Roots by the River

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Everything We Need

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18-20). “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Peter 1:3-4). God’s part is past tense: “All authority has been given to Jesus... His divine power has given us...” And present tense: “I am with you always...” With the past and present actions of God, our belief and obedience is simple and assured. Notice that we are to teach o...

Preaching Grace

“Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith” (Romans 1:5). “I am sending you to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:17-18). “I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things” (Ephesians 3:7-9). Paul, here, is not speaking of saving grace but of preaching grace . This grace was given to him to: · preach the unsearchable riches of Christ · ...

The Christian vs. the Humanist

The Bible is not a book that humanists can adjust to; it is too extreme. The humanist wants to be good now and then and here and there. He would like to do “random acts of kindness.” However, a Christian must be kind to everyone (2 Timothy 2:24). The humanist is worried that someone might have low self-esteem. The Bible says, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you” (Romans 12:3). “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2). Unfortunately, many Christians like the humanist standards and approach more than they like the biblical standard. In fact, we hear them judge the text of Scripture in the light of the humanism of our society. That is easier than judging society in the light of Scripture. You might say that if people are doing that, then they are not Christians. That would be a normal conclusion excep...

How to Handle Differences with Other Christians

In our ministry, there are doctrinal differences, but no strife—nothing beyond good discussions. As in too many places, there is sin in our local churches. We see a desire of the elders in different churches to lovingly confront and rebuke those in known sin and to take church action in discipline, if necessary. Pastors of several of the believing churches in our area have been meeting weekly for years to sing and pray for revival. There is a real love for the brothers. I would like to encourage you to: 1. Keep short accounts with God (1 John 1:5-10). We would rather say it in terms of John 1:7: “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” 2. Love each other (John 13:34-35). 1 Peter 1:22: “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.” 3. Galatians 6:1: “Brothers, if some...

The Promises of Psalm 91

Since the summer of 1949, my favorite Scripture has been Psalm 91. I escaped death three times in the first year of the Korean War. I have trusted the promises of this Psalm. Recently, I have noticed the different persons in the Psalm. Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord , “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wi...

Lead Us Not into Temptation

This post was written by Bessie Wilson. As Christians, we can say with the Scriptures that temptation is something that our Lord provided for. He did so in the Lord’s prayer. “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matt. 6:13). Prayer accompanied by our obedience will keep us out of a lot of areas of temptation that some of us are fooling around with. “These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren” (Prov. 6:16-19 KJV). A proud look . The NIV renders this “haughty eyes.” In Japanese, it’s taki-buri , which is “high-nosed.” Are ever you tempted to have a high nose? A haughtiness because of your hometown, your college, your forebears, or your race? If you have this proud look, somewhere along the line there was...