This past week we had a gentleman call after watching our TV program. He wanted to know what Jesus meant when He stated, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad,” (John. 8:56). To answer this question, we need to get more of this passage’s context to see why Jesus even brought up Abraham.

Earlier in this chapter, Jesus told people they would be His disciples if they would abide in His word. Moreover, they could know the truth and the truth would set them free (verses 31-32). After Christ said this, the Jews stated, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone,” (verse 33). Therefore, they could not understand why they needed to be freed.

After our Lord explained to them their spiritual condition, they responded again and said that Abraham was their father (verse 39). Christ simply argued that if they were Abraham’s children, they ought to do the works of Abraham. The Jews responded that God is their Father (verse 41). This of course prompted the Lord to say that if they were of the Father they would also love His Son Jesus (verse 42).

The discussion with the Jews went from bad to worse when they accused Jesus of having a demon (verse 48). In defending that accusation, Christ told them that He did not have a demon and honored His Father. Additionally, whoever kept His word will would never see death (verse 51). The Jews then brought up the death of Abraham and the prophets. They thought Jesus must be wrong because those individuals were faithful yet died (verse 52).

It was here that our Lord brought up the question at hand. Why did Jesus say that Abraham rejoiced to see His day and was glad (verse 56)? These Jews knew that Jesus wa not even 50 years old (verse 57), so how could he argue that Abraham had seen Jesus on the earth?  This brings us to a great saying that our Savior uttered. “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was I AM,” (verse 58).

The reason Abraham saw the day of the Lord was by faith. The promise was given to him that through his seed all the families of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 12:3). Abraham and others embraced the promise and walked by faith. The Hebrew writer recorded that Abraham and others back then received the promise having seen them afar off and were assured of them, and embraced them (Heb. 11:8-13).

Now let’s make the connection with the faithful today. In writing to the church at Galatia, Paul wrote, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise,” (Gal. 3:27-29).

The Jews did not have a closer connection with Abraham than with all the faithful of today. If anything, they lacked that connection with Abraham while they rejected Jesus. After all, you must listen to and abide in Christ’s teachings in order to be an heir to the promises given to Abraham.

Another fact that many Jews failed to grasp was that the promises were made to Abraham before Israel was even a great nation. The law of Moses came 430 years after Abraham (Gal. 3:16-17). This reinforces the promise that “all nations” would be blessed, which was the very thing many of the Jews were unwilling to accept. May we accept all as God’s children and follow Christ today.

                                                                                               Chuck

Consider these words that Paul spoke to Timothy, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron., forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.” (I Tim. 4:1-3).  

Notice how Paul warned Timothy of those who would command people to abstain from eating certain foods. They even have those who teach in their organization that they must remain celibate. Do we not see that those are the very things that Timothy was told concerning those who have fallen away?

Oh it can’t be a religious organization that is large and has many followers that Paul was talking about. Well, the truth is, the apostle said it was going to happen. The Catholic church didn’t even come into existence for close to 600 years after those words were penned to Timothy. Keep in mind, there are other groups that have been guilty of forbidding foods and marriage since then.

The point is, the scriptures will never be outdated. Something that was right or wrong for the church in the first century is the same today. If we know of anyone or any group that fits any of the descriptions in our text, you can be confident that they are not following the Lord. It matters not how long a religious organization has practiced something. If it is in violation of God’s word it is WRONG!

I think it is vital that pointing out error never gives anyone the right to be arrogant and self-righteous. The main reason one points out error is to help (Mk. 16:15; Jas. 5:19-20). It also helps keep the church pure since it is to remain unspotted from the world (II Cor. 11:2; I Tim. 3:15). Even though individuals want to create a grey area so as to muddy the waters. Right and wrong are clearly seen for those who have their eyes open.

                                                                                             Chuck 

Just look at the words that Paul spoke concerning this brother in the Lord. “The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain; but when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very diligently and found me. The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that Day-and you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus,” (II Tim. 1:16-18).

When you read these words, it is easy to see how much Paul appreciated all that this brother did for him. Why was Paul telling this to young Timothy though? Was this really going to help Timothy? Is it also beneficial for us today? The answer is yes for many reasons.

In the verse prior to the above text (verse 15), the apostle discussed those who turned away from him in Asia. He even mentioned a couple of them by name. By then bringing up Onesiphorus, Paul was showing Timothy that he should expect ups and downs in preaching (and the Christian life in general). Some people will not support evangelistic work, and others will care deeply. As an evangelist, Timothy needed to be ready to encounter the same things.

Paul also revealed that while there were times when he was disappointed, he was also careful to not take kindness for granted. He did not demonstrate an attitude of entitlement – “I am devoting my life to teaching and everyone else should be more supportive of me!”  Instead, the apostle was extremely appreciative. Timothy and others need to exhibit the same attitude.

Seeing Paul’s appreciation for Onesiphorus is just as relevant for Christians today. It helps us to also understand the impact we can have on those who labor for the Lord. This impact can be good or bad depending on how we treat them. It also shows to the extent we should be willing to go to in order to help fellow Christians.  Knowing that there are few in the Lord’s family, we ought to do all we can to help one another out. May we all think on these things and try to grow our bonds as brethren.

                                                                                             Chuck 

Many of the things listed in this article are necessary to be a faithful Christian. After all, those who practice lawlessness will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:21). Though we need to do most of the things listed, many people incorrectly believe that doing these things will be enough to ensure their salvation. Here is a list to consider:

1. Always going to church.  Attending a church does not mean one is going to heaven. Even in the Bible, Christians were rebuked even though they kept “going to church” (Rev. 2-3).
    
2. Believing in God.  People can believe in God and Jesus without being faithful to them. If someone believes in Satan, are they automatically a follower of Satan? Of course not! Some believe and are not faithful (James 2:19; John 12:42-43).
    
3. Praying always. It would be wrong to conclude that all prayers offered to God are acceptable (Matt. 6:5-7). The fact that ungodly behavior can hinder prayers does not stop these people from praying anyway (I Pet. 3:7).
    
4. Believing the Bible is God’s word. There are plenty of criminals in this world who know the law was but do not follow it. Accepting the Bible as God’s word is meaningless if we do not read and obey it (James 1:22; II Tim. 2:15).
                                                                   
5. Going along with what the church does. Being devoted to the church is not the same as being devoted to Christ. We are to be converted to Christ (Rom. 6:3-4). The church is not the head – Christ is (Col. 1:18).
    
6. Having a strong desire to go to heaven. Desiring heaven does not mean a person is going to heaven. On the last day, many will be shocked to find out they are lost (Matt. 7:21-23).
    
7. Avoiding evil deeds. Not doing evil deeds is important, but we must also be born again (I Pet. 1:23). One is not a truly new person until they bury the old man (Rom. 6:3-7).
    
8. Being a “basically” good person. We cannot assume that heaven will be our home just because we feel we are not as bad as the “truly” wicked. This mindset forgets that all have sinned and need God’s mercy and grace (Rom. 3:23; Eph. 2:8).
    
9. Believing that God loves them.  There is no question that God loves everyone (John 3:16). This love will not overlook sin though. Heaven will not be their home (II Cor. 5:9-11).
    
10. Being a very religious person. Talking often about spiritual things does not guarantee heaven. Many religious people walk in darkness (Matt. 15:7-9). Dying for what you believe in is meaningless if you do not follow He who died for mankind (John 8:24).
     
11. I tell people to follow the Lord. Telling others to do the right thing does not mean you are also doing right. Many teachers are guilty of hypocrisy (Phil. 1:16; Rom. 2:21-23).
     
12. My grandfather was a member of this church. Having faithful family members does automatically save the whole family. Timothy’s mother and grandmother were faithful, but Timothy needed his own faith (II Tim. 1:5).

                                                                                               Chuck

Anyone who is familiar with the word of God knows that there were many prophets. People like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and scores of others are found in the Bible. Prophets were used by God to communicate His message to mankind (Heb. 1:1-2). Prophets are not exclusive to the Old Testament either – they were found in the first century as well.

Paul told the brethren at Ephesus that the Lord gave apostles and prophets, along with others, to help edify the church (Eph. 4:11-12). Obviously then, prophets existed during the time of the early church. The church we have today (the church that belongs to Jesus) is the same as the one described in the first century. Are there living prophets today then? To answer this, we are going to do a short study of spiritual gifts.

I Corinthians 12:7-11 describes the variety of spiritual gifts that were given to the saints through the laying on of the apostles’ hands (Acts 8:18). One of the gifts mentioned was prophecy. Recipients of this gift were called prophets (I Cor. 12:28-31). This is a direct fulfillment of the promise given in Acts 2:17, which stated that God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh in the last days. The last days began when the gospel message was delivered (Heb. 1:2; John 16:13; Acts 2:1-4).

We must now divert and talk a little about the apostles. We already read how spiritual gifts could be given through the laying of the apostle’s hands. Are there living apostles today? Answering this question it will answer the question about prophets.

After Judas hanged himself, a replacement apostle was needed. This replacement process is described in Acts 1:15-26. One of the qualifications was to have witnessed the resurrection of Christ (verse 22). No one (other than Paul) has seen Jesus since His ascension, thus there have been no other apostles since Paul (Acts 9, 22, 26).

Without an apostle, there can be no laying on of hands to impart spiritual gifts. Since one of the spiritual gifts was prophecy, there can be no prophets since the time of the apostles. This means that people like Joseph Smith, Muhammad, Ellen G. White and scores of others who claimed to be prophets were not!

Saints were warned in the New Testament to beware of false prophets (I John 4:1; II Cor. 11:13; II Pet. 2:1). How could they determine who was a true prophet and who was fake? Through the inspired word of God (I Pet. 4:11)! Therefore, we cannot simply accept the words of every person who claims to be a prophet! False prophets are guilty of putting their words on par with the Lord’s. These false teachings should be rejected as we have the complete revelation from God today (Jude 3; II Tim. 3:16-17; Gal. 1:6-9).

To read Acts 2:17 and conclude that God continues to pour out His Spirit today is to abuse the scriptures. God has spoken unto us in these last days by His Son (Heb. 1:2). Should we to conclude that His message is not yet complete? This is exactly what modern “prophets” want us to believe. When you hear anyone say, “I have a message from God for you that was revealed just to me,” be WARY!

The role of prophets, like apostles, existed for a period. That time is over. God’s word has been fully delivered, so messengers are no longer needed to deliver additional revelation. We know this because 1) the apostles were guided into all truth (John 16:13), and 2) there is no mystery anymore thanks to the apostles and prophets (Eph. 3:1-5). Christians should reject any group that supports, endorses or promotes apostles and prophets after the first century. May we not be deceived into being man-followers.

                                                                                               Chuck