuine gospel workers dedicated to the true work of the gospel are to be supported by God’s people. 419 religious dupes and rogues are not to be given one kobo.

God’s people should stop paying money to fake pastors and GOs who “in their greed, make merchandise of you with false words” -2 Pet.2:3. You are not glorifying God or supporting the gospel when you do.

Just stop this unbiblical practice of giving to religious liars and thieves as if you were giving to God. Hear rather what the Word of God says about giving for the gospel:

Lk.8:1-3: “And many others were contributing to their support out of their private means.”

Phil.4:10-19: “You have done well to share in my affliction…you sent a gift more than once for my needs.”

Tit.3:13,14: “Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them. And let our people also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, that they may not be unfruitful.”

3 Jn.8: “Therefore we ought to support such men, that we may be fellow-workers with the truth.”

2 Cor.11:8,9: “I was not a burden to anyone; for when the brethren came from Macedonia, they fully supplied my need.”

1 Cor.9:6-14: “Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock?

“The plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops. If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we should reap material things from you?

“Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share with the altar? So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.” But note it well: it is those who preach the gospel, not preachers of Prosperity who are to be supported .

Rom.15:24: “I hope to see you in passing, and to be helped on my way there by you.”

Rom.15:27: “For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things.”

Gal.6:6: “And let the one who is taught the Word share all good things with him who teaches.”

Lk.10:7: “And stay in the house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages.”

3 Jn.6: “And they bear witness to your love before the church; and you will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.”

Then 2. The gospel worker may also work at a vocation when appropriate. Even the great apostle Paul did so, and he was not abandoning his heavenly calling by doing so. Laboring with your hands so as not to be living from offerings is commendable. Temptations arise to compromise the Word if you are totally dependent upon offerings.

Acts 18:3-5: “He stayed with them and they were working; for by trade they were tent makers.” 1 Cor.4:12: “We toil, working with our own hands.”

Acts 20:34,35: “You yourselves know that these hands provided for my own needs and those who were with me. In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

1 Thess.2:9: “For you recall, brethren, our labor and toil, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God.”

2 Thess.3:7-9: “You ought to follow our example; we did not eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but with labor and toil we kept working night and day so that we might not be a burden to any of you; not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, that you might follow our example.”

And yet, 3. The gospel worker will suffer lack. The false message of Prosperity is a doctrine of demons. Do not let that confuse you into thinking that you will always be enjoying in comfort and have everything you want.

Even the Lord Jesus Himself hungered and thirsted and was often weary. Mt.8:20:  “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

If the evil teaching of Prosperity were true, then apostle Paul himself had no faith. Hear his own testimony: 1 Cor.4:11: “To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty and are poorly clothed, and are beaten, and homeless.”

2 Cor.6:4-10: “In everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in needs, in distresses, in sleeplessness, in hunger, as poor, as having nothing.”

2 Cor.11:27: “In weariness and toil, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and nakedness.”

Phil.4:11-13: “Not that I speak from lack; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means [to be abased] and I know how to live in prosperity [to abound]; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment: whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me within.”

Yet whether full or suffering with little: 4. The gospel worker shall do nothing to adversely reflect upon God’s ability to fund His own work. Soliciting or receiving money from unbelievers or questionable sources is a reproach upon Christ. Threatening people if they do not give is an abomination.

3 Jn.7: “They went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the unbelievers.” Ez.4:3: “Israel said to the people of the land, ‘You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God.’”

Gen.14:22,23: “I have sworn to the Lord God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’”

2 Cor.2:17: “For we are not like many, peddling the Word of God for profit.” Ps.37:25: “I have been young and now I am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his seed begging bread.”

Acts 20:33: “I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes.” 2 Cor.11:7: “I preached the gospel of God to you without charge.” Mt.10:8: “Freely you have received, freely give.”

Dear Listener, those who love Prosperity will always scoff at any who consider love of money to be an abomination in God’s sight. Don’t mind them. They will perish in their love of money. You, however, continue to serve Christ faithfully: you cannot serve God and Mammon.

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

Posted on

Jesus the Light 38 Provision for God’s Work

 

 

The worldly minded will always depend on fleshly attainments and their own natural abilities. The “stalwart” of this age will always hail the self-reliant. And so it has ever been and ever shall be.

Those prospering in the filthy riches of this condemned world will always mock the lowly servants of God. They will arrogantly sneer and say, “See us now enjoying; we never lack anything good. Now look at you; where is your God? Is this how He rewards His servants?”

But do not fear to confess before them, “I am the base, lowly, and foolish, chosen to shame the wise and mighty; a poor dependent servant awaiting his Lord’s directives and provision.”

Declare with assurance, “I am a pilgrim having no country of my own, a fool for Christ’s sake. Yet I confess I am the chosen of God and go forth at my Lord’s bidding to a city whose foundations cannot be shaken, eternal in the heavens.

“Yes, according to Christ’s own Word, I refuse to store up treasure upon earth. And I take no thought for tomorrow in the calm assurance of being valued above many sparrows.”

Tell them: “My confidence is in an unseen storehouse of all riches in glory sufficient for every situation. With boldness I unashamedly trust unswervingly in an unseen all powerful love. Yes, I do not blush to declare that I am utterly dependent upon the beneficence of a heavenly Father. His requirement is simply the total trust of a child as the necessary requisite for entering His kingdom and partaking of His bounty.”

Dear Listener, thus you can reply with firm assurance. Has any soldier ever served at his own expense? Is the ox to be muzzled while treading out kernels of truth for the people of God? Shall the owner of His field employ laborers in His harvest only to wickedly send them away empty handed at the end of the day?

Will God indeed be a deceptive stream of unsure waters? Shall a stone in fact be offered rather than bread? Could we yet witness the righteous forsaken and his children begging in the streets?  Does He who calls also not equip and furnish?  Can great tasks be accomplished with meager tools?

Will any who are sent to perform the will of our great King be abandoned to scrape and plead in order to accomplish that purpose? Shall the industrious farmer not also partake of the fruit of his labor?  Is there no crown for him who runs according to the rules?

Why then do we distrust the Lord of the harvest, this greatest of all employers? Are we not fellow workers with God?  Is the arm of the Lord so short that it cannot save? Or is the everlasting sufficiency inadequate to insure the food and covering that our Father knows we have need of?

Shall we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” and be answered with gnawing pangs of hunger? Can He who judges the wicked for withholding due wages from his servants also do likewise with His own?

Is it possible that the ship will sink when Christ is on board? Could it be that those who tend the vines starve in the midst of that fruitful field? Does not the Lord of the harvest leave handfuls on purpose as Boaz did for his beloved Ruth? Why then do we doubt? Why should we anxiously be disturbed in our minds?

Never! The Word of the King is certain: Everything necessary for life and godliness has been already secured by His excellent glory through His precious and magnificent promises [2 Pet.1:2-4].

Therefore, Dear Listeners, do not shrink away in shame from your high calling. God will never abandon you. Your supply will be sure from eternal reservoirs that shall never run dry.

We have no earthly employer, we are members of no religious societies or missionary board. No denomination forwards a salary, and no one has been asked to make faith pledges of monthly support.

And all the while in West Africa, not once have we gone about soliciting for money and never have we taken up offerings at any time. And we have neither begged, borrowed, nor stolen; and we have never lacked.

All needs have been presented before the throne in the ear of our Father where we all find grace to help in time of need. Heaven is open to all who draw near in full assurance of faith.

God is no respecter of persons. He cares for all of His servants out of His bounty in Christ Jesus the Lord. The same Lord is Lord of all, and He is your Lord who abounds in kindness for all who call upon Him in truth.

What then shall you do?  Ps.37:3-5: “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.”

Listen! Ps.37:19: “In the days of famine, they shall have an abundance.” Ps.37:18,19: “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.”

There have been times in this Nigeria where we had N250 in our pocket with our 5 children with us, but God still gave us something to eat each day. In our own country when supplies had finished, we met a sack of food stuffs at our door when returning from the house church fellowship.

Dear Listener, God’s work done in God’s way, will always have God’s supply. Lk.22:35: “And He said to them, ‘When I sent you out without purse and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?’ and they said, ‘No, nothing.’” Yes, you can cling to this: “The worker is worthy of his support” -Mt.10:10.

2 Cor.9:8: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.” Phil.4:19: “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Ps.34:10: “The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; but they who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.” Hag.2:8: “‘The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,’ declares the Lord of Hosts.” He distributes it how and to whom He wishes.

Do not be discouraged! The God who sends will also supply. The work commissioned by heaven will receive adequate for that work to be accomplished.

Mt.6:25-33: “Do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the finance, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!

“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

Posted on

Jesus the Light 39 Provision for Gospel Work 2

We need a complete change in our thinking about supporting the gospel work in this, our Nigeria. If we do not return to the pattern and practice of NT support for the gospel work, true Christianity may become a thing of the past in our land.

  1. God’s people will support the work of the gospel; it is our biblical responsibility.

Genuine gospel workers dedicated to the true work of the gospel are to be supported by God’s people. 419 religious dupes and rogues are not to be given one kobo.

God’s people should stop paying money to fake pastors and GOs who “in their greed, make merchandise of you with false words” -2 Pet.2:3. You are not glorifying God or supporting the gospel when you do.

Just stop this unbiblical practice of giving to religious liars and thieves as if you were giving to God. Hear rather what the Word of God says about giving for the gospel:

Lk.8:1-3: “And many others were contributing to their support out of their private means.”

Phil.4:10-19: “You have done well to share in my affliction…you sent a gift more than once for my needs.”

Tit.3:13,14: “Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them. And let our people also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, that they may not be unfruitful.”

3 Jn.8: “Therefore we ought to support such men, that we may be fellow-workers with the truth.”

2 Cor.11:8,9: “I was not a burden to anyone; for when the brethren came from Macedonia, they fully supplied my need.”

1 Cor.9:6-14: “Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock?

“The plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops. If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we should reap material things from you?

“Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share with the altar? So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.” But note it well: it is those who preach the gospel, not preachers of Prosperity who are to be supported .

Rom.15:24: “I hope to see you in passing, and to be helped on my way there by you.”

Rom.15:27: “For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things.”

Gal.6:6: “And let the one who is taught the Word share all good things with him who teaches.”

Lk.10:7: “And stay in the house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages.”

3 Jn.6: “And they bear witness to your love before the church; and you will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.”

Then 2. The gospel worker may also work at a vocation when appropriate. Even the great apostle Paul did so, and he was not abandoning his heavenly calling by doing so. Laboring with your hands so as not to be living from offerings is commendable. Temptations arise to compromise the Word if you are totally dependent upon offerings.

Acts 18:3-5: “He stayed with them and they were working; for by trade they were tent makers.” 1 Cor.4:12: “We toil, working with our own hands.”

Acts 20:34,35: “You yourselves know that these hands provided for my own needs and those who were with me. In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

1 Thess.2:9: “For you recall, brethren, our labor and toil, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God.”

2 Thess.3:7-9: “You ought to follow our example; we did not eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but with labor and toil we kept working night and day so that we might not be a burden to any of you; not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, that you might follow our example.”

And yet, 3. The gospel worker will suffer lack. The false message of Prosperity is a doctrine of demons. Do not let that confuse you into thinking that you will always be enjoying in comfort and have everything you want.

Even the Lord Jesus Himself hungered and thirsted and was often weary. Mt.8:20:  “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

If the evil teaching of Prosperity were true, then apostle Paul himself had no faith. Hear his own testimony: 1 Cor.4:11: “To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty and are poorly clothed, and are beaten, and homeless.”

2 Cor.6:4-10: “In everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in needs, in distresses, in sleeplessness, in hunger, as poor, as having nothing.”

2 Cor.11:27: “In weariness and toil, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and nakedness.”

Phil.4:11-13: “Not that I speak from lack; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means [to be abased] and I know how to live in prosperity [to abound]; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment: whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me within.”

Yet whether full or suffering with little: 4. The gospel worker shall do nothing to adversely reflect upon God’s ability to fund His own work. Soliciting or receiving money from unbelievers or questionable sources is a reproach upon Christ. Threatening people if they do not give is an abomination.

3 Jn.7: “They went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the unbelievers.” Ez.4:3: “Israel said to the people of the land, ‘You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God.’”

Gen.14:22,23: “I have sworn to the Lord God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’”

2 Cor.2:17: “For we are not like many, peddling the Word of God for profit.” Ps.37:25: “I have been young and now I am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his seed begging bread.”

Acts 20:33: “I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes.” 2 Cor.11:7: “I preached the gospel of God to you without charge.” Mt.10:8: “Freely you have received, freely give.”

Dear Listener, those who love Prosperity will always scoff at any who consider love of money to be an abomination in God’s sight. Don’t mind them. They will perish in their love of money. You, however, continue to serve Christ faithfully: you cannot serve God and Mammon.

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

Posted on

Jesus the Light 37 Sufferings Ended

 

 

The first things have passed away    Rev.21:4

2 Cor.5:2: “For in this we groan.” The body, in time, here on earth, is our present house of sorrow. Here, as years bass by, 2 Cor.4:16 says: “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.” Ps.42:3: “My tears have been my food day and by night, while they say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’” But God takes account of all of our sorrows and our tears are all, each one, recorded in His book [Ps.56:8].

There are no wasted sufferings in the economy of God. Sorrows for a season effect eternal comforts for suffering saints. Through them we enter into fellowship with Christ as Heb.5:8 says: “Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience through the things He suffered.”

Through suffering we learn by experience what we are told in 2 Cor.1:3-5: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.”

Ps.119:75: “In faithfulness You have afflicted me.”  Can you say so?  Ps.119:71: “It was good for me that I was afflicted.”  Is this your testimony?

When standing on eternal shores, it certainly will be. When seen from the standpoint of an All-Wise Sovereign, you will say so.  If our trust in His kindly wisdom were but more simple, we would say so now.

Imagine that we for a moment might be granted all-knowledge with all wisdom to discern our ideal situation. Then, added to that, we had all-power to effect any change that wisdom perceived. We should choose for ourselves precisely the circumstance that we find ourselves in at the moment.  We would realize that these very afflictions are the best possible situation for our eternal well-being.

This is what God, the All-Wise, the All-Powerful, has done. No better situation than your present sorrow could possibly be imagined in the process of securing conformity to the likeness of Christ. It is true.  1 Pet.5:10: “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, shall Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

He is yet on the throne, a throne from which He makes all things new [Rev.21:5].  All things new: the process begins now, in the heart, in the renewal of the inner man day by day. There, within by the transforming Spirit of Christ, newness has already begun.

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold all things have become new” -2 Cor.5:17. And the new, beginning within, unfolds in transformation of character. It will eventually result in a new heaven and earth being established.

Through the dreaded and seeming unrelenting afflictions of life, the Lord’s design is to remake all things; and He begins with our hearts.  The outward, the physical, the temporal will follow in due course. Rom.8:21: “The creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” That relief from external discomforts and sorrows will only fully be realized in the coming final Day.

It is only then that every tear will be wiped away.  Some may be wiped dry here, but many will yet stain our cheeks presently. Only in that place will there be no death, mourning, or pain. Rev.21:4: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” These are the first things which necessarily afflict before being banished.

Pain precedes pleasure. Rejoicing follows mourning. Death snatches its victim ere God raises His victor. Yes, sorrows abide for a season below, but the Word is sure, faithful, and true: “It is done!” -Rev.21:6.

Sweating brows toiling and limp beneath a blazing sun’s curse will yet be led to springing refreshing founts of life [Rev.7:16,17].  Rev.21:6: “I will give to the one who thirst from the spring of the water of life without cost!”  Overspread is Almighty’s shade under which no pangs of lack or tormenting thorns can abide [Rev.7:15-17].

Rev.21:7: “He who overcomes will inherit these things.” 1 Pet.1:4-7: “An inheritance imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. Who by the power of God are guarded through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials: that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Yes, it is for him who overcomes.  All have something to overcome in this world by faith in the Son of God. 1 Jn.5:4,5: “Whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” Yes, we must overcome: suffering’s distressing spectrum in a sin-cursed world, repulsive temptations from the subtle serpent, and threats of one’s own lust to erupt and spew forth its venomous defilements.  We must overcome.

There exists only one horrid option: the lake that burns with fire and brimstone.  The cowardly who flee sufferings for Christ here, will plunge headlong into torments unending in that Day. Those who refuse to account God as true on earth will have the gnawing worm’s conscience reminding them of that reality throughout all eternity.

But let us not linger here amid the smoking groans of the damned. Rev.21:9: “Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” Can you see her, brilliant and blissful, honored among ten thousands of the choicest souls of the ages? Behold her, linen wrapped, bright and blameless. Rev.19:8: “It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” Gaze at her glittering virtuous crown glorifying her Beloved [Prov.12:4].

Do you hear the thunderous swelling notes resounding in cloudless eternal skies?  Rev.19:7: “Let us rejoice and be exceeding glad and let us give the glory to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”

Yes, she has made herself ready. The Day has dawned and the Lamb receives her as His own. Ps.45:9-11: And now at His “right hand stands the queen in gold…

“Listen, O daughter, give attention and incline your ear: Forget your own people and your father’s house; then the King will desire your beauty…She will be led to the King in embroidered work…with gladness and rejoicing;

“They shall enter into the King’s palace.”

Dear Listener, may you be among those who make up this glorious bride of Christ.

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

 

Posted on

Jesus the Light 36 In the Dungeon

Jesus the Light   36    In the Dungeon

Blessed is he who does not stumble over Me -Mt.11:6

A man sent from God [Jn.1:6], indeed, none greater that has been born of women [Mt.11:11] and more than a prophet [Mt.11:9]: this was John.  Filled with the Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb [Lk.1:15] and coming in the spirit and power of Elijah [Lk.1:17] as the messenger to prepare the way for the Lord [Mt.11:10]: there have arisen none to equal the Baptist.

Fearlessly, he confronted an entire generation like a thunder clap from heaven against the sins of peasants, priests, and princes alike. None were exempt from his withering denunciations and demands for repentance: none, not even the king.

Lk.3:19,20: “When Herod the tetrarch was reproved because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the wicked things which Herod had done, Herod also added this to them all: he locked John up in prison.”

And thus he descended into Herod’s dark and dank dungeon. The blaze of heaven’s light bursting from him was then plunged into blackness. Multitudes who once rejoiced in this burning lamp [Jn.5:35] thronged to him no more.  The voice that cried in the wilderness was silenced behind the confines of cold castle stone.

John is alone.  The heralded Messiah of the coming kingdom sends no greeting.  Jesus the Christ makes no visit to his cell.  No word of cheer reaches his ears.

He whom he faithfully testified of and announced remains aloof while the wicked king he faithfully testified against abides as his afflicting captor. Christ, the One that John’s whole life had been prepared for and was devoted to does nothing, says nothing.

Mt.11:3: “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” Multiplied anxious thoughts race through fevered imaginations in Herod’s dungeon. We can imagine John’s anxious thoughts: “The kingdom of heaven was at hand, yet Herod’s wicked scepter still holds sway. How is it that the Bridegroom can abandon His friend who rejoiced to hear His voice? [Jn.3:29]. Surely He has come to set the captives free! [Isa.61:1]. Why does He not come?”

Rarely do such tumbling thoughts receive a satisfactory resolution. Suspense is one of the great disturbances to the soul. And so it was that a deputation of disciples came to inquire of Christ on John’s behalf.  And thus did Christ respond.

Lk.7:21-23: “At that very hour He cured many of diseases, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind he gave sight. Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go and tell John the things which you have seen and heard: the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them.

“‘And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.’”

Report what you have seen and heard.  They saw that many, but not all, were healed.  They heard those ancient prophesies of the blind, deaf, and lame being saved [Isa.35:3-6] and of the gospel being preached to the poor by the Lord’s Anointed [Isa.61:1-3].

This is what they saw and heard. It was the message that they carried to the downcast in the dungeon.  Jesus Himself did not come. The message of truth did. And John was left there with the Truth until his earthly race had run its course.

“And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” It is a blessed condition to not be offended when the Lord Jesus does not perform according to our expectation. We are blessed when His Word alone is sufficient to sustain us in the midst of distressing and grievous afflictions. Blessed are you when you trust what you know is true in the unrelieved grimness of Herod’s dungeon.

He was left alone to reflect on the fact that many were healed, but not all. It was the same Jesus who healed some and did not relieve others. More significant conflicts are raging in unseen spiritual realms than our immediate rescue from our discomforts. Join with Job and John in meekly submitting to even horrific trials.

John was left with the truth of the Word of God in the midst of sorrow. He pondered those prophesies, both of which promised rescue from present maladies and pointed to a coming day of vengeance.

That of the 35th of Isaiah promised that the weak and fearful-hearted will yet be visited by God and saved. Isa.35:4-6: “Say to those with anxious heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear. Behold, our God will come with vengeance; the recompense of God will come, but He will save you. Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will shout for joy.”

In the 61st chapter, not only is the gospel preached unto the poor, but the captives are liberated and the prison doors fly open. Isa.61:1The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners.”

They were cheering words to the downcast.  But when shall they be realized?  When will He come to this, my dungeon? And to this question we may have no answer.

The fact is that it may not be in this life at all that your distress is visited and relieved. Perhaps not until the day of vengeance will all of your woes, grievances, and injustices be rectified.

By faith the servants of the Most High “escaped the edge of the sword” -Heb.11:34.  By faith others, equally His servants, “were put to death with the sword” -Heb.11:37. Same faithful servants, all of who had glowing faith: some perished, some did not.

Elijah was ushered into glory in a fiery chariot sent from heaven [2 Kings 2:11]. His faithful companion, Elisha, who possessed a double portion of his spirit, slowly expired in his sickness [2 Kings 13:14].

By the mercies of God Epaphroditus was healed of his deadly ailment [Phil.2:27].  But Paul’s beloved co-worker was left sick at Miletus [2 Tim.4:20]. Acts 19:11,12: “God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them.” But Timothy, his closest and dearest co-worker, had chronic bodily afflictions that were not healed [1 Tim.5:23].

God’s notable prophet, Jeremiah, was delivered and raised from a pit of certain destruction [Jer.38:4-14].  Yet the stalwart and fearless Micaiah was cast into prison and fed sparingly with the bread of affliction [1 Kings 22:27].

In days of famine, one desolate widow was miraculously fed while others foraged about searching for crumbs. Lk.4:25,26: “Elijah was sent to none of them.”

Dear Listener, lonely vigils night and day passed in the Baptist’s miserable cell in Herod’s dungeon before he was released. The prisoner was eventually set free. The prison doors finally burst forth from their squalor into the brightness of eternal day. It was the Lord’s doing.

At the malicious demand of Herod’s wanton consort, “he sent and had John beheaded in prison” -Mt.14:10. And thus the captive was set free by Herod’s murderous sword, yet not even one hair of John’s head perished [Lk.21:18].

And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

Posted on

Jesus the Light 35 Suffering 2

Jesus the Light 35 Suffering 2

 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial among you, Which comes upon you for your testing, As though some strange thing happened to you  1 Pet.4:12

If the Master is maligned as Beelzebub, the members of His house must fare even worse at the hands of men [Mt.10:25]. Jn.15:20: “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.”

There is nothing strange, then, about Peter and John being arrested and flogged [Acts 5:17,18,40] nor that Stephen was stoned to death [Acts 7:58]. It was the same high priest and council that had crucified their Lord that was responsible for their own afflictions.

They, like their Lord, spoke the truth without compromise and testified to the religious world that its deeds were evil. They also set aside as the worthless rubbish it is, the man-made traditions of men. And they were hated because of it.

Conformity to Christ’s character necessarily results in partaking of His sufferings.  The two are inseparable. 2 Tim.3:12: “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” Fiery trials are therefore not a strange thing, but follow expectedly as a consequence of godliness.

They arise from wicked men but are sent by the hand of God accompanied by the Spirit of glory and of God. 1 Pet.4:14: “If you are insulted for the Name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”

We should not be ashamed to be reviled for the name of Christ and suffer for uprightness. 1 Pet.4:16: “If anyone suffers as a Christian, his is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this Name.” Men may malign and mistreat while casting shame and slander upon the righteous; but it is no cause to be ashamed.

Rather, it is cause to glory, to rejoice, and to be exceedingly glad. Mt.5:11,12: “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because your reward is great in heaven; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Such response demands the spiritual reality evident in a Paul who witnessed that he was “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” -2 Cor.6:10.  Will fiery trial turn us from the appointed path?

Job 2:4: “Skin for skin, yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.”  So says Satan. What do you say?  What said three young Hebrew men?

Dan.3:17,18: “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace…but if not, be it known unto you, O king, that we will not serve your gods.”

God is able…but if He does not…we will not.  Their devotion did not depend upon deliverance. Rescued or not, to them, God must be honored, truth upheld, and faith rest unwavering. This is the unyielding allegiance of true consecration.

God is to be glorified as God without rival or compromise though Self perish in the process. All of the workings of truth flow to this end. It is why we are tried by fire.

It is why we exult in our tribulations. They produce perseverance and that tested character which issues in hope [Rom.5:3-5]. The godly quality of life resulting from enduring afflictions lends confidence to the soul of its eventual conformity to Christ’s image. That is hope: a hope born in the fire and fanned into a flame of light by the winds of adversity. It is truth and righteousness upheld that are the provocations to heat the furnace seven times hotter and cast the godly therein.

Fiery trials ensue when we are unashamed of Christ and His Words in the midst of a sinful and adulterous generation [Mk.8:38].  This, no Nebuchadnezzar can endure.

Cains will arise against the Abels of the land. Pharaohs will increase their afflictions upon the Israel of God who refuse to compromise divine decrees. Testifying the good confession before the Pilates of this world ushers one to Golgotha’s brow. And craftsmen of Diana’s shrines will riot against gospel light.

Suffering for the sake of truth embraced is the portion of the godly in all generations. Heb11:25,26 says Moses chose “to suffer affliction with the people of God. He regarded abuse suffered for Christ greater riches than the treasure in Egypt.”

Heb.11:35: “Others were tortured, not accepting release, that they might obtain a better resurrection.” Time would fail us to recount the histories of the men whom, valiant for truth, the world was not worthy of [Heb.11:36-38].

Suffice it to say that Paul kept the faith, though at his first trial “no one stood with me, but all deserted me” -2 Tim.4:17. Peter and Apostles, though maliciously imprisoned and beaten said: “We must obey God rather than men” -Acts 5:29. John partook of tribulation on Patmos’ Isle because of “the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus” -Rev.1:9. And our Lord Jesus Christ “for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, disregarding the shame” -Heb.12:2.

But what shall we do when persecution and suffering meet us? 1 Pet.2:19-23 answers this. “This finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God, someone endures hardships in suffering unjustly. If when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.

“For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps. While being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.”

Love of truth issues in salvation of those who embrace it [2 Thess.2:10].  At the same time, though, it also issues in persecution from those who do not love it.

Jn.15:19: “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you.”

Cowardly compromise of the way of righteousness does not gain what we imagine it will. Rather, out of fear to displease any, we offend all. The righteous will pity and pray for us. The unrighteous we are trying to satisfy will only despise us all the more because we were willing to abandon what we claim to believe.

No matter what you do in this life, you will suffer. No person can escape it. Best to suffer for doing what is right than for what is evil. Either way, you will suffer.

But something happens when we stand stalwart and immovable and refuse to bow the knee at Babylonian shrines. The world rises up in haste when it sees One like the Son of God with us in the flames [Dan.3:24,25].

A testimony is established in the furnace. But we must not shrink from the fire if we would have Christ meet us therein. It is there that it becomes evident to all that it is God, and not Self, that we serve.

Brethren, don’t be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you which comes upon you for your testing. It is no strange thing. Suffering is our expected portion in this world, but Christ will be with us if we stand erect when Babylon’s notes compel our prostration.

1 Pet.5:10: “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

Posted on

Jesus the Light 34 Suffering

Jesus the Light 34 Suffering

 Though He was a Son, He learned obedience by the things which He suffered  Heb.5:8

Suffering is the portion of every true Christian. To live in this world and imagine to escape from suffering is a great deception. It was the portion of Christ Jesus Himself.

Isa.63:9: “In all their affliction He was afflicted.”  Truly Christ Jesus our Lord was “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” -Isa.53:3.

From birth there was no room for Him except the welcome afforded by sheep and oxen [Lk.2:7]. Chief priests and scribes may know ancient prophesies about the Christ’s place of birth, but they had no interest in meeting this King themselves [Mt.2:4-6].  Only a bloodthirsty jealous tyrant wished to find Him that he might “worship” Him – with a drawn sword [Mt.2:8-16].

He fled by night as a fugitive to a foreign land [Mt.2:13,14] only to return to a lowly despised region of no reputation [Mt.2:23]. Long years of routine physical labor occupied the majority of His life [Mk.6:3]. He toiled, unrecognized and without acclaim, supporting His younger ones who refused to believe Him to be anything other than just another member of the family [Jn.7:5].

Though hailed by the Highest in heaven [Mt.3:17], His own nation did not receive Him [Jn.1:11]. Isa.53:3: “He was despised, and rejected of men, and we did not esteem Him.”

Assailed by loathsome evil, the devil tempted Him to the uttermost [Mt.4:1-11].  And men, following in the steps of their father, the devil, vilified Him with mocking disdain.

Jn.8:48: “Do we not rightly say that You are a Samaritan?” Jn.7:20: “The multitude answered, ‘You have a demon!’” Spitefully with venomous malice they spat out the accusation in Jn.8:41: “We were not born of fornication!” Jn.7:12: “He deceives the people!” -Jn.7:12. Even His own people were saying in Mk.3:21: “He is out of His mind!”

Dear Listener, what are you passing through that He has not tasted? What assaults your soul that He was not faced with? This is Jesus in Heb.4:15: the “One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet was without sin.”

Christ is the One in Heb.2:18 who: “since He Himself has suffered being tempted, He is able to help those who are tempted.”

He can come to your aid in the blackness of your despair for He has sweat drops of blood in the agony of Gethsemane [Lk.22:44]. He can comfort the wounds of your heart sent from wicked tongues, for men wagged their heads in mocking derision against Him, the Beloved of the Father [Ps.22:6-8].

Grief sent from stubborn insulting loved ones against you can be borne in the bosom of Him who knew the same [Jn.7:5]. Shattering grief over those dearest to us taken in death’s finality is soothed by Him who wept over Lazarus whom He loved [Jn.11:35].

A ravaged heart torn asunder by willful abandonment of those closest to you receives its balm from the pierced hands of Him who cried in Mt.27:46: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Have weary long years of seemingly pointless daily routine bowed your soul, snuffing out hope’s glow of eventual spiritual usefulness? Come to Nazareth and behold your Lord in silent submission those eighteen years at the carpenter’s bench [Mk.6:3].

You are forgotten and ignored and no sympathy is found to console your anguished soul, except that of Him who looked for the same and found none [Ps.69:20,21].

Poverty grinds away with its relentless scarcity, sapping your soul into anxious pursuits. Come and recline with the Son of Man who had nowhere to lay His head [Lk.9:58]. The grief of the pure in heart that chafe at the unashamed display of godless men surrounding them also deeply assaulted the soul of the Holy One of God [Mt.17:17].

Are you laid aside, bed-ridden, and prostrate in weariness? Come; find rest and strength from Him who was wearied often [Lk.8:23; Jn.4:6].

In all points He was tempted as are we, but without sin. Only He who has overcome can assist those who must also do the same [Rev.3:21]. Yes, there are things to overcome; grievous pains to be borne: bitter to natural sensibilities, shameful to self-esteem.

They come from Christ. He has designed them that thereby we might overcome; that we will learn obedience through suffering, and that we might know fellowship with the Man of Sorrows.

Paul prayed that he might know the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death: that he might attain to the resurrection from the dead [Phil.3:10,11]. To him, suffering was fellowship with Christ. Is it the same to you?

Suffering, death, and resurrection: this is the necessary sequence. Christ became obedient unto death, even that of the cruelest and most despised, that of a cross [Phil.2:8]. How did He learn such obedience? He gained it by enrollment in the school of suffering of which He is the Master of all would-be followers.

The lessons must be learned thoroughly and remembered well if the disciple would become like His Master [Lk.6:40]. This His school. Few endure until promoted on high.

Heb.12:3: “Consider well Him who has endured so great a contradiction of sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary, fainting in your souls.”

1 Pet.2:23: “While being reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.”

Mt.11:28: “Come unto Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  But the manner in which He chooses to grant you rest, may be quite unlike that of your brother. The Lord Jesus individually tailors each of our situations for our eternal good and His unending glory.

Black despair burst into light’s glowing warmth in Herod’s dismal prison-house of death. Fierce guards and flashing swords were bypassed as if nothing by the liberated captive. Shackles and chains clinked powerless to the ground as Peter was escorted by his heaven-sent deliverer.

Acts 12:11: “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent forth His angel, and has delivered me out of the hand of Herod.” Those were the words of Peter.

This is the testimony of James in Acts 12:1,2: “Then Herod killed James the brother of John with the sword.” They were in the same prison, bound by the same Herod, both apostles, and serving the same Jesus.

Dear Listener, which Jesus do we want: the Jesus of Peter or the Jesus of James? Which Jesus will we love and serve? Which One will we not be offended with?

Will we presume to choose, or even demand, our own means of deliverance? For, truly, both Peter as well as James were set free from Herod’s clutches, were they not?

Peter was liberated by angelic visitation in a miraculous rescue. James was set free by a hateful monster in gruesome form. Who had the better portion?

Peter entered the house of Mary where many were gathered praying, persecuted and fearing. James entered the city of gold where many more were gathered in everlasting jubilation where there is no more crying, pain, sorrow, and sin.

So, which Jesus do you wish to follow, the Jesus of Peter or that of James? Is He not the same Jesus to both and to all who trust in Him? Yes, He is.

And so Jesus says to all: “Blessed is he who does not stumble over Me” –Mt.11:6.

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020