Roots by the River

Jesus said, “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned” (John 5:28-29). This teaching in the New Testament is not taught often in the Christian churches today. Here is Paul’s teaching on the same subject: “I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will co...

Please notice the superlatives in the following three Scriptures: Jesus: “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) All authority, all nations, to obey all that I commanded, with you always , to the end of the age. Paul’s prayer: “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that ...

My life is made up of seeing people, all kinds. It seems that most of these people are having their life changed. There are some who do not come into victory. Please pray for me for wisdom, power, and love so that more of them would walk in the light. One of my earliest times of seeing people was 28 September 1950. My ship, the USS Brush (DD745), was hit by a mine two days before. I set up a counseling post on the torpedo deck on the 01 level. We had no chaplain. Sailors were lined up to see me. They had questions like, “Why did Joe die?” “Why do you ask about Joe? Fifteen other men died.” “Joe was my running mate. We went ashore together.” “I will ask the right question. Are you ready to die? We are in a calm sea, two days away from port, maybe with a broken keel. A heavy sea could break us in half. It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. Are you ready for the judgment?” That was 67 years ago. I have been answering the same kind of questions with t...

Here is another post on the heart by Bessie, taken from a column entitled "The Heart" which was published in The Hammer (a CCM magazine) years ago. In the eighteenth chapter of Matthew we have a remarkable story that Jesus told in answer to a question Peter asked. “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” We all know Jesus’ answer: “Not seven times but seventy-seven times.” Or the more traditional King James rendering, “until seventy times seven.” Regardless whether it is seventy-seven times or four hundred ninety times, it is obvious that Jesus put no limit on the times we are to forgive. The story is remarkable in that it pictures the enormous debt which was cancelled because of the mercy of the master. But it also pictures the minor debt which this same servant would not cancel towards a fellow servant. Not content with choking him, he also put him into prison. The other servants soon informed the master of such ...

“Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach , not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” (2 Timothy 2:23-26, italics mine) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation : that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors , as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled ...

When I was a little boy, I thought I would stay that way forever. It did not happen. Here I am still thinking I will stay this way forever. It is not happening. Here are a few of my favorite verses in Scripture: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4) “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments.” (1 Corinthians 2:14-15) “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”...

This article was written by my daughter-in-law Nancy for The Hammer Magazine. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:24-25) Have you ever had the experience of walking with someone who is either racing ahead of you or dragging along behind? It is awkward, at best, and even difficult to carry on a conversation with such a companion. Remember watching a parade of marching soldiers or a band? If one person is out of step it can ruin the way the entire company looks. But walking with someone who is in step with you is pleasant. So it is as we “live by the Spirit.” When we are in step with the Spirit, our Christian life goes on smoothly. But getting out of step brings disharmony. Are we trying to run ahead of the Spirit? Are we lagging dreadfully behind? There is no secret to keeping in step with the Spirit. The Scripture says that those of us “wh...

This is another of our ministry letters from our time in Ann Arbor. 1706 Jackson Avenue Ann Arbor, Mich. 48103 May 15, 1969 Dear Friends, Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your...

This is a ministry newsletter from 1969. We found it while working on my autobiography. I hope it will be of some blessing to you. 1706 Jackson Avenue Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103 Dear Friends, Some of you have written of the blessing received through the Scriptures shared in previous letters, so we shall continue to do this. Those of you who know Jim at all remember that in conversation and in messages he dwells on the need for obedience to Christ and/or instant confession of sin for restoration to fellowship with Christ. These are truths running through the Word of God which are basic to a close walk with the Lord. But how easily and imperceptibly we drift into a careless state of soul! “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” If we spent as much time working on preventive maintenance as we do analyzing our problems, we would come out way ahead. We pray this consideration will come as a great help to many of you. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grac...

This article is from Bessie's column "The Heart" in The Hammer magazine. For this is what the high and lofty One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.” (Isaiah 57:15) God is very explicit in His Word regarding the conditions under which He reveals Himself to man. He is transcendent (that is, He is above and beyond His creation). He is also immanent (indwelling). He chooses to indwell those who are contrite and lowly in spirit. Why does God emphasize the heart as the important part of man? “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve” (Jeremiah 17:10). The heart is the inmost part of our being. It influences the mind (the decision-making), which dictates what the body does (deeds or conduct). Jesus taught that “fr...