Today’s Blog Topics

1) Selfless Act

2) Best Counselling Advice Ever

3) A Verse with a Thought

4) Mile Markers and Stop Posts

5) Today’s Message:  Who Comforteth Us

"If God turn to us, no matter who turns from us."

- Adam Clarke

Selfless Act

Love is a selfless act. Sin is a selfish act.

Give of yourself, give to God and your neighbor.

Love, like faith, is an action, not just a sentiment or feeling.

Do, be, give-Love!

Best Counselling Advice Ever

Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ- Galatians 6:2.

We lighten another’s burden by listening to them. But are we adding to their load by talking? Our words should always uplift and edify.

Are we speaking the Spirit of Christ (Love) or are we verbally hitting someone over the head with the law, which Paul called the ministration of death that was written and engraven in stone (2 Cor. 3:7)?

By love we are to serve one another. Understand that, “All the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Galatians 5:14).

Walk in the Spirit, be in the spirit. Listen. Love.

A Verse with a Thought

"Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face. Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance." (Psalm 89:14-15)

Pretty powerful stuff! Yet Oh, so easy when you consider that Mercy and Truth are what we are to lead with. If we become those two things, then there isn’t much to adjudicate. Justice is already done. Walking in Mercy and Truth is to walk in the light of His countenance. We become His image incarnate.

Mile Markers and Stop Posts

We have mile markers in life. These are significant events such as weddings, births, birthdays, deaths, relocations, new jobs and so on. We use these mile markers not only to remember our lives by, but to gauge how we have been living our lives. We determine our path and direction as well as analyze the trajectory of our time on this earth has taken to date.

We also have stop posts in life. As the name implies, stop posts are times (never places) when we stop and reflect on our past life, as well as project forward towards the future. New Year’s is one of those stop posts.

But here’s the thing. While for the most part, we have no control over when mile markers occur, we do have some control as to when stop posts happen. Remember, one is associated with an event, the other time. We do not have to wait for New Year’s to make new resolutions. We do not have to wait once a year to be grateful for what we do or don’t have, to have a mental, “check-up from the neck-up”, make vows of good deeds, prosperity or love. We can do all of these things (and more) anytime. In fact, as a child of God, we should always be in the mode of honest self-discovery, course correction, refreshing, confession, and amendment. It’s called repentance.

Plant a stop post today and every day. Resolve to adhere to the basic characteristics of God. They are righteousness, justice, faith, hope, and mercy. These are all components of the greatest attribute of them all, love.

Who Comforteth Us

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

This comfort is God’s grace. Grace is a boundless benefit from God bestowed upon our essence, being and very existence. Grace is a favor and divine largesse. Grace is undefinable in the sense that it is not manifest as a singular thing. In this passage, it is expressed in terms of a comfort.

This we can say about grace, it:

1) Grace is a gift. 2) Grace is a benefit and aid. 3) Grace is the consequence of God’s mercy.

God’s grace is truly boundless and limitless. He will load us full of Godly benefits, and load us still more, even when grace still abounds!

“But he giveth more grace….” (James 4:6)

“And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.” (John 1:16)

“Grace for grace”. Receiving His divine gifts aren’t necessarily due to a lack of them or the presence of tribulation.

But there is a very unique feature or quality associated with God’s grace. It is a gift received with the intent of being given. Grace grows when given away because it has our experiences mixed with it!

We are to, “comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” We never have to worry about running out of God’s comforts and grace for He is the God of all comfort, He giveth more grace and even gives grace for grace!

God’s grace, comforts, and helps are never in short supply. We are to help spread these divine gifts and relate our experiences to others

“Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear” (Isaiah 59:1)

“For grace comprehends in it all that is good, and grace is an earnest, yea, a beginning, of glory; for, wherever God gives grace, he will give glory, and will not withhold any good thing from him who walketh uprightly.” (Matthew Henry)

Bill Hitchcock

Upright

"Do good, O Lord, unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts." (Psalm 125:4)

An upright heart creates those who "be good", which in turn creates those who do good. To reverse engineer that statement does not always work. The end result of doing good does not necessarily come from one with an upright heart. This is why we can't good deed our way into heaven, for the devil himself can do good deeds.

The doing is proof of the heart. Not just once or twice. Sometimes, a lot of time must elapse before we can see and understand what the heart really is.

Bill Hitchcock

Psalm 127

Hold on! This gets powerful! Psalm 127 is only 5 verses long. But can you believe that the fate of the United States, sleep and abortion are all subjects discussed in this brief Psalm?

USA

“Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)

I am absolutely convinced that God built and keeps the United States of America. I am also convinced that we as citizens of this country have left our first love, that love we had for Jesus Christ and His word when this country was being sought, discovered, built and founded. Finally, I am convinced that what Jesus told the Ephesians in Revelations directly applies to us at this very moment.

“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” (Revelations 2:4-7).

The Nicolaitanes were Gnostics which means, "having knowledge" or “in the know”. This group of folks who know better than Christians were great participants in seduction, sex, and adultery. Hedonist in reality and practice, these Gnostics tried to contort God and His word around their desires, to suit their own purpose and to justify their own actions. Sound familiar?

Repent and overcome USA, repent and overcome! Return to Jesus!

SLEEP

“It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.” (Psalm 127:2)

Now you know where the expression, “Sleep on it” comes from and the reasoning behind it.

ABORTION

“Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.” (Psalm 127:3-5)

Abortion is the devil’s assault on God. Man was made in God’s image, so Satan is attempting to eliminate that image one soul at a time.

What did the devil do the moment Jesus was brought forth into this world? The devil, through Herod immediately tried to find out where Jesus was so he could kill him. When that didn’t work Satan then killed all children age two and under that lived in the area.

The devil has been in the baby killing business for a long time. Even before Christ, the devil devised pagan rituals and false gods such as the Canaanite god Moloch in which babies and young children were sacrificed by fire by their parents.

Children are God’s heritage and His reward. The devil through abortion is doing everything in his power to take these things from God. Abortion is the fastest, most efficient method ever devised, and unbelievably, abortion is a socially accepted practice worldwide.

The last part of the passage is most important, for it tells us exactly what is going on. It is expressing God’s blessings to Abraham after he willingly offered his son to God as a sacrifice. This, by the way, shows the difference between God and Satan. God saves and grows, the devil kills and destroys.

The Psalmist writes, “Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.”

God said to Abraham, “That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” (Genesis 22:17-18).

It is through children that prospers the man and his family. It is through children that evil will be defeated. It is through children that God’s people will populate the earth. It is through the children that the word of God will be preached.

It must be understood, the devil isn’t just killing for killing sake. The devil is trying to eliminate the souls of God, the children of God, the chosen, the elect. And just like in the case of Jesus, the devil doesn’t know which is which, so he is attempting to kill them all!

Bill Hitchcock

Today’s Edition Includes:

Video: Reverend Billy Graham-Be Packed and Ready. Duration-1:54

Thought for Today: “Only one basis for really enjoying life”

Verses with Ponderings: Matthew 24:46 and Proverbs 12:28

Discovery: Faith and Reason Connection.

Today’s Sermon: “Don’t Fret”

Be Packed And Ready To Go!

Billy Graham in Anaheim, California, 1969

Transcript below video.

Transcript

“In the midst of the pessimism and the gloom, and the frustration of this present hour, there’s only one hope, and that hope was expressed by Jesus Christ when He said, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again!” (John 14:3)

“Blessed is that servant for whom his Lord when he cometh, shall find so doing” (Matthew 24:46)

Now the Lord is coming. Christ is coming. And the temptation of many Christians is to say, “I’m going to sit down and take it easy and wait for the coming of the Lord.”

I want to tell you that when He comes, you may be left behind.

Do you remember the five foolish virgins, in the story Jesus told about? They thought the Lord had waited, and waited, and waited, and they got a little tired. The oil in their lamps was gone. When He came they were left behind.

The Bible says, “Blessed is that servant, whom His Lord when He cometh finds so doing”.

If I knew Christ was coming, do you know what I’d do? I’d do just what I am doing today.

We ought to live every day just as if the Lord was coming. You ought to have your bags packed and ready. You oughta not have your roots too deep. You oughta not have too big a bank account to worry about. That’s the reason why the Bible says we are to give to the poor, and we’re to give to the Church, and to give to Christian work. We are to be Stewards.

Be Packed And Ready! Ready to go! Working. Winning others to Christ. Witnessing for Christ. Doing all we can, to help our neighbor!

And above all loving! Loving!”

-END  

Enjoying Life

"There is only one basis for really enjoying life, and that is, to walk in the way in which God leads you. Then you are prepared to find delight in all sorts of wayward incidents....When a man is drifting through life, seeking nothing outside of self-gratification, the world must become increasingly a barren and forbidding wilderness. But it is wonderful how many delights fall to the lot of him who is led by God. For such a one the clasp of a friend\'s hand, a cool drink in the heat of noon, a merry salutation from a passing traveler, a glimpse of beauty by the road, a quiet resting place at night, are all full of unspeakable pleasure."

- Leaves of Gold

Verses and Thoughts

Matthew 24:46: "Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing."

Doing

- What motivates our doing and to what end?

- Are we the act or the reaction?

Proverbs 12:28: "In the way of righteousness is life: and in the pathway thereof there is no death."

Sin is the sting of death, a prick from the scythe, just a sampling before the terminal swing of the blade.

There is no death in righteousness. Everlasting to everlasting is only righteous. Death, dies. Pain and sorrow, end. Life, everlasting life, lives, and living with it, love and truth.

The Faith and Reason Connection

“That science that opposes the truth of the gospel is falsely so called; it is not true science, for if it were it would approve of the gospel and consent to it. Those who are so fond of such science are in great danger of erring concerning the faith; those who are for advancing reason above faith are in danger of leaving faith.” –Matthew Henry/1 Timothy 6:17-19 

Reason and faith are components of each other. They are not exclusive of each other, but rather incluse. It is impossible to reason, without faith and it is impossible to have faith without reason.

Even God said, “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isaiah 1:18)

Many times the Bible uses reason to support faith.

“Therefore we conclude (reason) that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” (Romans 3:28)

Today's Message: Do Not Fret

Michelangelo Buonarotti said, “Do not fret, for God did not create us to abandon us.” Buonarotti, more commonly known as Michelangelo strikes a chord that resonates in every human being. It is that crushing feeling of isolation during tribulation. That feeling we are all alone in a situation that has us beaten, defeated and demoralized. It is the insurmountable beast that we must battle by ourselves, that we are totally unprepared to fight against and frightened beyond our description.

Who hasn’t been there?

In this situation we are dealing with three things; the problem, the belief we are detached from God and finally a spirit in panic. The last two (detachment and panic) go hand in hand and creates that feeling of abandonment from God; the One who is love and Creator of all things. That feeling, when we believe God has left us is the worst state of being man can ever experience.

It is why the devil tries so hard to convince man that there is no God.

“When the fear of man prevails God is forgotten, his power, his providence, his promises, and past instances of divine favour and goodness; were these more frequently recollected, considered, and thought of, they would prove an antidote against the fear of men; and especially when it is observed, that he that is our Maker is he” (John Gill).

“I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass. And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?” (Isaiah 51:12-13).

Man is temporary and carnal and will fade and die. Consequently, any power man has will fade and die too. God is eternal, omnipotent and omnipresent. He will never leave or forsake you. It is easy to forget “the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth” when we think God has left us and we are staring down the barrel of some great adversity.

But God is the God of all comfort. If we feel alone it is for a reason and only for a season. God knows best. He doesn’t punish His children He corrects them. Usually, the feeling of being cut off from Him is for us to understand we need Him always. It is to break the sin of self-reliance and to lean on Him always.

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

God also teaches His children to aid and assist His other children. All storms that we weather enable us to prepare and protect others from similar events. God is the Father of consolation and comfort and he teaches His own the very attributes He possesses.

Helps and comforts to our fellow man and dependence and reliance on God all stem from the same tree, the tree of love.

“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31).

The next storm we face or battle we are engaged in know that the Lord, His word and His ministering angels are there with you. Our religion is based on faith, hope and belief so do those things which are foundational. Stand on the full confidence and expectation of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost and all battles will be won.

Post your comments below about God Did Not Create Us To Abandon Us

Bill Hitchcock
12292014

Shew Thyself A Man

 “Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man; And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself: That the Lord may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.” (1 Kings 2:1-5)

Two Points

1. Look how King David defines manhood; to uphold the purpose of the Lord, to walk in His ways, keep God’s statutes, commandments, judgments, and his testimonies. To engage the world in Christ, wearing the whole armor of God, requires not a man, for he would surely lose then, but a man of God.

NOTE: For the PC crowd and the easily offended. Yes, my response is gender specific to a male. Why? Solomon was a man. But the spirit and intent are as the first mention of a man in the Bible. The word is transliterated from the Hebrew, “Adam” which means all of mankind and is not gender specific.  

2. Is it not interesting that David tells Solomon to live his life in the way of God and in truth?

Life, in God’s way, in truth. Now, why does that sound familiar?

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6).

Bill Hitchcock

Does The Bible Really Say Money Is The Root Of All Evil?

Money is the root of all evil! That’s what it says in the Bible, right? Actually no! The expression, “Money is the root of all evil” is not only misquoted but an entire passage is taken out of context as well. So does that mean money is not evil? Let’s find out.

“But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses” (1Timothy 6:9-11).

9) But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

But those who desire to be rich, that chase after wealth will fall into a trial of integrity and virtue; it is a trap. Chasing riches for riches sake will lead a man into many unknown, unforeseen and destructive cravings and vices.

The consequences of the desire for riches is described as drowning, a slow gasp for gasp sinking into the pool of destruction. Enveloped by adversity it produces both physical and mental ruin and misery.

10) For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

“For the love of money”or better put; avarice. This is an extreme need for wealth and greed for material gain. This is a lust that blinds and squelches Godly affections and thought and permits nothing to stand between the man and his intended goal. Avarice is a cruel seductress that pricks both the heart and mind of a man and causes him to lose all sensibilities.

“With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life” (Proverbs 7:21-23).

When avarice is the root the tree will wither and die.

“pierced themselves through” is a metaphor meaning to torture one's soul with sorrows. The snares and traps set by lust and wantonness exact a pound of flesh and copious amounts of the human spirit.

11) But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

The man of God is to proceed away from these evil lusts quickly and pursue after that which gives life and life more abundantly. Godly things are, “profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come” (1Timothy 4:8)

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We that are in Christ and Christ in us, “have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:24-25). As a result the natural outflow from the Spirit will possess us and guide us to all things righteous and godly.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).

We have a choice. Chase worldly riches and suffer then perish. Or we can walk in the Spirit and have an eternal, blissful life.

12) Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

To “fight” is describing entering a contest. It is a strenuous task fought and participated in with zeal. This is our faith that we must fight for and lay hold of. We have an adversary in the devil that will most assuredly win if we do not fight. Victory is his if we do not put on the whole armor of God and fight the good fight of faith.

Post your comments below about the love of money and fighting the good fight of faith.

Bill Hitchcock

122814

Them That Look

“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” (Hebrews 9:28).

“unto them that look for him shall he appear”

“Them” implies a certain sector of people, not everyone. Even the sacrifice of Christ was “to bear the sins of “many”, not for all. “Look” connotes the active process of searching. Christ will only “appear” to those that are looking for Him. We only search for what we desire, want and need.

To aid in the search, Christ has already shown us the way. We are even forgiven when we stumble out of the way, this path of righteousness and are even welcomed back with loving arms.

“the second time without sin”

Picture what a wonderful event this will be. Not only will the search be over for “them” that have looked for Christ, but this event will be pure, righteous and without sin. We can’t comprehend the beauty and magnificence of this. Without sin is something no man has experienced. No pain, no guilt, no sorrow, no deceit, hate or ill intent.

“Salvation”

We find Christ. We also find true, untainted, and eternal love and peace.

That’s worth a lifetime of searching, don’t you think?

Bill Hitchcock

If Man Could Only See

If man could really see himself as he really is in his current fallen state!

"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart." (Genesis 6:5-6).

If man only understood how much God works in our lives right now! We take so much for granted. Imagine if God stepped back and let go. Imagine the beast, which is the current state of man, imagine if that beast was unleashed, with no God to curtail his activities.

Man’s thought, imagination and his heart, his very spirit, “only evil”, all of the time.

The world would end, and end quickly if God wasn’t in our daily lives. Yes, this means you too, you atheist, agnostic and worshippers of false gods and followers of false doctrine. You don’t even know or understand the influence God has on your life right now. Why does God do this? Because although you don’t love Him, God loves you and wants you to repent and come back to Him. 

“Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye” (Ezekiel 18:31-32)

Bill Hitchcock

The Sure Mercies Of David

“Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.” (Isaiah 55:3)

The sure mercies of David is the covenant of God with man. “Sure”, in that it is fixed. What God says or speaks, is, or will be, within the realm of man’s understanding of time and events. Speaking and existence are the same with God. There is no difference between what God says and what is.

God is the great, “I AM”. “Am”, means to be, is, was, and will be. God represents all tenses of existence. As such, so does God’s words. What He says is, was and will be.

Speaking, being and existing are the same thing with God, all in the same time. Past, present and future are one tense. It is always “now” with God. With God, existence is not predicated on time, space or matter.

God’s will is only good. God only speaks His will. God’s covenant with man is God’s will with man as the end good.

“I will make an everlasting covenant with you”. Time, as man understands it to be, is a measurement of degradation. Rate of time (fast/slow) is relative. It is a comparison of 2 or more things in the process of degradation.

Neither God nor His word can degrade, deteriorate as is, or in any form alter, change, vary or move without God being the cause of such effects. Therefore time as we know it, has no effect on God or His word.  So, “The sure mercies of David” are still valid, true and carries the same weight and effect as the day it was first stated. It is from everlasting to everlasting.

And what is this covenant? What are “The sure mercies of David”

“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens. I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.” (Psalm 89:1-4)

“I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.” (2 Samuel 7: 14-16)

Bill Hitchcock

The Birth Of Jesus And The Supernatural Battle

The devil knows what’s going on. So he tries to stay a step ahead of everything in an attempt to stop the inevitable. It was not by accident or coincidence that the devil appears when he did after everything was created, everything established and Adam and Eve were set. Once there was the tree of knowledge of good and evil in which man could condemn himself, the devil appears on the scene.

Neither was it by accident or coincidence that the devil showed up immediately after Jesus was filled with the Holy Ghost and God said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

The devil knows what is going on and interjects himself at key points in time in an effort to thwart God’s plans and promises.

I think there is sufficient evidence that the devil attempted to interject himself at the birth of Jesus. We aren’t told about it and the possible battle that ensued as a result, but look at scripture. There very well could have been a huge spiritual war surrounding the birth of our Lord and Savior.

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:13-14)

The word, “host” comes from the Greek, “stratia”. It means an army, a band of soldiers, and specifically in this verse, troops of angels.

How many is a “multitude”? It’s truly innumerable, but we do have an inkling of an idea of a number. In Revelations we discover that the number of angels round around the throne was, “ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands” (Revelations 5:11).

When Jesus was born it was not only the heavenly host that praised Him, but all the angels worshipped the new born King.

“And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.” (Hebrews 1:6)

There is an obvious distinction drawn between a “heavenly host”, or the army of heavenly soldiers in the Book of Luke and “angels” in the Book of Hebrews.

The Geneva Bible, the first all English translation of the entire Bible as well as first study Bible notes, “Whole armies of Angels, which compass the Majesty of God round about, as it were soldiers.”

It wasn’t just angels that were present at the birth of Christ. It was soldiers, heavenly warriors.

Vines Expository Dictionary says of “stratia”, that it “came to denote "a warfare," and is used of spiritual "conflict". Examples of this can be found in Corinthians 10:4 and 1Timothy 1:18.

So, we have a heavenly army, a band of soldiers, not just angels, with implied spiritual warfare, praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Does this not lead one to believe that there was a fight, a supernatural war over the birth of Jesus? Better put of birth, the “bring forth” (Matthew 1:23) of Jesus, for Jesus was not born, rather He was brought forth from the supernatural realm to the natural realm, for Jesus always has been. But doesn’t it sound like there was some great battle between Heaven and Hell over the arrival of Jesus, with God and His Heavenly Host prevailing? Doesn’t this scene in Luke 1:13-14 appear more like troops celebrating their great victory over evil? The devil tried to stop the arrival of Jesus, but the Heavenly Host fought and won instead!

The message of this divine army after praising and giving all glory to God was very specific. “…on earth peace”. This is what they were fighting for. Peace on earth, which can only happen when the will of man is motivated and directed towards his highest good, Jesus Christ.

But The devil couldn’t stop the arrival of Christ, so he immediately turned his efforts towards killing Him.

The three wise men who sought and eventually found Jesus were asked by King Herod to tell him where Jesus was. Herod did so under the pretense that he wanted to, “come and worship him also” (Matthew 2:8).

But in reality, the devil through Herod just wanted to find out where Jesus was so as to kill Jesus.

God warned the wise men in a dream not to return to Herod, so they departed unto their own country. When Herod found out that his plot to murder Christ was discovered, Herod, “slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.” (Matthew 2:16).

The Holy War rages on, even today. The devil tries to kill and destroy anything to do with Jesus as well as man, who was made in the image of God. It is a fight in the spirit, not always obvious in the physical.

Bill Hitchcock  

Punishment and Chastisement

Punishment and Chastisement. They are the same act. They are in response to the same thing. But punishment and chastisement have a different meaning and purpose. The cause and effect appear to be the same, but they are not.

Trials and tribulations for the Christian are not punishment. They are punishment only for the unrepentant sinner.

Punishment is retribution, a painful retaliatory act for a wrong done. Its purpose is not to teach, improve or rehabilitate. Punishment is its own end.

Chastisement is a course correction. Its purpose is for the betterment of that person. By definition the New Testament word Chastisement (Greek root word “paideuo”) means to teach, instruct, to learn, or to nurture.

The same act or circumstance is punishment for the sinner, but a learning, growing experience for the Christian. Trials and tribulations are a growing experience, one that nurtures, fosters and strengthens a Christian in righteousness. Trials and tribulations are intended to educate, toughen and strengthen the Christian in the ways of God and in the way to God. Trials and tribulations solidify the Christian and mollify the strength and impact of sin.

This growing experience is not reserved for the young. In fact, Jesus all but guarantees us that as long as we are on this earth, we will have adversity all the days of our life.

Jesus said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation” (John 16:33)

The greatest prophets, apostles and men and women of God, experienced some of the greatest chastisements. Not only for their growth and preparation here, but for afterward.

Some Christians go through a lot in life. But rejoice! It means God has you reserved as special and for something special. He is the potter and you the clay and He is molding something above natural. It’s supernatural!

Trials and tribulations in life are often times considered to be nothing but punishment by God. This we know not to be true. Take for example Job, who God himself described as, “none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man” (Job 1:8). This “perfect” man suffered some of the harshest and most severe experiences possible, from disgustingly horrendous health, lost wealth and all of his family and possessions stripped away from him in an instance.

All of these horrible things occurred in consequence of Job being perfect and upright, so the idea that the unrighteous are always punished and the righteous always rewarded while here on earth is simply not true.

Jesus makes this very point very clear, that there isn’t necessarily a correlation between the righteous and unrighteous person with earthly trials and tribulations being bestowed upon them.

“There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5)

So, are we victims of fate? Do things just happen? Are there cosmic accidents? Do karma and kismet really exist?

“The Providence of God, as taught in Scripture, is opposed to fortune and fortuitous causes. By an erroneous opinion prevailing in all ages, an opinion almost universally prevailing in our own day—viz. that all things happen fortuitously—the true doctrine of Providence has not only been obscured, but almost buried….But whoso has learned from the mouth of Christ that all the hairs of his head are numbered (Matth. x. 30), will look farther for the cause, and hold that all events whatsoever are governed by the secret counsel of God.”

(John Calvin/Institutes of the Christian Religion/Book 1, Chapter 16, Section 2)

Stop and think about this for a moment. If fate, karma or kismet was real and did prevail, then that would mean that God was not in control. This we know to be impossible.

Why do good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people? First, let’s establish something here. Define “good”. Who, or what is a “good” person”.

“And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.” (Luke 18:18-19).

All are sinners. All have fallen from the grace of God. None are good. But it seems that everywhere we turn we see the sinner prevailing in sin!

“Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph? How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves? They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless. Yet they say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.” (Psalm 94:3-7)

All Christians, at one point in time or another, if not more often than not, have felt like Asaph when he said, “Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches. Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency. For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.” (Psalm 73:12-14).

There appears to be a vague line, some gray area of distinction between punishment and chastisement and the saint and the sinner. Sometimes everything seems to be upside down. The sinner prospers while the saint disparaged and punished.

But no, God is vested and invested in His saints, His children. He is not with everyone. Some people are not His children and never will be. Sometimes God uses these people as examples for His saints. God will use the bastard, those who are perpetually lost, to demonstrate Godly principles and power. Such was the case with Pharaoh.

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.” (Exodus 9:13-16)

The reason why God created and “raised thee up” Pharaoh, a man of untold earthly power, was to demonstrate God’s power and resolve.

“What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” (Romans 9:14-16).

In the above lies the answer. God shows mercy on whom he sees fit to show mercy. God will have compassion on whom He will have compassion. It is God’s choice to do as He sees fit and to whom He sees fit to do it with. This is why God’s children are called the chosen and the elect.

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans makes it crystal clear that salvation does not come to “him that willeth, nor of him that runneth”. We can’t earn election. There is no will, desire, thought, deed or action that qualifies someone so as to be chosen. This isn’t a beauty pageant, scholastic test or some sporting event where you either win by highest score or picked due to attributes and talent.

No, our election is in God’s hand and will.

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33)

“Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.” (Psalm 65:4)

Now, back to the original topic, punishment or chastisement.

“For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” (Hebrews 12:6-8).

We have to identify trials, tribulations and adversities for what they are. These things for a child of God have our benefit as their intended goal. This is the purpose of problems. We have to understand the Father and son relationship and accept that we are in one. This requires humility, which humility is a natural by-product when we accept God as our Father.

“I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.” (2 Samuel 7:14-15)

We will have trials and tribulations in life and, “No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous” (Hebrews 12:11). But these are Godly pressures meant to separate the impurities from within us.

Repentance, in terms of self-examination and investigation for sin within can only accomplish so much. The weight of adversity can reveal inside what we ourselves could not discover on our own.

“Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law; That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked. For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance. But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.” (Psalm 94:12-15)

Bill Hitchcock

Mingling Spirits

Mingling Spirits

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)

"The nature of the Divine goodness is not only to open to those who knock, but also to cause them to knock and ask." –Augustine

“Nor doth he only knock without, but also within assist to open…” – Richard Hooker

How wonderfully and typically God! We never fully appreciate the extent in which God’s spirit has influence with our own spirit. His Spirit mingles with and motivates our spirit to do more than we realize or give credit.

We are made in the image of God, and this image or likeness isn't limited to just physical attributes. Our semblance is in spirit too.

Let’s bring this to its final conclusion. God quickens our spirit with His Holy Spirit. Not only does this change our nature and essence, but changes our will as well. The desire and final end of our will becomes more like that of Christ. This is a restoration of our will and not a deviation, for our will had been altered and influenced by sin due to the fall.

Bill Hitchcock

Wrest My Words

“Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil.” (Psalm 56:5)

Have you ever been in this situation before? Where what you say is twisted, the meaning perverted, and what is intended for good is interpreted as bad? It’s almost as if you’re speaking a foreign language. Well, the truth be told, you are. The devil can’t hear truth. Truth contradicts him so the devil must contradict truth to validate and justify himself.

“A wolf can always find in a lamb's discourse a reason for eating him. Prayers are blasphemies if you choose to read them the wrong way upwards.” - Charles Spurgeon

The word “wrest” is usually transliterated as “grieve” in the Bible. Our words are grieved when contorted into their opposite meanings. Of course, the purpose in doing this is for gain and advantage. Not yours, mind you, but for the one wresting your words.

It is an evil tactic in today’s world to twist and pervert what is said. The Politically Correct (PC) take offense of the mildest of statements. The PC purpose is to control the conversation, to control the dialogue so as to control you and the situation. It also affords the PC to alter history and conform it to their idea of what should be. This is particularly egregious because history has little defense. We can’t ask the person who first spoke it, because more than likely they are dead. Plus, the evolution of languages, societies, morals and manners makes understanding original meaning and context rather difficult at times.

Jesus had a simple solution for this. Although this was said in regards to oaths, it’s a pretty good rule to follow when conversing, especially with folks who are looking for anything that they can wrest.

“But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” (Matthew 5:37).

Clear, concise and to the point. Minimize superlatives, adjectives and most importantly, don’t volunteer information not asked for or germane to the subject at hand. The best thing to do is to simply avoid anyone involved in twisting your words.

“Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.” (Proverbs 4:14-16)

“Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.” (Proverbs 23:9)

“Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding. He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot. Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.” (Proverbs 9:6-8)

The scorner, the fool, the word wrester does not have your best interest at heart. He has himself. His goal, is to cherry pick your words, to twist them and turn them against you. Does that sound like a person who loves you? Does that sound like someone trying to help you? Does that sound like someone with your best interest at heart that wants to uplift and edify you?

Is this person being kind and charitable and thinks no evil towards you?

Is not this person behaving unseemly and seeking his own benefit, not yours?

Do they bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things for your sake?

The above, although not complete, describes the foundation for love and our religion. If the scorner, the fool, the word wrester is none of it, then have none to do with them.

Remember what Jesus told His disciples: “And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.” (Matthew 10:13-14).

Shake the dust off your feet. Enter not into the path of the wicked. Walk away with your peace intact.

Bill Hitchcock

One More

“For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?” (Psalm 56:13)

Doesn’t this describe Jesus perfectly? Our salvation comes through Jesus Christ at the cross. When we stay focused on Him, we will not walk out of the way. And if we happen to slip, Jesus has already paid the price for our transgression. The only way we are able to walk before God and in the light of the living is to be in Christ and Christ in us, for He is our covering.

Bill Hitchcock

Time and Chance

“I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11)

Really? Time and chance happen to all? Is the preacher saying we are all at the mercy of fate? That we are victims of some cosmic kismet that has power and control over our present and future?

Rest assured. Nothing random happens. Ever. There is no unexpected event or crossing of stars or planets aligning that create a mystical force which influences our lives in unexpected ways.

Our course does not deviate because of unknown causes. Events do not just “happen”. If this were possible, then there would be times when God was unaware, unknowing, not in control and powerless. This cannot happen for if it did, then God would not, and could not, be God.

“The Gentile notion of “mere chance,” or “blind fate,” is never once contemplated by the writer of this book, and it would be inconsistent with his tenets of the unlimited power and activity of God.” (Albert Barnes)

Thomas Aquinas touches on the realm of God and His all-encompassing domain in his book, “Summa Contra Gentiles”. Space would allow for a complete listing of the many points Aquinas makes about God knowledge, control and in control of everything and why.

Book 2, Chapter 22

2. For, if God alone can create, then anything that can be brought into being only by creative causality must necessarily be produced by Him.

3. Now, God’s power is through itself the cause of being, and the act of being is His proper effect, as was made clear above.

7. God needs no matter, because He brings a thing into being where nothing whatever existed before; hence, His action cannot be hindered from producing its effect because of any lack of matter.

8. We therefore conclude that God’s power is not limited to some particular effect, but that He is able to do absolutely all things; in other words, He is omnipotent.

Book 2, Chapter 23

6. That God acts for an end can also be evident from the fact that the universe is not the result of chance, but is ordered to a good.

What Aquinas says above may be summed up like this. God is the creator and author of everything. As a result, nothing unexpected can happen, nothing is outside of His preview, and there is nothing unknown to God. God is the first cause of everything. There is not an effect, motion or creation in which God was not the instigator or creator of it.

“Time and chance”. We think of chance in terms of an accident. Chance is thought to be the effect of two causes inadvertently and unexpectedly intersecting and interacting with each other producing an unintended result.

But here’s the thing, although man, “knoweth not his time” (Ecclesiastes 9:12), God certainly does. In fact, “My times are in thy hand” (Psalm 31:15).

Job highlights the fact that we don’t necessarily see God or recognize His presence, but God is here none the less and involved in our daily doings.

“On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” (Job 23:9-10).

Job also makes clear that “times are not hidden from the Almighty” (Job 24:1). Time and chance maybe unexpected to us, but they are not for God.

We might not know or see, but God certainly does. Time and chance may appear random to us, but they are not. “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:5).

The swift, the strong, the wise, the rich and the men of skill are the safe bets. But they are not a sure bet. Time and chance or better put, what man does not know, understand or foresee, happens to all. And sometimes this alters what we thought was to be.

God has foreknowledge and foresight. God has called each of His children down a particular path. We just have to hearken unto His voice. We do not need to know what is ahead, of what’s around the bend or over the hill. God asks us to have faith and trust in Him, to follow His lead, to lean not unto our own understanding and in all our ways to acknowledge Him. When we do, God will direct our way.

Bill Hitchcock

Church and Heaven

“Now the privilege of the visible Church of God (for of that we speak) is to be herein like the ark of Noah, that, for any thing we know to the contrary, all without it are lost sheep; yet in this was the ark of Noah privileged above the Church that whereas none of them which were in the one could perish, numbers in the other are cast away, because to eternal life our profession is not enough. Many things exclude from the kingdom of God although from the Church they separate not.”

(Richard Hooker/Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity/5:68:6)

Contemplate that last sentence. “Many things exclude from the kingdom of God although from the Church they separate not.” It is a “Selah” moment.

The doors of the Church should always be open. The gates of heaven not so. The Church should receive everyone. Heaven must discriminate.

Bill Hitchcock

But, The All Important, “But”!

Psalm 94

14. For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.

15. But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.

The “Once Saved, Always Saved” folks will only read verse 14. They will find comfort and solace in the fact that God said He would not cast them off, neither will God give up their heavenly inheritance. So the Once Saved, Always Saved person will breathe a big sigh of relief and return back to his worldly ways, confident that he is going to heaven because of his Baptism 32 years prior. After-all, Once Saved, Always Saved, right?

“Once Saved, Always Saved” is not a get out of jail free card. Being saved does not make you immune or impervious to sin and its consequences. If anything, being saved adds a greater responsibly, which means it also carries a greater consequence.

This is why it is vital to read all of the verses within a message, and not cherry pick the ones you like most. Take a look at the next verse in the message. Verse 15 begins with a “But”, and it’s very important But!

“But judgment shall return unto righteousness”. All will be judged. And why do you think that is?  If Once Saved, Always Saved were true, then there would be no need for God’s judgment. If that baptism you got 3 decades ago was all you needed to go to heaven, then why are we all facing the great white throne judgment?

“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15).

“Judgment shall return” Judgement and justice, to determine a matter and give due recompense. “Once Saved, Always Saved” does not save you from it. If anything, it makes you more responsible for it.

But the real point is this, “and all the upright in heart shall follow it.”

“Once Saved, Always Saved” truly only pertains to the “upright in heart”. The upright in heart who pursue righteousness and judgment. What? You mean someone actually seeks judgment? Yep, all Christians should. God instructed us to do so.

“Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow” (Isaiah 1:16-17) said God.

“Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.” (Isaiah 56:1-2)

God is our true felicity. Man will be unsettled until he is like Him. Righteousness and judgment are part and parcel to His essence and character. This isn’t so much a matter of salvation as it is the desire and need to be becoming to Him, and to become Him.

Anyone resting on their haunches, lulled into a false sense of security that their space in heaven is guaranteed has been rope-a-doped by the devil. It will be too late when he comes off the ropes, turns and delivers the knockout punch to you.

Now is the time. Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of your salvation, because every day should be your day of salvation! But at all times and in all circumstances, we must be, “approving ourselves as the ministers of God”.

“But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; By pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.” (2 Corinthians 6:4-10)

Rejoice in the battle, don’t pull back. The devil wants you to disengage from the holy and spiritual and enjoy the pleasures of this temporal and temporary world. The devil wants you to think that salvation is static, a onetime event, a one and done, and not what it truly is, a continuous process that leads us to Christ.

“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” (Hebrews 10:35-39)

Bill Hitchcock

Is It Faith or Emotion or Intellect?

The Christian religion is founded on faith in Jesus Christ. Without faith we have no religion for we “walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

But what is faith? In short, faith is the conviction of the truth of something. Ironically Jesus Christ is the truth so faith in Christ is the conviction of Christ.

Faith in Christ is being sure of Him. It surpasses intellect and emotion. It rests in the assuredness of the inner man. Our “sight” is the presence of eternal things within our being.

You can’t scare conviction and faith out of a man. You can’t reason it out either. For if you could, then that person’s faith was superficial. Their faith rested in their mind and in their reasoning. Or their faith rested in emotions; the excitable region of the unregenerate man.

Faith lies not in the intellect. This was a big stumbling block for the Greeks in the New Testament. The Greeks were great philosophers and thinkers. To them principle and precept including matters of religion and the spirit were either born in the mind of man or could be explained, rationalize by the cognitive self.

The Apostle Paul found this out when he went to Athens.

“Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.) (Acts 17:18-21).

Faith in Jesus Christ is not an emotion either although Jesus certainly can generate a lot of emotion inside of us. All too often those who get emotionally charged on Sunday morning operate without this same zeal the other 6 days of the week. The reason why is that they confuse emotional excitement with the up-welling of the Holy Spirit within.

Most Churches put people in the spiritual and excitable mood with music. Now days great bands or recordings of popular music are played during Church services. The songs and music can be played for extended periods to build the excitement. This is is not a new practice and has been highly frowned upon by the most learned and holy of men.

“The organ in the worship Is the insignia of Baal… The Roman Catholic borrowed it from the Jews” (Martin Luther)

“I have no objection to instruments of music in our worship, provided they are neither seen nor heard” (John Wesley).

“Musical instruments were not used. The pipe, tabret, and harp here associate so intimately with the sensual heathen cults, as well as with the wild revelries and shameless performances of the degenerate theater and circus, it is easy to understand the prejudices against their use in the worship” (Augustine).

“Those who know the Church of God best, and what constitutes its genuine spiritual state, know that these things have been introduced as a substitute for the life and power of religion; and that where they prevail most, there is least of the power of Christianity” (Adam Clarke).

“Praise the Lord with the harp. Israel was at school, and used childish things to help her to learn; but in these days when Jesus gives us spiritual food, one can make melody without strings and pipes. We do not need them. They would hinder rather than help our praise” (Charles Spurgeon).

It is quite clear that great preachers, teachers, and bible scholars all through time have been against employing musical instruments in Church services. It emotionally excites carnal man and fools him into thinking it is the Holy Ghost. Instrumental music was also feared to lead people back to customs, rites and rituals of the Jews.

Jesus Christ said, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life”, (John 6:63).

It is the spirit that brings us to life. The body and its ability to get excited, “profiteth nothing”. But it is the words that Jesus speaks, the Gospel message that are the Holy Spirit and the renewed, zealous life! It isn’t the Sunday morning music that should excite. That fades. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit that excites us and makes manifest in our emotions.

The Holy Spirit is the power that excites and the intelligence that teaches. Without the Holy Spirit we cannot know Jesus for, “no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost” (1 Corinthians 12:3).

We have a couple of questions to ask ourselves about our relationship with Jesus. Is it founded on emotion? Intellect? Or is it is founded on the Holy Spirit? You will find that your relationship with Christ will not be like an emotional roller coaster with the many ups and downs if founded on His Spirit. And doubts will flee from your mind as well!

Accept Jesus Christ on faith. Move in him in faith and all things will become clear.

Post your comments below about faith, emotion and Jesus Christ.

Bill Hitchcock

What Is This Heavenly Army Doing?

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:8-14)

First an angels appears. The word, “Angel” comes from the Greek, “Angello”, and means, “messenger” or to, “deliver a message". This messenger can be from either God or Satan, obviously he is from God in this passage. And yes, I used the pronoun “he” when referring to the angel because, “Angels are always spoken of in the masculine gender, the feminine form of the word does not occur." (Vine’s Expository)

This messenger of God came at night in a bright light. The “glory of the Lord”, glory is often used to describe light, such as the case in 1 Corinthians 15:41, “There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.”

But glory does not have to be relegated to just light. Glory can be the magnificence of God that illuminates as light.

God can only be described and can only be described to the best man is capable of. God is too great for our comprehension and understanding. He is too great to try and squeeze within the confines of this world. Man knows three spatial dimensions with the added dimension of time. As a result, man’s description of God is often vague. It usually comes in some intangible form such as light, pure or true. It has to be this way, for how do you fit an infinitely dimensional entity into a four dimensional world?

The word “host” (Greek, “Stratia”) refers to an army when used as a noun and warfare when used as a verb. In this passage Luke is speaking of an army, of troops from heaven.

This all certainly sounds like a military operation doesn’t it? Night maneuvers. An advance messenger, bright lights and troops ready for war. But what is this God sent army doing? Within the glory of God’s magnificence and omnipotence, this troop of angels are praising God and giving glory back to Him. Then these angels turn their attention unto the human race by saying, “on earth peace, good will toward men”.

Notice this heavenly army first says, “…on earth peace”. They directed their cause and purpose towards the temporal and temporary, to our domain and habitat. God did the same thing to Noah. He effected his environment, the world (literally and figuratively) around Noah. God did it with Joseph, Israel and the 70 when He led them down to Egypt. God influenced them by affecting the environment around them. God di it to Job too. He influenced his environment as well as Jonah and Elijah, Adam and Eve and so and so on.

On earth, peace!  Were God’s messengers speaking directly to the planet so as to effect peace? Why not? After all, stones can cry (Luke 19:40), the land can spue people out (Leviticus 18:28) and mountains can respond to our command (Matthew 17:20).

Then the heavenly host turn their attention to man and they say, “good will toward men”. Interestingly, the word “towards” by definition means “in” or “by” and significantly changes the phrase and rightly contextualizes it.

Instead of good will towards men, it becomes Good will “in” men, which will produce good will “by” men. This touches on a very basic backbone tenet of our religion. Anyone can do Godly deeds, even the devil himself (and he frequently does).

But only those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, and have Christ in them, and they in Christ, can Godly deeds proceed. You can’t stop it. When God is inside, good is the natural outpouring from within to all of those with out!

“Good will”, from the Greek, “Eudokia” is simply defined, or rather defined simply as to mean “choice” or “desire”.  Eudokia is sometimes transliterated in the New Testament as, “heart’s desire” or “good pleasure”.

Most folks would probably define “will” as to mean “choice”, with the idea that free will means free choice. Will is much more than choice, but let’s look at what the heavenly host is saying. But first, let’s jump forward some 32 years.

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment of them all was He said, “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31)

Is this not what the Heavenly Host is saying? Are they not advocating the love for God and that towards our fellow man?

God is love. Love is not only the fulfilling of the law, it is the fulfilling of all things God.

“The ultimate end of all things is to become like unto God. So, that whereby man is made most like God will be his felicity. Now, this is not a function of moral acts, since such acts cannot be attributed to God, except metaphorically. Indeed, it does not befit God to have passions, or the like, with which moral acts are concerned. Therefore, man’s ultimate felicity, that is, his ultimate end, does not consist in moral actions.” (Thomas Aquinas/ Summa Contra Gentiles/Bk 3, Chapter 34:5).

And finally, good will toward “men”. Men! Is it only men that the angels are speaking to?  Are the angels some misogynistic band of “men” on some strange mission? Do we need to call the PC police and launch an investigation? Maybe ban this part of the Bible? At least we should re-write the Bible and turn “men” into some gender neutral word, right?

Actually, it already is.

One of the problems with today’s society is that it only looks and thinks in terms of its self, not understanding that meanings of words shift over time. This can and will shift context greatly. A great example from the Bible is the word conversation. Today we would define it as meaning 2 or more people talking. But nowhere in the Bible (KJV) when the word conversation is used is it a reference to talking. It usually is in regards to how someone acts or their way of life.

The word, “men” used in this passage comes from the Greek, “Anthropos”. It means all humans, female and male. Men is about as gender neutral as you can get.

The Savior was brought forth into this world. God’s Heavenly Host came to man and proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

There is one God. Love Him and love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus was born bringing peace to the world. Jesus left giving us His peace (John 14:27). Peace is the tranquility of soul that can only come through Christ.

Bill Hitchcock