Roots by the River

This post is taken from the booklet An Invitation, Not a Challenge , by Everett Wilson, brother of Jim Wilson. A Gift from God One reason why people have such a hard time accepting salvation as a gift is that they have been trained to think of work as the way to reward. Then, when we become rich or are otherwise rewarded, we comfort ourselves that "we worked hard for it." Who wants the teacher to give the class goof-off an A, when the class grind had to work so hard to earn it? Who wants to see thieves and cheats rewarded with the spoils of their crimes? The goof-off doesn't deserve an A, so he should not get one. The thief has no right to another person's property, so should not be allowed to keep it. The trouble with these comparisons is that they have nothing to do with the gift of eternal life. Law is useful when it measures distinctions between right and wrong, good and bad. The justice system may straighten out a car theft by returning the car to its owner...

This post is taken from the booklet An Invitation, Not a Challenge , by Everett Wilson, brother of Jim Wilson. An Invitation, Not a Challenge The gospel comes as a gift, not as a bill for payment. C. H. Spurgeon told a parable about that: A minister called on a poor woman in order to bring her a gift of money. He knocked and knocked, decided no one was home, and went on his way. Later he saw the woman at church and told her how he had called and not found her at home. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "When was that?" When he told her, she said, "Was that you? I was in the house but I didn't come to the door because I thought it was the man coming for the rent, and I didn't have it to give him!" Ministers, youth leaders, and Sunday School teachers all know what that is like. Week by week we come offering the gift of the gospel, the gift of eternal life, but many do not listen because they’re afraid we have come to take rather than to give. In the...

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:6-7). Years ago, a friend of mine told me that he was not into evangelism because the more converts he had, the more backsliders he had. Of course, that is not a reason to hold back on evangelism, but it makes us wonder why it sometimes seems to be so. Here is a major reason. The new Christian often is not taught to live the Christian life the same as he was taught to receive Christ . He is taught a different way of living than he was taught of receiving. That is why he falls. The new Christian received Christ by grace through faith. He did not receive Christ by trying or by effort. He is not to live by trying or by effort. He is to live by grace through faith. In other words, the Christian life should be like being born again every day. Written February 1985. This post coord...

There are many things in the life of the Apostle and his associates I can identify with. However, there is one aspect I wish I could identify with even more. It is their life of prayer. “Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you , that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis” (Col. 4:12-13). “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may 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 you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to...

Have you ever thought about who does not enter the kingdom and why? Here are a few explicit examples. “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21). “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). “And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven’” (Matthew 18:3). “In reply Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again’” (John 3:3). It is easy not to enter. The first example is things to do. The next three examples a...

This is what the apostle Paul prayed for new believers: “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may 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 you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light” (Colossians 1:9-12). We believe this was a prayer inspired by the Holy Spirit and therefore answered by God. Let’s enumerate the requests. 1. To fill you with the knowledge of His will 2. Through all spiritual wisdom and understanding, in order that… 3. You may live a life worthy of the Lord 4. And may please Him in ev...

“Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” (2 Corinthians 7:1). “Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness” (Hebrews 12:10). The first verse tells us that out of reverence for God we will not touch the unclean, we will cleanse our bodies and our spirits, we will perfect holiness. The second verse tells us that God's goodness toward us disciplines us toward sharing in his holiness. His goodness and our reverence result in our perfect holiness.   Written November 1994.

“While Paul was waiting for them in Athens he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols” (Acts 17:16). The Apostle was not in awe with the beauty of the Parthenon; he was distressed. Some of us have been to parts of the world where there are beautiful minarets, Shinto gates and shrines, and beautifully carved statues housed in ornate temples. Do we think like the Apostle? If not, is it because he saw things as God sees them, and we see them like the rest of mankind? May God help us to be distressed with false gods.           “In vain with lavish kindness the gifts of God are strown;           The heathen in his blindness bows down to wood and stone.”           (Reginald Heber 1783-1826) This post coordinates with tomorrow's reading in the To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge . If you are not in a daily reading plan, please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to hav...

“So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life” (Acts 11:18). “And turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:18). “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds” (Acts 26:20). “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing God's kindness leads you toward repentance” (Romans 2:1). “When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you by turning each of you from your wicked ways” (Act 3:26). “Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, 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 2:25-26). The above verses have been going through my head in ...

The time and place of public prayer does not seem to be commanded in Scripture, but times and places do occur in Scripture. “One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer, at three in the afternoon” (Acts 3:1). "One day" makes it look like there was daily prayer at three in the afternoon. There is no indication that it was limited to the Sabbath. Here is another occurrence in Acts 16: "On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer… Once when we were going to the place of prayer…” (vv. 13, 16). These statements sound like they went to the place of prayer daily, including the Sabbath. In the first Scripture, the place was the temple in Jerusalem. The second was a riverside in Macedonia. In these two recorded instances something wonderful happened. In the first, a crippled man was healed and two thousand people were converted. In the second, Lydia and her household believed and were ba...

“When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified…. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power” (1 Corinthians 2:1-2, 4-5). “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-4). These two texts bring us back to first priorities: preaching the cross and praying for kings. Both of these texts have to do with the salvation of men. God in his wisdom decided that proclaiming and pr...

  "But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy'" (1 Peter 1:15-16). “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). There are several common things in these two commands. First, they are not suggestions. Second, they are "be" commands, not "do" commands. Third, they are in each case related to the holiness and the perfectness of the Father. We can assume that God does not command us to be something that He will not provide the means to be. Therefore, we should not think that these commands are impossible. If we think that way, then we do not believe or obey God. We are following the suggestions of the enemy. We can start by believing and wanting to be holy.   Written February 1993.

"Then the Lord said to him, 'Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure’” (Genesis 15:13-16). This text was fulfilled in the time of Joshua. It also gives us a reason for the conquest of Canaan by Joshua. The sin of the Amorites had now reached its full measure. “After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, ‘The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.’ No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is going to drive them out before you. It is not because of yo...

“And He said to them, ‘You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God, in order to keep your tradition’” (Mark 7:9). Rather than dwell on the specific instance mentioned by Jesus of evading the commandment, I would like to draw attention to His admiration of their abilities when He says, "You have a fine way." J.B. Phillips translates this, "It is wonderful to see how." Jesus may have been speaking in sarcasm, but regardless of how He spoke, He was pointing to the sophisticated effort the religious people made in order to disobey. Jesus quoted Isaiah: "This people honors me with their lips but their heart is far from me. In vain do they worship me," teaching as doctrines the precepts of men. Non-religious people do not need sophisticated reasons in order to disobey. They deliberately disobey, or remain ignorant of the commandments, or do not care. Religious people not only come up with involved reasons to make their own wrong look right, but...

“I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the Gospel that I may share in its blessings” (1 Cor. 9:22-23). St. Paul’s versatility was a versatility of choice, decision. He gives the reason for his decisions: “to win as many as possible” verse 19; “to win the Jews” v. 20; “to win those under the law” v. 20; “to win those not having the law” v. 20; “to win the weak” v. 22’ and finally, “that I might save some” v. 22. His decisions were made in order to identify with the people he sought to win. He identified with opposites, and he did it without compromise. This post coordinates with today's reading in the To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge . If you are not in a daily reading plan, please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us. Written August 1984.

A pure, clear conscience is a wonderful thing. A guilty conscience is an awful thing. We desire the one and do not want the other. However, there are guilty consciences that are filled with false guilt instead of true guilt. There are also seemingly clear consciences that are clear only because the conscience does not record; it has become seared. Even when a conscience is working well and is clear, that does not mean it is working perfectly according to God’s standards of right and wrong. The Apostle Paul said it this way: “My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God” (1 Corinthians 4:4-5). A person may say that his conscience does not hurt, as if that were proof that he was innocent. It does not hold. The conscience...

"We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete. This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 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” (1 John 1:3-7). "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Peter 2:24-25). I selected these two very clear expressions from the writings of John and Peter because in a succinct way they tell us about God—w...

"No man can redeem the life of another, or give to God a ransom for him. The ransom for a life is costly; no payment is ever enough, that he should live on forever and not see decay… But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself” (Psalm 49:7-9, 15). This is a wonderful expression in the Old Testament of God's redemption as opposed to man's inability to redeem. Please consider the following and become students of the Old Testament: "These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come” (1 Cor. 10:11). "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope" (Romans 15:4). "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every g...

''T he gifts and sacrifices being offered w ere not able to clear the conscience” (Heb. 9:9). "How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God" (Heb. 9:14). ''Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Heb. 9:22). "Just as a man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgement, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him" (Heb. 9:27-28). "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified" (1 Cor 2: 2). The first verse tells us of the inadequacy of Old Testament sacrifices. They were a shadow, not the reality. They did not work. The next three verses tell us that the death of Christ i...

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). “It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace” (Hebrews 13:9). “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). We know that we were saved, justified, by grace. That was an event in the past that started our Christian lives. Grace, however, did not cease at that time. The three verses above represent the continuance of grace in the life of the believer. James 4:6 tells us that “He gives us more grace .” Grace is what we need for any inadequacy, weakness, or sin. This grace increases according to the needs. We cannot overdraw on the bank of grace, for “where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” Grace is really like a clean, life-giving river that never runs dry. We just need to stand in the river. "From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another” (John 1:16).   Written December 1989.