PROCLAIMING THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST TO A LOST AND DYING WORLD
Edited and Published by Jack Critchfield
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Volume 6 Issue 7 |
July, 2002 |
Richard Thetford
One thing that we should learn is not to be ignorant of Satan's many devices. We read in 2 Corinthians 2:11 "lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices." We need to realize that Satan is constantly trying to find out what it is that can carry us away from God. But if we stay tuned into the Word of God then we will be less susceptible to falling for his devices. Satan prefers to have good company (Job 1:5), and is always ready and willing to tempt the children of God. Remember Eve? Who did she quickly put the blame on when she was tempted? It was Satan, disguised as a serpent! Later, Satan came to tempt the Son of God, asking Him to "command these stones be made bread" (Matt 4:3). Jesus did not succumb to Satan's temptation as he responded with "it is written". Jesus, the Son of God, in the form of a man, knew about Satan's devices and was not about to sin.
Satan is the Prince of the World!
Jesus is our Prophet, Priest, and King, but Satan is the Prince of this world! There is nothing that Satan would like better than to get you and I wrapped up in the materialistic things of his worldly kingdom so that our minds will be made distant of doing those things that will please our Father. Do you think he's succeeding? Sure he is, and its because man does not think enough about his soul to be concerned about where it will end up! We better make sure we are doing everything possible to ensure that we are going to heaven because Satan certainly will not be there (John 12:31). All Satan does is cause war. He has the power to just annoy! The apostle Paul wrote: "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph 6:12). Man wrestle's within himself because Satan is doing everything possible to lead us away from God.
Satan is a Deceiver and a Murderer!
We need to recognize who Satan is and what he is all about. The student of God's Word will know the things that are pleasing to God and then realize that anything contrary to God's will is something Satan would not only approve of, but try to get us to do! Jesus said: "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it" (John 8:44). Satan is nothing but a liar! When someone tries to sweet talk us into doing something that we KNOW is contrary to Bible teaching, it is Satan's deception at work.
Satan is a Hindrance to Our Salvation!
Oh how much easier it would be to stay on that straight and narrow road to heaven if Satan wasn't in the way! Notice what the Bible says concerning Satan's hindrance to our salvation: "whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them" (2 Cor 4:4). He has blinded the minds of many people, keeping them from believing the truth of Jesus Christ who is "the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him" (Heb 5:9). Jesus has the truth and it has been revealed to us through His gospel. Satan says he has the truth, but he is a liar! He hinders our salvation! In the parable of the sower, Jesus talked about Satan as being the one who takes the word away from the hearts of those who hear the word of God, so that they will not believe the teaching of Christ and be saved (Luke 8:12).
Satan will always try to make God's Word serve his purpose (Matt 4:5-6). But we should always strive to resist him (Jam 4:7). Let us be ready and willing to fight Satan by putting on the whole armor of God (Eph 6:11).
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"And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."
Hebrews 4:13
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The Power Of Sin Is In The Lie
Jack Critchfield
King David thought everything would be so much better with Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11-12). Judas Iscariot was convinced that things would be better with Jesus out of the way (Matt. 26:15-16). They believed the power of sin; they believed the lie. Sin's power is in the lie that Satan wants us to believe. The nature of sin is the deception that it will be fun and exciting and something good to do. The power of sin is that is has a glimmer about it and attraction that causes one to behold it as beauty. Innate in the influence of sin is pride to grant one wisdom and power by the partaking. Satan tempted the woman in the beginning with the words, "Has God indeed said..." (Gen. 3:1). He wanted the woman to think of herself more highly than God had allowed.
The power of sin confuses the consequences of the act of disobedience. At first there must have been some justification for the man and the woman. Just as the Serpent had said, they did not die. There must be truth in what he said because they both ate of the fruit and they still were alive. However, they knew a change had taken place as "the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings" (Gen. 3:7).
When they heard the sound of God walking in the garden they hid themselves. Sin brings shame in the presence of God. Fear grips the heart when sin is found out. All things are laid open to God in the finding of sin (Num. 32:23; 1 Cor. 4:5; Gal. 6:7). The dark nature of sin is clearly sin in the brilliant light of God's righteousness. The reward of sin is no longer sweet but bitter, the fruit decayed, the knowledge gained is lost and fellowship broken.
The power of sin is still evident today. It looks good and it seems to be exciting and fun. The glimmer of its attraction draws many into its deadly mix of heartache and destruction. Pride exalts one to believe that in sin one can gain a greater sense of power and questions begin to arise about what God really said about the matter. The consequences are never thought of and the penalty of sin destroys the lives of so many.
The power of sin is still in the lie; the lie that everything will be better. The grass may be greener on the other side but it still has to be mowed. Sin has no reward but heartache, misery and troubles. Families are torn apart, relationships destroyed, lives lost and nations destroyed because of the continual pursuit of the lie.
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Steven Harper
We all like to think of ourselves as somewhat intelligent, and we are often hesitant to admit that sometimes others have taken advantage of us. Maybe we were sold something that didn't turn out to be what was advertised, or maybe we got something other than what we paid for, or maybe we were even sold something that was represented as trustworthy, but actually full of defects. When we discovered the truth, we were angry and we felt cheated. We did not get what we bargained for and we often were worse off than if we had never had anything to do with the thing.
Deception is one of the sins that is practiced often but rarely tolerated; the lowest of the low, in society, are liars and thieves. Deception is just another form of lying, but with a stronger degree of wrong because the deceiver purposefully misleads others into believing that a lie is really what is true. In many cases deception is dangerous, and has been the cause of death for many who have been the unknowing victims of deception.
Deception is just as dangerous in the spiritual realm, too. Deception, as used in the Bible, may mean either a purposeful misleading or a leading away (from the right way). We, as believers of God and His word, should be on the lookout for deception in the realm of religion, for we are warned about it several times in the Scriptures. And if it is such a danger, we need to know what forms of deception may be used against us and prepare ourselves.
Persuasive Words (Col. 2:4)
One whose intent is to deceive will no doubt use persuasive words to lead others to believe that the lie is not really a lie. It is enough that we should use persuasive words to get others to believe the truth, but the deceiver knows the power of persuasive words, and will use persuasion to lead others into error just as surely as the honest man will try to get others to follow the truth. The problem is knowing who is telling the truth. If you've ever sat through a debate of any issue, you know that both sides are using persuasive words, but only one could be right.
The danger in this form of deception is that we don't always know who is telling the truth without some serious investigation of both sides. And here is where many fail. Many simply do not exert enough effort in the investigation to discover that they may actually be falling for a deception, and they are easily deceived. For many, all that they require of one who speaks the word of God to them is that he does it powerfully and persuasively. Unfortunately, many speakers know this and use the power of persuasive words to convince others they speak the truth, knowing that the majority of the audience will never check their words against the revealed word of God and discover they have been deceived.
Often, all that is needed is a little background investigation or a more in-depth study of the word of God to determine what the truth is and to know if we are being deceived.
Subtlety (2 Cor. 11:3)
Subtlety is the principal tool of the deceiver. Only the boldest deceiver would announce his intentions to deceive, but the most successful ones use subtlety almost as an extension of their own self. It is a part of them, and they employ it like you and I would extend our hand to greet a visitor.
Subtlety is the "end-around" tactic that gets to the intended destination without the other guy realizing he has arrived. As Paul alluded to in the Corinthian letter, it was the means by which the serpent deceived Eve in the garden. He didn't just come right out and say, "I want you to eat this fruit and sin against God" — he used subtlety and he used it well. With a subtle rearranging of God's command and subtle hints that led the woman to believe that it would be perfectly acceptable to do what had been previously and expressly forbidden, she sinned.
Subtlety is sometimes used when individuals differ over issues, and used often when the point cannot be defended with Scripture. When they fail to persuade others by Scripture, subtlety is employed and catchy phrases are used, leading others to believe that certain Scriptures "don't really mean that" and "God wants you to be happy" — all with the subtle intent to lead others to believe the lie isn't really a lie. And many succumb.
Smooth Words And Flattery (Rom. 16:18)
When Paul wrote the Roman brethren and warned them against the deceptions they might face, he instructed them to "note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them." (16:17) We should also note such ones, and be warned that the means by which they will cause divisions and offenses is by deception — deception that is brought about by "smooth words and flattering speech."
Those "smooth words" are the words of a deceiver intent on leading others away from the truth (the truth, not ‘a’ truth) and into dangerous error. The deceiver will always make a pretense of love and concern for the deceived, patting them on the back while stabbing others in the back. They put on airs of sincerity, but are full of malice. Having firsthand experience with this (in both politics and religion), the deceiver will use those "smooth words" to convince many that they are sincere and put on a great show of false humility to make the "other side" look like they are attacking them personally.
And they will also use "flattering speech" to further enhance their chances of turning the hearts of others away from the truth, promising them positions of prominence and throwing out praise and attention that was never shown previously — all to get them to believe the lie. You may have even heard some of their pet phrases, like "We just need to get along", "You're too smart to follow that narrow teaching", or "We're all going to the same heaven." All are used to direct attention away from the true source of contention and the hearts of the unsuspecting are deceived.
And that is their success: "the hearts of the unsuspecting." Those whose hearts are not set on deception will naturally look upon others as having the same kind of heart; they believe only good about everyone else. That is not a bad thing, but it unfortunately aids the ones whose hearts are set on deception because they know they can put on a show of great humility, sincerity and desire for truth and unity, and many people will never doubt their intentions. Because they do not doubt, they would never suspect others would want to deceive them and so they never investigate and never discover that they are falling for a lie. They have been deceived!
Beware the deceiver!
The Burns Park BEACON
January 14, 2001
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"Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ."
Colossians. 2:8
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Playing In The Devil's Coal Mine
Kent E. Heaton Sr.
One of the images that always sticks in my mind when I think of coal mines is how dirty this kind of work is. I have never journeyed into the bowels of the earth to witness this first hand but suffice it to say I am satisfied to know that coal mining is a dirty job. The nature of coal makes the job impossible to keep ones clothes clean for very long. Imagine a man who shows up to work in a clean white shirt with clean white pants. He is wearing clean white socks as well as clean white shoes. His nice white helmet compliments his new white gloves. Even if you have never been in a coal mine, you know the end of this story. When he comes home from work, he is going to be anything but white. He will be filthy from head to toe. Not only are his clothes anything but white but his whole body is going to be covered with dust and dirt. One has to admire the wives of coal-miners. It is easy to see how difficult if not impossible it is for someone to dress in such apparel and expect to come out of the mine clean again. Yet for many children of God, the same expectation is given when they go into the devil's coal mine to play.
When the sinner obeys the gospel of Christ, they are cleansed from sin in baptism. Revelation 1:5 tells us, "To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood." To those at Corinth, Paul said, "And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:11) Romans 6:3-4 says, "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." The newness of life is the clean garment given unto us, a children of God, to walk in obedience to His Will.
As Christians, we are to keep our garments spotless from sin. Jude gives the image of keeping ourselves pure when he said, "keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh." The way we defile our garments with the flesh is by playing in the devil's coal mine. We become friends with the world and the influences of the world clothing our white garments with filth and dirt - sin! Can we expect to play in the devil's coal mine and come out white? "Can a man take fire to his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be seared?" (Proverbs 6:27,28)
The Christian cannot be a friend of the world and expect to enjoy the blessings from God. James writes, "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (4:4) Why should we take our garments cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ to be defiled by the world? Peter uses the sow as the example after having washed returning to the mire. When you walk like the world and talk like the world - you are filthy like the world. When you die and your garments are filthy from the friendship of the world, God will disavow His promises to you. We should not deceive ourselves into believing we can play in the devil's coal mine and come out clean. "Therefore, Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2 Corinthians 6:17-7:1)
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"Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them; For their heart devises violence, And their lips talk of troublemaking."
Proverbs 24:1-2
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Jack Critchfield
If the Holy Spirit through Paul had used the "don't call names" approach that we often hear suggested today, how many other unsuspecting brethren in the first century church would have had their faith overthrown and been lost because of the erroneous teaching of Hymenaeus and Philetus (2 Timothy 2:17-18). What would have happened if the Holy Spirit had said, "There is some false doctrine being taught about the resurrection, and some brethren are experiencing the overthrow of their faith, but we will just leave it at that because calling names would just be too personal and controversial." Would the brethren have been able to identify the doctrine and who was teaching such?
It is amazing, but true, that if the Holy Spirit had consulted with some of our brethren today and had followed their advice and wishes, we would have no idea who Hymenaeus and Philetus were. Where do those who contend for such a thing get such an idea? Certainly not from the Scriptures! When error and the proponents of such are publicly named, we are simply doing what the Scriptures instruct us to do by command (Rom. l6:l7) and by example (1 Tim. 1:19-20; 2 Tim. 2: 17-18; 3 John 9-11). No apology for doing so is needed.
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Jack Critchfield, Editor & Publisher
403 Coit Way, Salinas, Ca. 93907
(831) 772-9557
jcritch@a1above.net
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