Grains of Sand

elibvbid.blogspot.com (Google Images) There are many renditions of the photo you see on your left. But I think this is the version that once hung on a wall in the church of my childhood. It depicts what is described in Matthew 7:13, 14. “ Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. ” This is not a message that we want to hear. The New King James version of the Scriptures uses the word “ difficult ” to describe the road that leads to life. Commenting on this, John MacArthur writes: “Christ continually emphasized the difficulty of following Him (Matt. 10:38; 16:24-25; John15:18-19; 16:1-3; cf. Acts 14:22). Salvation is by grace alone, but it is not easy. It calls for knowledge of the truth, repentance, submission to Christ as Lord, and a willingness to obey His will and Word . Cf. Matt. 19:16-28.” ( One Perfect Life ...

Google Images It’s not hard to resist the wolves on the outside the church, but it sometimes is a challenge to recognize the wolves, disguised in sheep’s clothing, inside the Body of Christ. It didn’t take the believers of the Galatian church long to be deceived. Paul begins his letter with this cryptic statement: “ I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ ” (Galatians 1:6, 7). It’s subtle—that’s the nature of a wolf disguised as a sheep. What he says sounds good, but if we examine what is said in the light of the Scriptures we will be able to discern the truth from the half-truth or the outright lie. The key for us is to be students of the Word of God, to chew for ourselves what the Bible says. Every believer has the Spirit of God as his Teacher (John 14:26), and...

Reading: Jeremiah 21-24, James 1 To those of us, perhaps that means all of us, who handle God’s Word in one context or another, Jeremiah has a lot to say. And most of it creates one of those you-better-sit-up-and pay-attention moments. Paul advised his protégé, Timothy, to handle the Word of God well (2 Timothy 2:15). But it’s not simply what we do when we are presenting the Word that is important, it is making sure that what we are presently in the name of the Word of God actually is HIS Word. We can speak in God’s Name without having been authorized to do so. We can tell people that what we say is from God without that message actually having come from God. The consequences of doing these things is a whole lot on the scary side. Here’s what Jeremiah says: “ This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. They...

Jesus has some harsh words for those who operate in His name but who, instead of steering those seeking Him, actually keep people away. What a terrible thing to follow someone who claims to be a spiritual leader, only to discover that he's not going in the right direction. Jesus said: " Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven " —Matthew 7:21. Apparently these people are even able to perform miracles in God's name, but have never belonged to Him in the first place. Jesus describes them as " false prophets…in sheep's clothing " who are " ferocious wolves " —Matthew 7:15. They look good but their acts will show them to be what they really are. The miracles would look good to a seeker, but Jesus suggests that we look beyond the performance to the man who does the performing. This warning is tucked in between two of the strongest evangelistic ill...