1 Sept./Oct., 2007

Wisdom & PowerSeptember/October, 2007

Vol. 12 - No. 10

In this Issue:

What About Now? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3In this second part, Mark Clarke writes about the new

covenant. He outlines several of the benefits we can have now.

The Twelve Articles of the Peasants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6This historical document comes from the time of the

reformation. It outlines the grievances the peasants had withthe nobility.

Predestination and Freedom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Robert Hach gives a good explanation of what the Bible

says about this misunderstood doctrine.

When You Fast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Here Chuck Jones gives four suggestion for what to do

with the time you spend fasting. It’s good practical help.

MAM Inc. African Mission Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Jim Mattison gives us a quick update on this summers

mission trip. It is really encouraging.

God Wants Us to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16In this article, Vince Finnegan explains that God wants us

to know Him and has made extensive plans to that end.

Sin, Illness, and Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Here is a reprinted article from the 1950's. Norman

McLeod tells us about the connection of these things.

Cascade Bible Fellowship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19This is the final installment of the study of Ephesians led

by William Wachtel. We hope it has been useful.

Fool! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Brian Atra gives us a different perspective on Psalm 14:1.

It could change your mind about saying “yes, God”.

First Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Strange But True . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

It Was So Hot This Summer . . . . 15

Perspective of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

We Got Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

On the Cover: This is just one ofthe countless beautiful scenes foundat the foot of the Bavarian Alps. Itwas taken by Chuck Jones on his tripthis summer.

Wisdom & Power

is published 6 times per year by Church

of the Open Bible, 440 W. LaVerne

Ave., Pomona, CA 91767

Phone: (909)593-3411

e-mail: wispow@dslextreme.com

Web: www.openbiblepomona.org

Wisdom & Power is mailed free to

all who request it. We send it with the

prayerful desire to help establish and

strengthen people in the hope of the

kingdom of God and the reign of

Messiah Jesus, as found in the

Abrahamic Faith.

We hope each issue gives you

something to think about, laugh over,

pray on, and pass around.

Readers are urged to submit articles

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We gladly receive mail. Tell us what

you think of the magazine.

Bulk subscriptions are available to

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Performance Printing, LaVerne, CA

Wisdom & Power 2

I am continually amazed at the many ministriesthat are springing up all over the country. The radioministry of Dale Swartz. Thrive Ministries headed upby Kent and Cheryl Ross. Vince Finnegan’s ministryof teaching and publishing. I’ve heard of plans for theMid America Ministry School. Gary Turner is puttinga monthly magazine together that looks good. SteveTaylor, pastor of the Lake Shore Bible Church inTempe Az, puts out a daily devotional message andhas a blog. The Byte Show web site is attractingmany people world wide, and Wally Winner’s newpublication, “Dot-to Dot Prophecy”.

I certainly don’t want to over look the efforts thathave been on going. Such as Atlanta Bible College,Rock River Christian College, and AnthonyBuzzard’s web site and his tireless work. And thereare many that I’ve not been introduced to but Godknows them and their work.

I believe that when a need, or void arises, God isfully capable of raising men and women toaccomplish the task that is needed. I praise Him forwhat I see Him doing in our day with faithful, hardworking individuals.

While we are on that subject, the men and womenwho have faithfully served congregation in leadershipand support positions should not go unnoticed.October is “Pastor Appreciation Month” which isworthwhile to observe. I would suggest that time alsobe made for a show of appreciation for all who workin the congregation. The office secretary, the Sundayschool teachers, youth leaders. Anyone whofaithfully preforms a duty. If you give it someprayerful consideration, I’m sure you will come upwith a list of honorable people to say “Thanks” andshow appreciation to as well.

Getting back to my first thought, this day we arein is amazing because of the computer and internet.The ability to reach around the world in an instant is

well worth taking advantage of. The ability to makeCDs and DVDs is likewise valuable. The capabilitieswe have now are almost overwhelming.

On our recent trip to Germany, I was reminded ofhow the printing press had changed so many lives. Iwonder what the Apostle Paul (or Luke) would havedone with such technology? Our present day affordsus with unbelievable opportunities. How much morecan we do if we fully take advantage of them?

As this issue of Wisdom & Power is beingprepared, I can’t help but think this is so much ‘oldschool’. Ink on paper, mailed to homes. However it isworking. My next goal is to have the back issues onthe internet so people around the world can takeadvantage of this publication, and be blessed by thiseffort.

Pray for those who serve where you serve.Expand your prayer list to include those who are aways off that are working to spread the gospel of thekingdom.

This issue contains a historical document fromGermany. I thought it would be interesting for you tosee the struggle that has gone on before.

Jim Mattison has shared a report from the AfricanMission trip. Vince Finnegan and Brian Atra alsohave articles that are always insightful.

We have another article written by NormanMcLeod, many years ago, but still relevant. There aresome lighter items that may make you smile.

I want to thank everyone who has sent inaddresses of new readers. It is great to know that thismagazine is worthy of your consideration.

Be blessed as you read on,

Chuck Jones

First Words

3 Sept./Oct., 2007

Editors note: This is the second of atwo part article talking about thepresent reality of the kingdom ofGod.

In part one, we discussed how aforetaste of the Kingdom of Godcould be experienced in this life,while we look forward to thecomplete fulfillment of theprophecies when Christ returns.Among the prophecies to befulfilled, of which we canexperience a foretaste, is the NewCovenant which God promised toIsrael.

Jesus is called the mediator ofthe New Covenant (Hebrews 12:24)and of the New Testament(Hebrews 9:15). Both Englishwords, “covenant” and “testament,”mean the same thing and aretranslated from the same Greekword, diatheke. A covenant is anagreement made between twoparties. There are a number ofcovenants mentioned in the Bible,including the one God made withAbraham, which included land,progeny, and abundant blessings.Yet there was still the issue ofman’s sin to be dealt with. The OldCovenant mentioned in Hebrewsrefers to the Law of Moses and iscontrasted with the New Covenantestablished by Jesus Christ. TheMosaic Law included a sacrificialsystem that was a temporary “stand-in” which foreshadowed andpointed to the ultimate sacrifice of

the Lamb of God. “For this reason He is the

mediator of a new covenant, so that,since a death has taken place forthe redemption of the transgressionsthat were committed under the firstcovenant, those who have beencalled may receive the promise ofthe eternal inheritance” (Hebrews9:15).

That word “eternal” is the Greekword aionios, which means“belonging to the Age to Come.” Inorder to receive the inheritance ofthe coming age, man’s sin had to bedealt with. Because God isperfectly righteous and holy, no onewho is unrighteous can inherit HisKingdom. Psalm 15:2 says thatonly he that walks uprightly, andworks righteousness, and speaks thetruth in his heart shall abide in theLord’s tabernacle. Paul in hisepistles enumerates several sinfulpractices, saying that they whocontinue in them would not inheritthe Kingdom of God (I Cor. 6:9-10;15:50; Gal. 5:21).

The temporary solution for thechildren of Israel was a system ofsacrifices and offerings whichpointed toward the ultimatesacrifice which the comingredeemer would fulfill, and whichwould establish a new covenant.Hebrews 10 refers to the Law beinga shadow of good tings to come.The blood of bulls and goats couldnot take away sins, but the ultimatesacrifice of Jesus Christ could.

But He, having offered one

sacrifice for sins for all time, satdown at the right hand of God,waiting from that time onward untilhis enemies be made a footstool forhis feet. For by one offering He hasperfected for all time those who aresanctified. And the Holy Spirit alsotestifies to us; for after saying, “thisis the covenant that I will make withthem after those days, says theLORD: I will put my laws upontheir heart, and on their mind I willwrite them,” he then says, “andtheir sins and their lawless deeds Iwill remember no more.” Nowwhere there is forgiveness of thesethings, there is no longer anyoffering for sin. Therefore,brethren, since we have confidenceto enter the holy place by the bloodof Jesus, by a new and living waywhich He inaugurated for usthrough the veil, that is, His flesh,and since we have a great priestover the house of God, let us drawnear with a sincere heart in fullassurance of faith, having ourhearts sprinkled clean from an evilconscience and our bodies washedwith pure water (Hebrews 10:12-22).

Through Jesus Christ’s perfectsacrifice we have forgiveness ofsins and access to God. The OldCovenant provided a temporarycovering for sins, but the problemwas that it could not changepeoples’ hearts. In addition, evenwith the great miracles and wondersthat God did for His people, theIsraelites still did not keep the

What About Now?Part Two: The New Covenant

by Mark Clarke

Wisdom & Power 4

covenant, because the human heartis “desperately wicked” (Jeremiah17:9). God foretold of a NewCovenant, however. This isdiscussed in Hebrews 8.

“But now He has obtained amore excellent ministry, by as muchas He is also the mediator of abetter covenant, which has beenenacted on better promises. For ifthat first covenant had beenfaultless, there would have been nooccasion sought for a second. Forfinding fault with them, He says,“behold, days are coming, says theLord, when I will effect a newcovenant with the house of Israeland with the house of Judah; notlike the covenant which I made withtheir fathers on the day when I tookthem by the hand to lead them out ofthe land of Egypt; for they did notcontinue in my covenant, and I didnot care for them, says the Lord.For this is the covenant that I willmake with the house of israel afterthose days, says the Lord: I will putmy laws into their minds, and I willwrite them on their hearts. And Iwill be their God, and they shall bemy people. And they shall not teacheveryone his fellow citizen, andeveryone his brother, saying, ‘knowthe Lord,’ for all will know me,from the least to the greatest ofthem. For I will be merciful to theiriniquities, and I will remember theirsins no more.”When He said, “A new covenant,”He has made the first obsolete. Butwhatever is becoming obsolete andgrowing old is ready to disappear”(Hebrews 8:6-13).

The references to the NewCovenant in Hebrews 10:16 and8:10 are quoting from Jeremiah.Isaiah also mentions this newcovenant that God would make, inwhich He would put His Word intotheir hearts and His spirit and wordswould not depart from them.

“Behold, days are coming,”declares the LORD, “when I willmake a new covenant with the house

of Israel and with the house ofJudah, not like the covenant whichI made with their fathers in the dayI took them by the hand to bringthem out of the land of Egypt, Mycovenant which they broke,although I was a husband to them,”declares the LORD. “But this is thecovenant which I will make with thehouse of Israel after those days,”declares the LORD, “I will put Mylaw within them and on their heartI will write it; and I will be theirGod, and they shall be My people.They will not teach again, each manhis neighbor and each man hisbrother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’

for they will all know Me, from theleast of them to the greatest ofthem,” declares the LORD, “for Iwill forgive their iniquity, and theirs in I wi l l remember nomore.”(Jeremiah 31:31-34)

“As for Me, this is My covenantwith them,” says the LORD: “MySpirit which is upon you, and Mywords which I have put in yourmouth shall not depart from yourmouth, nor from the mouth of youroffspring, nor from the mouth ofyour offspring’s offspring,” says theL O R D , “ f r o m n o w a n dforever”(Isaiah 59:21).

God’s words and His spirit areoften linked together in theScriptures. God promised Israelthat His words and His spirit wouldbe put in them, and they wouldknow Him, and would not depart

from Him. This promise will cometo pass in its fullness in theKingdom of God which is to come.Jesus said the reason he was sentwas to preach that Kingdom (Luke4:43). In addition to preaching it,though, he also ratified the NewCovenant which had been foretoldby the Prophets. At the LastSupper, when he institutedCommunion for a remembrance ofwhat he would accomplish, he saidit was the blood of the NewTestament, or Covenant. He statedthe purpose of the New Covenant afew verses later, in Luke 22:29,when he said, “…just as My Fatherhas granted Me a kingdom, I grantyou that you may eat and drink atMy table in My kingdom, and youwill sit on thrones judging thetwelve tribes of Israel.” The wordfor “grant” is diatithemai, which isthe root of diatheke, the word for“Covenant.” He was literallysaying, “I covenant with you to giveyou a kingdom, as my Father hascovenanted with me.”

The New Covenant which Jesusratified with his blood was for thepurpose of redeeming the sins ofmankind, so that “those who havebeen called may receive the promiseof the eternal inheritance.”(Hebrews 9:15, above). Thepayment for sins was more than justa way for us not to feel guilty in thislife. It was the “price of admission”into that future Kingdom, which wecould not pay on our own. Inaddition, the Prophets spoke of acoming time when God would putHis words in His people’s hearts,and all would know God, and walkin His ways, which will characterizethe Kingdom of God. Obviouslythat has not happened yet. Neitherhas Jesus established his Kingdomand begun to rule the world andsubdue the kingdoms of the world.These are all things that will happenin the future. Yet, Hebrews tells usthat the New Covenant wasestablished by the shed blood of

“I covenant withyou to give you akingdom, as my

Father hascovenanted with

me.”

5 Sept./Oct., 2007

Jesus. Just as the Kingdom ispresent in a hidden “seed” form, asdiscussed in the previous article, sothe New Covenant has a partialfulfillment now.

Jeremiah had said that in thosedays God would make a NewCovenant and put His Law in theirinward parts and write it on theirhearts. Similarly, Isaiah had saidthat the covenant would involveputting His spirit upon them and Hiswords in their mouth. In addition,two other passages from theProphets refer to God’s promise topour out His spirit on His people,although they don’t specifically usethe word “covenant.”

“Then I will sprinkle cleanwater on you, and you will be clean;I will cleanse you from all yourfilthiness and from all your idols.Moreover, I will give you a newheart and put a new spirit withinyou; and I will remove the heart ofstone from your flesh and give youa heart of flesh. I will put My Spiritwithin you and cause you to walk inMy statutes, and you will be carefulto observe My ordinances. You willlive in the land that I gave to yourforefathers; so you will be Mypeople, and I will be your God”(Ezekiel 36:25-27).

“It will come about after thisThat I will pour out My Spirit on allmankind; And your sons anddaughters will prophesy, Your oldmen will dream dreams, Your youngmen will see visions. Even on themale and female servants I willpour out My Spirit in those days. Iwill display wonders in the sky andon the earth, Blood, fire andcolumns of smoke. The sun will beturned into darkness And the mooninto blood Before the great andawesome day of the LORDcomes”(Joel 2:28-31).

We know that the completefulfillment of the New Covenanthas not come to pass yet, since noteveryone knows God the wayJeremiah said they would. Yet the

prophecy in Joel is specifically citedin Acts 2:16ff, when the outpouringof the holy spirit on Pentecost tookplace. It obviously was not acomplete fulfillment of thatprophecy, since it refers to signs inthe heavens, the sun being darkenedand the moon turned to blood, etc.,and we haven’t seen those thingscome to pass. Some have suggestedthat when Peter said “This is thatwhich was spoken by the prophetJoel” it actually means “This is likethat...” But there is nothing in theGreek to indicate such a meaning.The prophecy from Joel isspecifically identified with theoutpouring of the holy spirit onPentecost.

The “last days” does not only

refer to the time immediately beforethe return of Christ. Hebrews 1:2refers to “these last days” and IJohn 2:18 tells us that it is “the lasttime.” We have been in the last daysever since Christ’s first coming.We are now in a time when theKingdom is present in a hiddensense, and the prophecies arepartially fulfilled. The holy spirit issaid to be an “earnest,” or aforetaste, of what is to come.

In Him, you also, after listeningto the message of truth, the gospelof your salvation—having alsobelieved, you were sealed in Himwith the Holy Spirit of promise, whois given as a pledge of ourinheritance, with a view to theredemption of God’s ownpossession, to the praise of Hisglory (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Now He who establishes us withyou in Christ and anointed us isGod, who also sealed us and gaveus the Spirit in our hearts as apledge (II Corinthians 1:21-22).

Now He who prepared us forthis very purpose is God, who gaveto us the Spirit as a pledge (IICorinthians 5:5). The holy spirit iscalled a “pledge” of our inheritance.It literally means a “down payment”of that which will be poured outwhen Christ returns. Not only canwe taste of the heavenly gift and thepowers of the world to come, butHebrews 6:4-5 also refers to thosewho “…have tasted of the heavenlygift and have been made partakersof the Holy Spirit, and have tastedthe good word of God and thepowers of the age to come.” Theholy spirit we have now is a partialfulfillment of God’s promise to putHis Word into His people’s heartsand cleanse them, and cause them towalk in His ways. This enables usto experience a foretaste of theKingdom’s nature and power.

Because of the holy spirit, weare said to be “new creatures” (IICorinthians 5:17) and areencouraged to walk in “newness oflife” (Romans 6:4). Paul describesin Romans 7 the problem of tryingto do God’s will, while havingsinful flesh. The answer, accordingto Romans 8, is to walk by thespirit. While we don’t yet see theworld transformed by the pouringout of God’s spirit, each of us asindividuals can experience such atransformation in a limited way, andwill be completely transformedwhen we are raised from the dead atthe return of Christ.

We partake of the NewCovenant in a partial way now, as aforetaste of the complete fulfillmentwhich is to come. È

You can visit Mark’s website, atwww.godskingdomfirst.net

“We are now in atime when the

Kingdom is present ina hidden sense, andthe prophecies arepartially fulfilled.”

Wisdom & Power 6

The twelve Articles drafted bythe Swabian peasants, March 1525,is the best known manifesto of thePeasants' War of 1524-1526.

Relying on the Gospel, thepeasants demanded free election ofthe clergy, abolition of serfdom,permission to hunt and fish, free useof the forests, and reduction of theirburdens.

The document went throughtwenty-five printings within a fewweeks. At the collapse of the revoltall copies were confiscated. Ed.

The fundamental and correctchief articles of all the peasants andof those subject to ecclesiasticallords, relating to these matters inwhich they feel themselvesaggrieved.

Peace to the Christian Readerand the Grace of God throughChrist.

There are many evil writings putforth of late which take occasion, onaccount of the assembling of thepeasants, to cast scorn upon thegospel, saying: Is this the fruit ofthe new teaching, that no oneshould obey but all shouldeverywhere rise in revolt and rushtogether to reform or perhapsdestroy altogether the authorities,both ecclesiastic and lay?

The articles below shall answerthese godless and criminalfault-finders, and serve in the firstplace to remove the reproach from

the word of God, and in the secondplace to give a Christian excuse forthe disobedience or even the revoltof the entire Peasantry.

In the first place the Gospel isnot the cause of revolt and disorder,since it is the message of Christ, thepromised Messiah, the Word ofLife, teaching only love, peace,patience and concord. Thus, all whobelieve in Christ should learn to beloving, peaceful, long-suffering andharmonious. This is the foundationof all the articles of the peasants (asWill be seen) who accept theGospel and live according to it.

How then can the evil reportsdeclare the Gospel to be a cause ofrevolt and disobedience? That theauthors of the evil reports and theenemies of the Gospel opposethemselves to these demands is due,not to the Gospel, but to the Devil,the worst enemy of the Gospel, whocauses this opposition by raisingdoubts in the minds of hisfollowers, and thus the word ofGod, which teaches love, peace andconcord, is overcome.

In the second place, it is clearthat the peasants demand that thisGospel be taught them as a guide inlife and they ought not to be calleddisobedient or disorderly. WhetherGod grant the peasants (earnestlywishing to live according to Hisword) their requests or no, whoshall find fault with the will of theMost High? Who shall meddle inHis judgments or oppose hismajesty? Did He not hear the

children of Israel when they calledupon Him and saved them out of thehands of Pharaoh? Can He not saveHis own to-day? Yes, He will savethem and that speedily. Therefore,Christian reader, read the followingarticles with care and then judge.Here follow the articles:

The First Article

First, it is our humble petitionand desire, as also our will andresolution, that in the future weshould have power and authority sothat each community should chooseand appoint a pastor, and that weshould have the right to depose himshould he conduct himselfimproperly.

The pastor thus chosen shouldteach us the Gospel pure andsimple, without any additional,doctrine or ordinance of man. For toteach us continually the true faithwill lead us to pray God thatthrough His grace this faith mayincrease within us and become partof us. For if His grace work notwithin us we remain flesh andblood, which availeth nothing; sincethe Scripture clearly teaches thatonly through true faith can we cometo God.

Only through His mercy can webecome holy. Hence such a guideand pastor is necessary and in thisfashion grounded upon theScriptures.

The Twelve Articlesof the Peasants

7 Sept./Oct., 2007

The Second Article

According as the just tithe isestablished by the Old Testamentand fulfilled in the New, we areready and willing to pay the fairtithe of grain.

The word of God plainlyprovided that in giving according toright to God and distributing to Hispeople the services of a pastor arerequired. We will that, for thefuture, our church provost,whomsoever the community mayappoint, shall gather and receivethis tithe. From this he shall give tothe pastor, elected by the wholecommunity, a decent and sufficientmaintenance for him and his, asshall seem right to the wholecommunity (or, with the knowledgeof the community).

What remains over shall begiven to the poor of the place, as thecircumstances and the generalopinion demand. Should anythingfarther remain, let it be kept, lestany one should have to leave thecountry from poverty.

Provision should also be madefrom this surplus to avoid layingany land tax on the poor. In caseone or more villages themselveshave sold their tithes on account ofwant, and each village has takenaction as a whole, the buyer shouldnot suffer loss, but we will thatsome proper agreement be reachedwith him for the repayment of thesum by the village with due interest.

But those who have tithes whichthey have not purchased from avi l l age , bu t which wereappropriated by their ancestors,should not, and ought not, to bepaid anything farther by the villagewhich shall apply its tithes to thesupport of the pastors elected asabove indicated, or to solace thepoor as is taught by the Scriptures.

The small tithes, whetherecclesiastical or lay, we will not payat all, for the Lord God createdcattle for the free use of man. We

will not, therefore, pay farther anunseemly tithe which is of man'sinvention.

The Third Article

It has been the custom hithertofor men to hold us as their ownproperty, which is pitiable enough,considering that Christ hasdelivered and redeemed us all,without exception, by the sheddingof His precious blood, the lowly aswell as the great.

Accordingly, it is consistentwith Scripture that we should befree and wish to be so. Not that wewould wish to be absolutely freeand under no authority. God doesnot teach us that we should lead adisorderly life in the lusts of theflesh, but that we should love theLord our God and our neighbor.

We would gladly observe allthis as God has commanded us inthe celebration of the communion.He has not commanded us not toobey the authorities, but rather thatwe should be humble, not onlytowards those in authority, buttowards every one. We are thusready to yield obedience accordingto God's law to our elected andregular authorities in all properthings becoming to a Christian.

We, therefore, take it forgranted that you will release usfrom serfdom as true Christians,unless it should be shown us fromthe Gospel that we are serfs.

The Fourth Article

In the fourth place it has beenthe custom heretofore, that no poorman should be allowed to catchvenison or wild fowl or fish inflowing water, which seems to usquite unseemly and unbrotherly aswell as selfish and not agreeable tothe word of God.

In some places the authoritiespreserve the game to our greatannoyance and loss, recklessly

permitting the unreasoning animalsto destroy to no purpose our cropswhich God suffers to grow for theuse of man, and yet we must remainquiet. This is neither godly orneighborly.

For when God created man hegave him dominion over all theanimals, over the birds of the airand over the fish in the water.Accordingly it is our desire if a manholds possession of waters that heshould prove from satisfactorydocuments that his right has beenunwittingly acquired by purchase.

We do not wish to take it fromhim by force, but his rights shouldbe exercised in a Christian andbrotherly fashion. But whosoevercannot produce such evidenceshould surrender his claim withgood grace.

The Fifth Article

In the fifth place we areaggrieved in the matter ofwood-cutting, for the noble folkhave appropriated all the woods tothemselves alone.

If a poor man requires wood hemust pay double for it (or, perhaps,two pieces of money). It is ouropinion in regard to wood whichhas fallen into the hands of a lordwhether spiritual or temporal, thatunless it was duly purchased itshould revert again to thecommunity.

It should, moreover, be free toevery member of the community tohelp himself to such fire-wood as heneeds in his home. Also, if a manrequires wood for carpenter'spurposes he should have it free, butwith the knowledge of a personappointed by the community forthat purpose.

Should, however, no such forestbe at the disposal of the communitylet that which has been duly boughtbe administered in a brotherly andChristian manner. If the forest,although unfairly appropriated in

Wisdom & Power 8

the first instance, was later dulysold let the matter be adjusted in afriendly spirit and according to theScriptures.

The Sixth Article

Our sixth complaint is in regardthe excessive services demanded ofus which are increase from day today. We ask that this matter beproperly looked into so that we shallnot continue to be oppressed in thisway, but that some graciousconsideration be given us, since ourforefathers were required only toserve according to the word of God.

The Seventh Article

Seventh, we will not hereafterallow ourselves to be fartheroppressed by our lords, but will letthem demand only what is just andproper according to the word of theagreement between the lord and thepeasant. The lord should no longertry to force more services or otherdues from the peasant withoutpayment, but permit the peasant toenjoy his holding in peace andquiet.

The peasant should, however,help the lord when it is necessary,and at proper times when it will notbe disadvantageous to the peasantand for a suitable payment.

The Eighth Article

In the eighth place, we aregreatly burdened by holdings whichcannot support the rent exactedfrom them. The peasants suffer lossin this way and are ruined, and weask that the lords may appointpersons of honor to inspect theseholdings, and fix a rent inaccordance with justice, so that thepeasants shall not work for nothing,since the laborer is worthy of hishire.

The Ninth Article

In the ninth place, we areburdened with a great evil in theconstant making of new laws. Weare not judged according to theoffense, but sometimes with great illwill, and sometimes much tooleniently.

In our opinion we should bejudged according to the old writtenlaw so that the case shall be decidedaccording to its merits, and not withpartiality.

The Tenth Article

In the tenth place, we areaggrieved by the appropriation byindividuals of meadows and fieldswhich at one time belonged to acommunity. These we will takeagain into our own hands.

It may, however, happen thatthe land was rightfully purchased.When, however, the land hasunfortunately been purchased in thisway, some brotherly arrangementshould be made according tocircumstances.

The Eleventh Article

In the eleventh place we willentirely abolish the due calledTodfall (that is, [in case of death]heriot) and will no longer endure it,nor allow widows and orphans to bethus shamefully robbed againstGod's will, and in violation ofjustice and right, as has been donein many places, and by those whoshould shield and protect them.

These have disgraced anddespoiled us, and although they hadlittle authority they assumed it. Godwill suffer this no more, but it shallbe wholly done away with, and forthe future no man shall be bound togive little or much.

Conclusion

In the twelfth place it is ourconclusion and final resolution, thatif any one or more of the articleshere set forth should not be inagreement with the word of God, aswe think they are, such article wewill willingly recede from when it isproved really to be against the wordof God by a clear explanation of theScripture.

Or if articles should now beconceded to us that are hereafterdiscovered to be unjust, from thathour they shall be dead and null andwithout force. Likewise, if morecomplaints should be discoveredwhich are based upon truth and theScriptures and relate to offensesagainst God and our neighbor, wehave determined to reserve the rightto present these also, and to exerciseourselves in all Christian teaching.

For this we shall pray God,since He can grant these, and Healone. The peace of Christ abidewith us all. È

Epilog:(From Infoplease.com)

The revolt received the blessingof the Swiss reformer HuldreichZwingli and in Thuringia was led bythe radical Anabaptist leaderThomas Münzer. Martin Luther,however, condemned the revolt,thus contributing to its eventualdefeat. Lacking unity and firmleadership, the peasant forces werecrushed (1525) largely by the armyof the Swabian League. It isestimated that 100,000 peasantswere killed. In Austria, where therevolt continued until 1526, thepeasants won some concessions, butin most areas they sufferedcontinued or increased restrictionsand had to pay tribute. The peasants'defeat dissuaded further attempts bythe peasantry to improve their socialand political position.

9 Sept./Oct., 2007

The biblical concept ofpredestination has, in the hands ofCalvinistic theology, been twistedinto a superstition that has distortedthe image of the biblical God intothe picture of a capricious andpernicious deity who programmedeach of his human creatures, beforethe creation of the world, to eitherbelieve and obey him or disbelieveand disobey him, and to experiencethe respective consequences of hischoice forever. Accordingly, whilepeople may seem to make their ownchoices regarding whether or not tobelieve in the biblical God andbehave accordingly, they areactually unconsciously acting out ascript that was written for thembefore they were ever born.

While many Christians rejectCalvinistic theology in this extremeform, most seem to have beennonetheless influenced by it to viewGod as, more or less, a cosmiccontrol freak. Which is to say thatGod does not smile on the desire ofhumans to be free to choose and toexperience the natural consequencesof their free choices. Or, perhapsmore precisely, God allows humansto delude themselves into thinkingthey are free to make choices, onlyto make clear to them at the end ofthe line that human freedom is ademonically inspired fiction.

The chief error of Calvinistictheology is its concept of thesovereignty of God. In this view,God is sovereign in that whateveroccurs does so because God hasdecided that it should occur.Whatever happens is, ipso facto, thewill of God. (As in, “There’s a

reason for everything thathappens.”) It could have happenedin no other way because if it did,God would not besovereign. In truth, however, eventsand circumstances may transpire incountless ways without lessening oraltering the sovereignty of God inthe least.

Calvinistic theology allows noroom for the possibility that thefreedom of God’s humancreatures is central to God’ssovereign will – that the wiseexercise of their freedom may,indeed, be the sense in whichhuman beings reflect the divineimage in which they were created. Itwas, after all, the apostle Paul(whose letters include a number ofreferences to predestination) whowrote, “For freedom Christ has setus free” (Gal. 5:1). If these wordsare to be taken seriously, they mustat least call into question the notionthat God’s sovereignty issynonymous with absolute controlover all that God has created.

Understanding the biblical ideaof the sovereignty of God, andtherefore of predestination, requiresa somewhat more nuancedunderstanding of the will of Godthan fundamental ism andevangelicalism generally allow. TheOld Testament and New Testamentwriters shared a propheticperspective on human events, whichis to say that the will of God was,for them, indistinguishable from theword of God, through which hadbeen revealed to them God’spurpose for creation. From thisrevelatory perspective, God is

indeed sovereign over all thatoccurs in the world he created, andthis means that all that occurs is, insome sense, the will of God. Havingsaid this, however, the will of Godmust be understood in terms of twobroadcategories, which may be termedGod’s purposive will and God’spermissive will.

God’s Purposive WillFrom a biblical perspective,

God’s purposive will consists ofwhat God originally purposed forhis creation, and thereafter, revealedin what God promised to his people.The Bible is the prophetic history ofthe revelation of the word of God,which is synonymous with God'spurposive will.

God’s promise, which began theprogressive revelation of God’spurpose for creation, was first madeto Abraham: that God would giveAbraham a son, through whom Godwould make of Abraham a greatnation, through which God wouldbless all nations. Through Isaac(and his son Jacob, whose nameGod changed to “Israel”) descendedthe twelve tribes of Israel which,under Moses’ leadership, becamethe nation of Israel. Israel becamethe great nation promised toAbraham under King David; one ofDavid’s decedents—the comingAnointed One (Hebrew, Meshiach,or “Messiah”; Greek, Christos, or“Christ”: biblically, the humanbeing whom God anointed, orc h o s e , t o r u l e G o d ’ skingdom)—God promised to placeon the throne of Israel in order to

Predestination and Freedomby Robert Hach

Wisdom & Power 10

fulfill God’s ultimate purpose ofblessing all the nations of the earth.

This is the biblical story of thefulfillment of God’s originalpurpose for creation through theprogressive fulfillment of Hispromise. In that the purpose of Godfor creation is the content of theword of God, the progressivefulfillment of God’s promise is alsothe progressive revelation of God’sword. Biblically speaking, then, theword of God is not the Bible itselfbut the biblical message, the wordof promise and fulfillment that Godrevealed to and through his biblicalmessengers, whose message iswoven into the biblical story.Accordingly, the Bible is themessenger, and “the word of God”is its message; for the NT writers,“the word of God” is synonymouswith “the gospel” [1 Pet. 1:23-25],the message proclaimed first byJesus and subsequently to allnations by Jesus’ apostles. If theBible’s claims to be the story of therevelation of God’s purpose for allnations of the earth through thefulfillment of God’s promises, istrue, the Bible is the source ofinformation regarding God’spurposive will for his people.

C a l v i n i s t i c t h e o l o g ynotwithstanding, God’s people arenot, in biblical terms, a fixed set ofindividuals who, throughout humanhistory, constitute his peoplethrough no choice of their own.Instead, the people of God are acommunity of faith, consisting ofwhoever throughout human historyhas heard God’s word of promise,revealing God’s purpose forhumanity, and have chosen tobelieve it.

In so doing, believers havechosen to identify themselves withGod’s purpose for his creation. Byso doing, they have chosen tobecome members of the communityof faith, which God foreknew and,therefore, predestined for salvation.That is to say, God did not know

beforehand which specificindividuals would become membersof the community of faith. Instead,God “foreknew” and, therefore,“predestined” that this communitywould be “called” by the hearing ofthe gospel, and “justified” throughbelieving the gospel, and “glorified”as the eventual outcome of theirongoing faith in the gospel (Rom.8:29-30). Whoever, then, hears andbelieves (and continues believing)the gospel has freely chosen toidentify herself or himself with thepredestined community of faith.

This is analogous to thescheduling of a public mode oft ransportat ion—a bus, forexample—to arrive at a destination.If all goes according to schedule,the bus—and therefore all whotravel therein—will arrive at itsdestination. Whether or not anyspecific individual arrives at thatdestination with the bus depends onhis or her having purchased a ticket,boarded, and stayed on board untilthe bus reaches its destination.Individuals are free to choose totravel or not, but the bus (barringunforeseen developments) willarrive at its destination—ispredestined to arrive—regardless ofwhether they arrive with it or not.The difference between publictransportation and God’s purpose,of course, is that God’s faithfulnessmakes the fulfillment of Hispurpose inevitable (which is thebiblical meaning of predestination)whereas buses are subject to thecontingencies and exigencies oftime and chance. The point is that acollective body—a category ofpeople known as believers—ispredestined, not the specificindividuals who choose to believeand, therefore, enter that collectivebody.

According to the propheticunderstanding of God’s sovereignty,whatever God purposes—God’spurpose being synonymous withGod’s sovereign will—God

foreknows (i.e., knows beforehand)and, therefore, predestines (orforeo rd a i ns , i . e . , o rda insbeforehand) to occur. God’spurpose is subsequently worked outin human history in terms of whatGod has promised to his people.Biblical foreknowledge andpredestination are simply words ofencouragement to God’s peoplesignifying the assurance that Godwill be faithful to his promise. Thatthe fulfillment of God’s promise isa foregone conclusion, as good asdone, only a matter of time.Therefore, those who believe God’spromise are assured of enjoying itsfulfillment.

God’s faithfulness to hispromise is, in fact, the biblicaldefinition of God’s righteousness:“You are the LORD [Hebrew,YHWH, the name of Israel’s God,rendered “LORD,” with all capitals,in English versions of the Bible outof respect for Jewish reticenceabout speaking, or writing, thename of God], the God who choseAbram and brought him out of Ur ofthe Chaldeans and gave him thename Abraham. You found his heartfaithful before you, and made withhim the covenant to give to hisoffspring the land of the Canaanite,the Hittite, the Amorite, thePerizzite, the Jebusite, and theGirgashite. And you have kept yourpromise, for you are righteous”(Neh. 9:7-8; see also Rom. 3:1-5; 1John 1:9; and a large number ofother OT and NT texts that equateGod’s righteousness with God’sfaithfulness).

Once again, that God haspredestined this community of faithto live in his presence (that is, in thekingdom of God) forever does notmean that God has predestined thespecific individuals who would bemembers of the community of faith.It is the spiritual community as awhole, that category of peopleknown as believers in “theword”—not the specific individuals

11 Sept./Oct., 2007

who choose, through faith in “theword,” to enter the spiritualcommunity—that is foreknown andpredestined to enter the everlastingkingdom of God at the end of theage.

Biblical predestination, then,rather than discouraging believerswith uncertainty as to whether theirshortcomings or tribulations maymean that God has not predestinedthem for salvation, encouragesbelievers that, regardless of theirshortcomings or the trials they face,theirmembership in the spiritualcommunity of faith means that theirentrance into the kingdom of God atthe end of the age is assured.

The compatibility of biblicalpredestination and human freedomis expressed in Jesus’ saying,“Many are called, but few arechosen” (Matt. 22:14). All who hearthe word of God—defined in NTterms as “the gospel” proclaimed bythe historical Jesus and, after hisdeath and resurrection, by hisapostles—“are called” into thepredestined community of faith.Nevertheless, “few are chosen” inthat few choose to believe thegospel (to put on “the weddinggarment” of Matt. 22:11), and so, tojoin the predestined—which is tosay, the “chosen”—community.One chooses, then, to be one of the“chosen.” In that God has“chosen”—that is, purposed andpromised , foreknown andforeordained—the community offaith to enjoy life in the kingdom ofGod forever, God has, in effect,already “chosen” all who, of theirown volition, choose to believe:collectively, their chosen-ness waspurposed and promised, foreknownand foreordained from thebeginning; individually, they chooseto be part of the chosen communitywhen they hear and believe the NTgospel.

God did this choosing of thosewho choose to believe when, in the

beginning, he chose to send hisAnointed One into the world hewould create and eventuallyredeem. In choosing to send hisAnointed, God chose all who wouldbelieve “the word” of and about hisAnointed: “He was foreknownbefore the foundation of the worldbut was made manifest in the lasttimes for your sake, who throughhim are believers in God, whoraised him from the dead and gavehim glory, so that your faith andhope are in God” (1 Pet. 1:20-21).Accordingly, God “chose us [i.e.,believers] in him [i.e., God’sAnointed] before the foundation ofthe world . . . In love, hepredestined us [i.e., believers] foradoption through Jesus Christ,according to the purpose of his will. . .” (Eph. 1:4-5). By choosing tosend his Anointed to be the sourceand object of faith, in effect, Godchose all who would, as a matter oftheir own choosing, believe in hisAnointed.

All of which is to say that thep roc lama t ion , c ruc i f ix i on ,resurrection, exaltation, and comingof God’s Anointed was God’spurpose from the beginning of hiscreation, and therefore, all whobelieve the NT proclamation of andabout Jesus are, by doing so,predestined by God to be raisedfrom death to everlasting life in thekingdom of God.

And so, biblical predestinationturns out to be entirely consistentwith the freedom of God’s humancreatures to choose theireschatological (from Greek,eschatos: last-in-time) destiny. It isthis eschatological destiny itself thatis foreknown and predestined for allwho choose it by hearing andbelieving the gospel. È

In a small mid-westernconservative town, a new bar/tavernstarted a building to open up theirbusiness. The local Baptist churchstarted a campaign to block the barfrom opening with petitions andprayers.

Work progressed, however,right up until the week beforeopening, when lightning struck thebar and it burned to the ground.

The church folks were rathersmug in their outlook after that,until the bar owner sued the churchon the grounds that the church wasultimately responsible for thedemise of his building, eitherthrough direct or indirect actions ormeans.

The church vehemently deniedall responsibility or any connectionto the buildings demise in its replyto the court.

As the case made its way intocourt, the judge looked over thepaperwork at the hearing andcommented, "I don't know how I'mgoing to decide this, but as itappears from the paperwork, wehave a bar owner that believes inthe power of prayer, and an entireBaptist church congregation thatdoes not!" È

StrangeBut

True.Submitted by Ron Hardin

Wisdom & Power 12

The last time I spoke aboutfasting was on the Sunday of ourpot luck lunch. It wasn’t plannedthat way. The irony was not overlooked however. So many Churchgatherings are centered aroundfood.

The Greek word that istranslated ‘fasting’ is a compoundword that means “not eating”, or“no eating”. Engaging in theactivity of fasting meansdisengaging in an activity. Whilefasting we are doing something bynot doing something. So, when wefast, we have the opportunity toreplace eating with something else.

In this article I will explore justfour things concerning fasting. Iwon’t be inclusive, but it should bea good start. These four ideasshould help you know how to spendyour non-eating time.

The Preliminaries

To begin our study, let’s go towhat Jesus taught about fasting inMatthew 6:16-18. "Moreover whenyou fast, don`t be, as the hypocrites,with sad faces. For they disfiguretheir faces, that they may be seen bymen to be fasting. Most assuredly Itell you, they have received theirreward. But you, when you fast,anoint your head, and wash yourface; that you are not seen by mento be fasting, but by your Fatherwho is in secret, and your Father,who sees in secret, will reward you.

Fasting isn’t an enjoyableactivity. It may be for that reasonthat many people don’t engage in it.However, Jesus said, “When youfast”. It isn’t if you do , or if youdecide to fast, Jesus was thinkingabout the times when we do. As if itwas a normal activity.

Fasting may not enjoyable, butit is truly worthwhile. There was atime when I ran road races. Iprepared by running 15 miles threetimes a week. That running wasworthwhile. Although a friend ofmine reminded me often that she“never saw a jogger smiling”.

Truth is that the process wasn’teasy, but the results were very muchworth the effort. The same is true offasting. The difference is that whilerunning has physical benefits (andhealth is the only thing you can beassured of losing), fasting hasspiritual benefits that can lastforever!

Along with fasting comes agreat danger. That is the danger ofputting on a show for others.Fasting openly, or to let everyoneknow you are fasting, so as toenhance your perceived spiritualstanding. That must be avoided.Here is what is revealed about aheart that wants to fast for a show toothers. “Nevertheless even of therulers many believed in him, butbecause of the Pharisees they didn`tconfess it, so that they wouldn`t beput out of the synagogue, for theyloved men`s approval more than

God`s approval.” (John 12:42-43).Although this is about the rulers

who were afraid to confess Jesusopenly, it has to be realized that thepraises of men were more importantthan the praise of God (the fear ofmen is very evident here).

So when you fast don’t appearto be doing so. Clean up and goabout your daily activities as ifnothing special is going on. If youare more concerned with the praisesof men, then fast openly. If youwant the praise of God, do itsecretly before God alone, and Hewill reward you.

Self Control

One of the reasons to fast is toexercise the fruit of the spirit, selfcontrol. We all, who are in Christ,have the spirit of God. Part of theevidence that we have God’s spiritis self control (see Gal. 5:22-23).

Self control is something wehave now. Fasting is one way weincrease its power. You may chooseto fast for one meal, one day, oneweek, or more. As you considerfasting, is your body (your flesh) ina state of rebellion? Are theremultiple reasons why you shouldn’tfast? Who is in charge of yourbody? Your appetite or the spirit ofGod through your mind? If you areunsure, here is some insight fromthe Apostle Paul about gainingcontrol of our bodies.

Do you not know that those who

When You Fast

By Chuck Jones

13 Sept./Oct., 2007

run in a race all run, but onereceives the prize? Run in such away that you may obtain it.everyone who competes for theprize is temperate in all things. Nowthey do it to obtain a perishablecrown, but we for an imperishablecrown. Therefore I run thus: notwith uncertainty. Thus I fight: notas one who beats the air. But Idiscipline my body and bring it intosubjection, lest, when I havepreached to others, I myself shouldbecome disqualified (1 Con. 9:24-27).

Paul is telling us to run and fightwith a purpose. I do so to disciplinemy body. It isn’t just a nice thing todo, it means being disqualified ornot! Fasting is one way to disciplineour flesh to show it who is incharge.

Experience Grace

One way to look at the grace ofGod is how it comes through whenwe fast secretly before God alone.God’s grace isn’t something we canexperience when everything isgoing well or we are happy. God’sgrace is a spiritual gem that comeswhen times are hard. One exampleof this can be found in Acts 4:33-where we are told...”And with greatpower the apostles gave witness tothe resurrection of the Lord Jesus.And great grace was upon themall.” What brought the great graceabout? If you would look at verses13-31, you would see that chiefpriests and elders threatened theApostles for healing the lame manin the name of Jesus. These wereserious charges and threats. In theface of these threats the apostlespraised God and asked for moreboldness to speak His word, forhealing, signs, and wonders to bedone. In the face of the threats theydid not retreat. The tough timesbring God’s grace to God’sservants.

A particularly difficult thing for

the Apostle Paul is recorded in 2Corinthians 12:7-12. “And lest Ishould be exalted above measure bythe abundance of the revelations, athorn in the flesh was given to me, amessenger of Satan to buffet me,lest I be exalted above measure.Concerning this thing I pleadedwith the Lord three times that itmight depart from me. And He saidto me, "My grace is sufficient foryou, for My strength is made perfectin weakness." Therefore most gladlyI will rather boast in my infirmities,that the power of Christ may restupon me. Therefore I take pleasurein infirmities, in reproaches, inneeds, in persecutions, in distresses,for Christ's sake. For when I amweak, then I am strong.

I don’t want to debate what the‘thorn’ was. Let it be enough toknow that Paul wanted it takenaway and he asked three times tohave it removed. God’s response toPaul’s request was “My grace inthis hard situation is sufficient.”

It is accomplishing what seemsto be impossible in the power ofChrist. As Paul says in Philippines4:11-13 , I’ll paraphrase, “I’velearned to be content in allsituations and I know I can do allthings because Christ gives mestrength to do what is needed”.

Grace can come to you whenyou fast. Especially if it happens tobe hard for you. To experience thepraise of God it is worth not eating.

Learning Matthew 4:4

The last point to draw attentionto is found in Matthew 4:4. “But Heanswered and said, "It is written,'Man shall not live by bread alone,but by every word that proceedsfrom the mouth of God."

I bring this up because it comeswhen Jesus had fasted for fortydays, and was hungry. I don’t knowby my experience, how hungry aperson can be , but I’m sure Jesuswas. In response to the temptation

to make something to eat, Jesussaid, “There is something moreimportant than food, that is everyword that proceeds from the mouthof God.”

I’m pretty well convinced thatno one can learn the truth of thisverse if fasting is avoided. Whenyou choose not to eat, reading theBible is a good alternative. Wait,before you dismiss this idea let meexplain. There are five ‘P’s to anymeal. We have to plan it, purchaseit, prepare it, partake of it and thenthere is the post eating clean up. Ittakes a lot of time to eat a meal.More than just the time it takes toactually eat the food.

I’d dare say that more time isspent on food than is spent on Biblereading. Fasting and reading theBible can turn that trend around.There are so many voices in theworld. Televison, radio, movies,magazines and newspapers. They allwant to bend your ear. Fasting andreading is a great way to clarifyGod’s voice in your life.

No one can make you fast(unless you’re in prison), it is yourchoice. Choose in favor of fasting.Try fasting for a short time, butdon’t be a glutton when you breakthe fast. Spend the time you do fastin the Bible and prayer. You won’tbe sorry. È

Wisdom & Power 14

August, 2007

Once again, Malawi AfricanMissions, Inc. teamed up withLord's Harvest International for a22-day mission trip to Malawi (16days) and Mozambique (3 days).Once again the gospel of thecoming Kingdom of God and thethings about our Lord Jesus wereproclaimed, as we have done fromthe very first trip in 1994. Thebrethren there look at me as thefather of the work, althoughAnthony first took this truth to themin 1993. It is because of the earnestpreaching of the 173 pastors that thework has grown.

Team members this year wereDr. Joe and Rebekah Martin, JamieEngelbert, Erika Fitzsimmons,Kaitlyn Walters, and Jim Mattison(10 trip). We visited 16 churchesth

and were warmly welcomed. TheChurch members’ eyes shone andbig smiles lit up their faces. Wewere impressed by their great faithin God, their strong hope in Christ,and their love one for another. Thework is overseen by a seven personBoard in each country and each ofthe many districts is overseen by aPastor of the district, such as Bango,Chaka, Sande, Maxwell, Daud,Moyo, Frazer, Namaona, and the

isolated church of Machemba. Thechurch of Machemba cares for 38orphans. We rejoice for the fivepeople who came forward forbaptism, including a Muslim lady,during our trip.

Linda Limbe, our “lady Friday,”is invaluable as our go-between forthe pastors and us. We left moneyfor 4 church foundations that wereapproved by the Boards. When thenext step is ready, Linda will givethe money needed for laying thefired brick (river sand and cementmortar). We pay for the cement, theroof trusses, and the metal sheets,while they make and fire the brick,dig and pour the foundation, levelthe ground, etc.

Also, the Truth is beingpreached in Tanzania by JeromeChembe, who updates us regularly.Anthony is over in the BibleCollege in Kenya presently,teaching. Several of our ABCstudents have come from thiscollege, as have Korean studentsfrom Paul College in Korea. DonSmith, presently in Botswanavisiting contacts, worked in Malawiuntil February helping Lindaestablish work among the ladies ofthe churches (teaching reading, howto make things to sell, how to dogood deeds for the elderly, and the

needy, visiting the sick, havingregular times for prayer for thework, etc.) through his corporationcalled Rescue.

Other very close friends areRafik and Shamim Valimahommedand their daughter Gazella. We haveknown them for many years. He isour money changer, and served usseveral delicious meals (esp. prawnsin garlic butter sauce and cheese!).

Our used rented van (and driverChibwana also known as big boss)broke down four times, once atnight in the middle of nowhere. Wethanked God for cell phones. Buthow can I forget the crackedwindshield, no visor on my side,and the side door that was alwayscoming off its rollers, the brokentiming chain, losing oil, the electricsystem going out twice. The lasttime a man in white appeared, askedif we needed a mechanic, and saidthere was one just down the sideroad. While a nearby Lodge pickedus up, that mechanic had the fusesneeded to get us going again, withlights (when the first breakdownoccurred we had to get out and pushthe van off the road so as not to gethit in the dark).

Can I tell you of the pitifulfuneral we experienced? We werescheduled for a service at one of

MAM Inc.African Mission Update

by Jim Mattison

15 Sept./Oct., 2007

Moyo's churches, but the nightbefore we were informed a deathhad occurred – a 26 year-old man,an elder, who left a wife and twosmall children. We went to thefuneral and sat on chairs providedfor us. Along with the 300 – 400people sitting on the hillside amongthe pigeon peas above the verysmall house, there was the villagechief sat in his chair. The servicelasted at least an hour and a half.There was much singing, severalwomen wailing. We had to wait along time for the Malawi-typecasket to come. Several men took itinside. The house was so small theyhad to back out and reverse it.When they came out with it, a matwas placed on the ground and thecasket placed on the mat. The pooryoung widow lay down beside thecasket the whole service. I can'tkeep from crying as I write this. Icouldn't bear to look at her. Sopitiful. At the end, when it was overand she got up to take her place inthe funeral procession to the grave,I went to her and hugged her. Ididn't know what else to do. Theydon't understand English. I willnever forget that scene. Teammember Kaitlyn Walters, anexcellent artist, is going to paint thatscene for me.

It was a wonderful trip in spiteof the problems. God was with usthe whole time. I had to ask theteam one morning for the anointingwith oil and laying on of hands fora breathing problem. That, too, wentaway. As Psalm 84 says, we “wentfrom strength to strength” through itall. We also met in two “brusharbor” churches that had bricksmade ready to build when they wereapproved. The Boards in bothcountries have a policy to build only3 churches a year in each country.Churches now cost around $1200 ormore. Dr. Chimoyo gave us hisneeds. We hope to help him.Because of our giving him manymedical supplies through the years,

he treats the church people free. Helives in Mulanje but recently movedhis clinic to Luchenza, where thepopulation to serve is much larger.He received his medical training inEngland. His first need is $3500 to put with his saved $1500for a reconditioned car from SouthAfrica. His second need is a laptopcomputer at the office which wehope to get him (Linda's cost$2500). His third need is to buyland on the highway and build amore well-equipped clinic, with alab, etc.

Linda's new work with thewomen in the churches is a valuableaddition to the work. A number ofthe women can now read theirBibles, their good deeds haveresulted in several conversions.There is a Lazarus school forMachemba's orphans. Linda hopesto have a school like this in everychurch. We don't call them orphans,but “children of the school.” Thanksso much to you who make itpossible to help with this missionwork by your prayers and offerings.Any offerings may be sent to MAMor to LHI. È

(For all our readers who endureda hot summer. )

It Was So Hot ThisSummer that...Submitted by Ron Hardin

...the birds had to use potholders topull worms out of the ground.

...the trees were whistling for thedogs.

...the best parking place wasdetermined by shade instead ofdistance.

...hot water could come out of bothtaps.

...you could make sun tea instantly.

....you learned that a seat belt bucklemakes a pretty good branding iron.

...the temperature dropped below 95F (35 C) and you felt a little chilly.

...you discovered that in August itonly takes 2 fingers to steer yourcar.

...you discovered that you can getsunburned through your carwindow.

...you could actually burn your handopening the car door.

...you broke into a sweat the instantyou step outside at 7:30 a.m.

...your biggest bicycle wreck fearwas, "What if I get knocked out andend up lying on the pavement andcook to death?"

...you realized that asphalt has aliquid state.

...the potatoes cooked underground,so all you have to do is pull one outand add butter.

...the cows were giving evaporatedmilk.

...farmers were feeding theirchickens crushed ice to keep themfrom laying boiled eggs. È

Wisdom & Power 16

He has always wanted Hispeople to know Him and His ways.However, man has to want to know,because God will not violate freewill. The good news is that Godwants us to know; therefore, we areable to do so. The determiningfactor is with us.

Do we want to know? In thedays of Isaiah, God revealedHimself to the prophet but not toIsrael. He commissioned Isaiah togo forth and confront the peopleregarding their obstinance andhard-heartedness. “Also I heard thevoice of the Lord, saying, Whomshall I send, and who will go for us?Then said I, Here am I; send me.And he said, Go, and tell thispeople, Hear ye indeed, butunderstand not; and see ye indeed,but perceive not. Make the heart ofthis people fat, and make their earsheavy, and shut their eyes; lest theysee with their eyes, and hear withtheir ears, and understand withtheir heart, and convert, and behealed. Because they did not wantto know and obey” (Isaiah 6:8-10).God did not allow them to know.

The irony of this record is thatIsaiah was given the privilege to seeand hear God as so few have, andthe message he was given to speakwas regarding Israel’s inability tosee and hear. During the time ofJesus’ earthly ministry, many didnot want to know. So he did notspeak to them plainly, rather inparables. His disciples asked whyhe spoke in parables. “He answeredand said unto them, Because it is

given unto you to know themysteries of the kingdom of heaven,but to them it is not given. Forwhosoever hath, to him shall begiven, and he shall have moreabundance: but whosoever hath not,from him shall be taken away eventhat he hath. Therefore speak I tothem in parables: because theyseeing see not; and hearing theyhear not, neither do theyunderstand. And in them is fulfilledthe prophecy of Esaias, which saith,By hearing ye shall hear, and shallnot understand; and seeing ye shallsee, and shall not perceive”(Matthew 13:11-14 ).

After his explanation he quotedto them the same verse stated inIsaiah 6:8-10. The context of thesecomments was regarding theparable about the seed and thesower which relates to hearing andreceiving the Word of the Kingdom.The multitudes were not interestedin hearing about the Kingdom;therefore, he did not plainly teachthem. However, the eyes of thedisciples were blessed.“But blessedare your eyes, for they see: andyour ears, for they hear. For verilyI say unto you, That many prophetsand righteous men have desired tosee those things which ye see, andhave not seen them; and to hearthose things which ye hear, andhave not heard them” (Matthew13:16-17 ).

Why did these fishermen, taxcollectors, and common men get tohear the great truth spoken by ourLord? Was it because of their

background, education, genealogy?No, No, No! They heard because ofGod’s grace and election which wasoffered because they had a heart forGod and wanted to know. Thepeople in Jesus’ day saw the Wordof God in the flesh, and they heardthe Word spoken. They also sawmany supernatural miracles. Yet,the vast majority did not really seeor hear because they did not have agenuine desire for God. Their heartswere far from Him. But though hehad done so many miracles beforethem, yet they believed not on him:“That the saying of Esaias theprophet might be fulfilled, which hespake, Lord, who hath believed ourreport? and to whom hath the armof the Lord been revealed?Therefore they could not believe,because that Esaias said again, Hehath blinded their eyes, andhardened their heart; that theyshould not see with their eyes, norunderstand with their heart, and beconverted, and I should heal them”(John 12:37-40).

The Apostle Paul explained tothe Corinthians that the truthregarding Christ was not for theintellectuals of the world or thereligious hypocrites or the debatersof this age. The knowledge of Godis given to those who are humbleand hunger to know. For those whoask, seek, and knock, God providesthe spirit of truth which illuminatesthe mind. By again quoting Isaiah(this time from 64:4), Paul revealsthat things regarding Christ are forthose who really love God. “But

God Wants Us to Know! By Vince Finnegan

17 Sept./Oct., 2007

just as it is written, "things whicheye has not seen and ear has notheard, and which have not enteredthe heart of man, all that God hasprepared for those who love him." (ICorinthians 2:9 NASB).

The spirit reveals the things ofGod to those who are influenced byit. “For to us God revealed themthrough the Spirit; for the Spiritsearches all things, even the depthsof God. For who among men knowsthe thoughts of a man except thespirit of the man which is in him?Even so the thoughts of God no oneknows except the Spirit of God. Nowwe have received, not the spirit ofthe world, but the spirit who is fromGod, so that we may know thethings freely given to us by God,which things we also speak, not inwords taught by human wisdom, butin those taught by the Spirit,combining spiritual thoughts withspiritual words” (Verses 10-13).

God gives the spirit so that wecan know. God wants us to know. Inthe same context we are told thatthe natural man cannot know,because he does not want toknow.“But a natural man does notaccept the things of the Spirit ofGod, for they are foolishness tohim; and he cannot understandthem, because they are spirituallyappraised” (Verse 14 ).

The spirit serves as areplacement for the ascended andsoon coming Christ. Jesus taughtthat it is better for the believers tohave this spirit than him in person,for the spirit enables us to have themind of Christ.

“But he who is spiritualappraises all things, yet he himselfis appraised by no one. For who hasknown the mind of the Lord, that hewill instruct him? But we have themind of Christ” (Verses 15 and 16 ).God wants us to know. È

I've learned....

That the best classroom in the worldis at the feet of an elderly person.

That just one person saying to me,'You've made my day!' makes myday.

That having a child fall asleep inyour arms is one of the mostpeaceful feelings in the world.

That being kind is more importantthan being right.

That you should never say no to agift from a child.

That no matter how serious your liferequires you to be, everyone needsa friend to act goofy with.

That sometimes all a person needsis a hand to hold and a heart tounderstand.

That simple walks with my fatheraround the block on summer nightswhen I was a child did wonders forme as an adult.

That it's those small dailyhappenings that make life sospectacular.

I've learned... That under everyone'shard shell is someone who wants tobe appreciated and loved.

That to ignore the facts does notchange the facts.

That when you plan to get even withsomeone, you are only letting thatperson continue to hurt you.

That love, not time, heals allwounds.

That the easiest way for me to growas a person is to surround myselfwith people smarter than I am.

That everyone you meet deserves tobe greeted with a smile.

That no one is perfect until you fallin love with them.

That life is tough, but I'm tougher.

That opportunities are never lost;someone will take the ones youmiss.

That when you harbor bitterness,happiness will dock elsewhere.

That I wish I could have told myMom that I love her one more timebefore she passed away.

That one should keep his wordsboth soft and tender, becausetomorrow he may have to eat them.

That a smile is an inexpensive wayto improve your looks.

That when your newly borngrandchild holds your little finger inhis little fist, you're hooked for life.

That everyone wants to live on topof the mountain, but all thehappiness and growth occurs whileyou're climbing it.

That the less time I have to workwith, the more things I get done. È

Perspective of Life

Submitted by Elliott Marshall

Wisdom & Power 18

Jesus commanded us to love ourenemies and pray for those who"despitefully use you and persecuteyou," that you may be counted asGod"s children. Why? "Because hemakes his sun to rise on the evil andthe good and sends his rain on thejust and the unjust." (Matt.5:43-45.)

God shows no favoritism in thegeneral blessings He showers onmankind. The most confirmedsinner and man of the world maylive in luxury, while another whonever harmed anyone in his wholelife, but has always lived the bestChristian life he can, will sufferfrom poverty and illness. In mywork in the Welfare Dept., I haveseen some of the most cheerful,loveable, Christian people whowere receiving public assistance,and never complained of their lot.Certainly they are those of whomJames spoke when he said: "Hathnot God chosen the poor of thisworld rich in faith, and heirs of theKingdom which He hath promisedto them that love Him." (James 2:5)

We believe that God is allpowerful and all good. If He werenot He would not be God. SinceGod is all powerful and all good,then the problem that confronts thebeliever is: Why is evil in theworld? Many people lost theirreligion at that point when the firstWorld War came. They reasonedthat no God who was all goodwould ever allow such terriblethings to happen. They thereforecast God out of their lives.

Not long ago our attention wascalled to a poor old woman whohad one misfortune after the other,

and then when things seemed tolook a little better, she was found tohave cancer. One of my fellowworkers said very sarcastically,quoting from the poet, Browning,"God's in his heaven, all's right withthe world." He, of course, thoughthe was quoting from the Bible. TheBible does not teach that all's rightwith the world. In fact it oftenseems to teach that all's wrong withthe world. The oldest problem ofthe believer is to understand whyevil and suffering are in the world.The oldest book treats of thatsubject. The Book of Job mostintriguingly discusses the problemof evil.

If Job were living today, hewould be called out as an exampleof a true Christian. In fact, his lifewas in many ways superior to theaverage professed Christian. Whenhis children gathered at oneanother's houses to have a goodtime, he offered sacrifices to God,and prayed lest the young peoplemight have forgotten God in theirmerrymaking. Few Christians are sozealous today. The writer in theprologue of the book of Job showsthat evil and suffering are in theworld to test character. Job lost allhis family and possessions, and thenhis health, all through no fault of hisown. His character was tested by hismisfortunes and was found to bestrong.

Job's friends brought againsthim a very common accusation:your sufferings are due to your sins.The chief argument of the body ofthe story is centered around thisdiscussion. Job says that he knowsthat he is a sinner, but not in

proportion to the calamities thathave come upon him. If one wishesto have an argument in almost anygroup of people, that is always oneguaranteed to do so. Jesus agreedwith Job that suffering was not dueto sins. He was told by some of hisfollowers about some of theGalileans whom Pilate had killed.He replied to the effect that theywere not worse sinners than otherGalileans. He added anotherincident about some people onwhom a tower fell, and thenproceeded to say that they were nomore sinful than other people. Illhealth, financial disaster, and othermisfortunes are not due to our sins.They are as a result of the forces ofnature. All men – good ,bad, andindifferent – become ill and die.

God does not show favorites.Some people are chastened bymisfortunes while others are not.That is the principal differencebetween the Christian and theunbeliever.

Should we then, pray for ourown health and that of others? Doesill health come on us because of oursins? Often have we observedpeople, who were quite devout andwho believe that God will grant theprayer for health, remain ill foryears in spite of their very obviousfaith and their prayers. Jesus and hisapostles suffered torture and deathin sptite of the fact that their faithfar exceeded that of any of us nowdays. Why was Abraham's prayer,"O, that Ishmael might live beforethee" not granted? Because it wouldchange God's plan. Why did Christsuffer such a horrible death?Because it was for his perfection,

Sin, Illness, and Prayerby Norman McLeod

19 Sept./Oct., 2007

and a sacrifice for us. It wasaccording to God's plan from thefoundation of the world. " Thecaptain of our salvation was madeperfect through suffering." (Heb.2:10) Some time ago, I foundmyself praying to be kept from theevils of this world. I was aroused tothe fact that that prayer is notaccording to the scriptures.

James (1:2) says: "Count it alljoy when ye fall into diverstemptations etc." Why should we behappy about being tempted?Because overcoming thosetemptations gives us a new zealtowards Christ, and makes us ofstronger character. A young man weknow gave up smoking, not becauseit was immoral, or expensive or adetrimental habit, but just to showthat he had the strength of characterto do it. He said that after about sixweeks he had a new zest for life anda new feeling of strength. He has noreligious profession whatsoever. Itis a purely disciplinary measure tohelp him enjoy life more fully. AChristian could do the same, onlythe religious element would make iteven a greater victory. Perhaps theillnesses that we suffer can be ameans of discipline that shouldbring us nearer to God, It couldmake our prayer "Thy kingdomcome" have a much fuller meaningthan to one who is blessed withgood health. Should we pray forgood health? Perhaps! But if weexamine the great prayers of theBible, we find that they have othersubject matter. Solomon's prayer atthe dedication of the temple askedthat God be with the people ofIsrael so that in adversity theywould be forgiven their iniquitieswhen they turned to him. David'sprayers were full of thanksgivingand praise rather than begging forthis or that: Christ's prayers werefor his followers that they might befaithful in this life and so attain toeternal life. È

Verses 1-3. "Children, obey yourparents in the Lord." All societiesexpect children to render duerespect and obedience to theirparents. Our own society issuffering today because thisprinciple is not inculcated inchildren from infancy on, as it oncewas! The results arising fromdisrespect and disobedience areseen all around us, and these resultsare--in fact--violence, confusion,and heartbreak! "First commandment with apromise." Sons and daughters whodo manifest proper respect andobedience are promised a longer lifethan those who care little for theirparents' wishes and needs. Verse 4. Christian parents, for theirpart, also have a responsibility todeal with their children in wisdomand fairness. While training theirchildren in the ways of the Lord andin the knowledge of Scripture,godly parents--while beingfirm--need to use patience and loveinstead of harsh discipline andunnecessary rules.

Verse 5. "Slaves." When Paulwrote his letter, much of thepopulation in the Roman empirewas enslaved to masters who ownedthem as simply so much property.The masters had the power of life ordeath over their slaves. When theRomans destroyed Jerusalem A.D.70, many of the Jewish survivorswere sold into slavery and scatteredabout the Empire. Moses' prophecyin Deuteronomy 28:68 was fulfilled

at that time, when loads of Jewishcaptives were shipped to Egypt tobe marketed for sale as slaves.History records the exact fulfillmentof this ancient prophecy! "Obey your earthly masters." Thegospel could not destroy theinstitution of slavery by violence orpolitical action. It could, however,teach the Christian slaves to befaithful workers in service to theirmasters. The latter could be won toChrist by the testimony of godlyslaves and the love shown by them!On the other hand, Philemonprovides the example of a Christianwho was a master having slaves,one of whom--Onesimus--became aChristian himself. Verse 6. "Slaves of Christ."Slaves--and employees today--canregard their service as offeredprimarily to Christ Himself, sincewe are to do all things as "unto theLord" (Col. 3:23). When we look atour work in that light, it becomes somuch more fulfilling and rewardingthan it would be if we workedmerely to please our fellow mortals. "Serve wholeheartedly." TheChristian's labor should not begrudging or half-hearted. Apathyand lethargy have no place inChristian conduct! We are to actwith zeal and eagerness to do good(Titus 2:14). Verse 8. "The Lord will reward."Salvation itself is by grace, throughfaith (Eph. 2:8). Rewards, however,are additional, and are given inaccordance with our works. Jesus

Cascade Bible FellowshipEphesians 6:1-15

Wisdom & Power 20

makes this clear in the parable ofthe pounds, or minas--Luke19:11-27. Verse 9. "Masters." Now Paulgives some important directions forChristians who own slaves. In ourmodern setting, these principleswould apply to Christian employersor bosses. There are businesses inAmerica that try to follow suchprinciples, with the result that theiremployees are happier, more loyal,and far more productive. Verse 10. "Be strong in the Lord."Paul had learned that he could "doeverything through him who givesme strength" (Phil. 4:13). Hebelieved Jeremiah's warning:"Cursed is the one who trusts inman, who depends on flesh for hisstrength" (17:5). Only in God andHis Anointed Son can true andlasting strength be found! "Hismighty power." The power thatcreated and sustains the universe ismade available to His children whotrust and seek Him. Verses 11,12. "The full armor."The armor God provides is able tosupply all needed protection againsta wicked, strong, and determinedenemy--the Devil. This enemy isnot "flesh and blood"--i.e., human.Rather, he heads up an army of"spiritual forces of evil in theheavenly realms." Paul has alreadydefined and located those "realms"as the place where Christ is seatedat God's right hand (Eph. 1:20,21).The Book of Job reveals that Satanis able to appear before God andgive account of his activities (1:6;2:1,2). Paul has also described himas "the ruler of the kingdom of theair" (Eph. 2:2) or "prince of thepower of the air" (KJV)--the "spiritwho is now at work in those whoare disobedient." If angels are"spirits" (Heb. 1:7), then Satan as a"spirit" can also move and operatein the unseen realm to carry out his

plans or schemes. One of his mostsuccessful "schemes" is to convincemen that he doesn't exist personally,after all! "Powers of this dark world."Literally, the "cosmocrats of thisdarkness." These are the evil"principalities and powers"organized under Satan in hisplanned attempt to bring about thedownfall of the human race. Christhas now been given authority overall angelic beings--whether they bethe "elect angels" (1 Tim. 5:21) thatserve and obey God, or instead theangels that serve and obey Satan(Matt. 25:41). Verse 13. "Full armor." God is theone who provides the entire suit ofarmor, but it is our responsibility toput it all on! The apostle will go onto describe the individual pieces ofthat armor. Being clothed with thearmor, we are enabled to take avictorious stand against Satan, hishordes, and all his deceitful wiles."When the day of evil comes." Lifecan seem to go on for a timewithout serious challenge, but Satanmay plan to use a particular day ordays for his attack! This scenario iswhat we see in the case of God'sservant, Job. When those timescome, we must be preparedbeforehand, already wearing thearmor. Verse 14. "The belt of truth." OurGod is a "God of truth" (Deut. 32:4;Psa. 31:5). There is no deception orerror in His character or in Hisdoings. What He declares is whatalways squares with reality. Whenwe "obey the truth" (Gal. 3:1; 5:7)and "walk in truth" (3 John 4),Satan's deceptions and lies areunable to mislead us. Jesus saidthat the devil was a murderer fromthe beginning (John 8:44), a liardestroying men's lives by the lies hetells--lies that they believed and stillcontinue to believe! His first lie to

mankind was to deny the reality ofdeath (Gen. 3:4), and God had to setthe record straight by the truth aboutdeath (3:19). Most of the religionsof the world keep swallowing andteaching this lie, with dire results!Only true New TestamentChristianity declares that death is anenemy (1 Cor. 15:26) and that theonly victory over death is throughresurrection, not survival of theso-called "soul" or "spirit" when aperson dies. "Breastplate of righteousness."According to the gospel ,righteousness is--first of all--a giftfrom God (Rom. 3:21-26; 4:1-8;Eph. 2:8,9). Believers alreadyaccounted righteous are then to goon to do "good works" (Eph. 2:10),living a life of visible righteousnessthat displays the inner spiritualitythat God has wrought in them (Phil.2:12,13). Satan has a hard timecoming against a believer who istotally committed to the will andways of God! Verse 15. "Gospel of peace.""How beautiful are the feet of themthat preach the gospel of peace, andbring glad tidings of good things!"(Rom. 10:15 KJV). The true gospelteaches believers to live at peacewith all men and to abstain fromviolence. When the church becameapostate in the time of Constantine,it adopted the worldly ethic ofviolence as a solution todifferences--going to war and usingcoercion to enforce its will onothers. In contrast, Christ said,"Blessed are the peacemakers: forthey shall be called the children ofGod" (Matt. 5:9). Paul laterdeveloped this theme in Romans12:17-21. Satan loves violence andincites men to make use of it.Believers, therefore, must avoidusing it or seeking revenge, butrather must seek peaceful ways ofdealing with differences and withoppressors (Matt. 5:43-48). È

21 Sept./Oct., 2007

Dear Bro. JonesPlease send”Wisdom & Power”

to the following (addresses).Enclosed is a check to help out alittle.

Your folks visited here in ourhome many years ago. Rob &Karen receive W&P and I readtheirs. We live here together. I amnow 90. I’ve read the last issue(July/August) cover to cover andenjoyed it much.

Thanks. Keep up the good work.Christian love,Mildred G. Lanning

Dear Bro. Jones, I would like to tell you I really

enjoy the Wisdom & PowerMagazine. The last one I read wasJanuary /February 2007. Themagazine was sent to my oldaddress. We moved. We now go tothe Pine Grove Bible Church in theMinneapolis Area. I was out tolunch recently with Dave and MaryOtto. They reminded me of themagazine and that I needed to writeto you about the address change.They said to say ‘hi’.

Robert Bormes

Please put my mother on yourmailing list to receive Wisdom &Power. Enclosed please find a checkto help with postage. My mother isa member of the Cleveland Churchof God and I’m a member of theNew Hope Church of God in LittleRock. God Bless,Theresa Skillaultt

Dear Wisdom & Power,THANK YOU for promoting,

and reporting on, the Essay Contest:"What the Kingdom Means to Me"And, of course, a special thanks tothose who worked so hard inwriting, reading, and evaluating theessays. I find it refreshing that in aworld saturated with Harry Potterthere are many young people whohave caught a glimpse of eternity ...and have taken the time to tell usabout it so well. God bless you all.Brian J. Atra

Hi Chuck,Thoroughly enjoyed your fine

Wisdom & Power. Your editorialwas excellent. Corey’s article wasgood, in fact, so true. Mark Clarke’swas excellent. It should be madeinto a tract. I thought about havingit translated into Chicchewa andgive to the 173 African preachers.May do that. What’s his address?Steve Taylor’s devotions are alwaysgood. I get them all the time. It wasgood to see Norman McLeods’sname. I had tremendous respect forhim. Brian’s article was good,however, my pastor and I are out ofsorts with him for making fun ofBobby Partain’s grammar, thensigning himself PHD, as though hewas it. Bobby Partain isemphatically against believing in adevil but he is a good man, lives theChristian life, raised a large familyof all faithful kids, speaks for thetruth whenever he is buildinghouses. He’s a deacon, could be anelder except the old system of onlytwo elders prevails. He and I don’tagree on the devil, but we love eachother. He’s had a little schooling,but his earnestness for the Lord isfar greater than most preachers.

Don’t knock Bobby around GuthrieGrove.

Love, JimEditor’s note: I wasn’t aware

that any dispersions were madetoward Bobby’s grammar. That isnot our intention. This is why noissue should be debated in theletters to the editor section. Thestaff of W&P has high regard forBobby Partain. Never let it be saidotherwise.

Chuck,I just watched the “Human

Jesus” video last night and wantedto pass on my compliments to youfor your involvement in such anawesome product! It was excellent.What an awesome tool that videowill be for us as a church body andit excites me to have such aresource to share w/friends, familyand neighbors! Great job!

And thanks too, for makingroom for our essay winners in yourmagazine this past month. Iappreciate it, and hope that otherswill be moved and encouraged intowhatever God may be calling themto do to further His Gospel. I needto spend some time planning ournext one for 2008!In Christ I live and hope,Angela

Editors note: That video can beseen at www.JesusIsHuman.com.

We Got Mail

Wisdom & Power 22

Quite a harsh term. Jesuswarned against using it vainly.Those who did so trod the precipiceto gehenna's flames.

God uses the term “fool”. Hisscribe observes, most famously inPsalm 14:1, "The fool hath said inhis heart there is no God."Obviously, most readers take this tobe a denial of atheism. The thoughtis: "only a fool would deny God'sexistence." Who could look aroundand NOT believe in God?

I have pondered that on icy tripsin January along US Highway 65between Springfield, Missouri andBranson, Missouri, calling on Godamidst one of the most picturesquedrives between the Rockies and theSmokies. The icicles seemed todance from the branches. Thenagain, some were tree-huggers. Ifyou require more graphic testimonyof God's beautiful creation, look atcover after cover of Wisdom &Power.

The Bible speaks aboutobserving nature and recognizingGod. Paul, in Romans 1, says natureitself is enough to convict a personthat God exists. So, only the blindfool would say, in his heart, "Thereis no God."

But, there's more ...In the Hebrew text the words

"there is" are missing. These wordswere added by Bible translators tomake the sentence complete. That iswhy "there is" is in italics in somany translations.

It really reads more like: “Thefool hath said in his heart no, God”.And two more very richinterpretations emerge.

The world of the Old Testamentwas a world where atheism wasvirtually unknown. Many people --

and this is not unknown even today-- worshiped multiple deities. Totell the reader that a fool deniesGod's existence would be so basic,so universal, it would hardly take agreat Bible writer to persuade sucha reader.

But let's read it anothermeaningful way. "The fool has saidin his heart, NO, God." Ah, the fool.The person who does not doubtGod's existence but, rather, sure ofHis being, dares to tell God "No." Intheological terms: "I affirm theexistence of an eternal, immortal,holy, omnipotent, omniscient,omnipresent, omnibenevolent God... but I will NOT serve Him."

Chilling! Incredible? It happensevery day. Thousands of times. Andit was common enough in the daysof the Psalms that God had to postthe warning ... more than once!

You see, the heart of atheism isnot an intellectual issue; it is aselfish and moral issue. That is whydebates over atheism generate muchheat but no light. Neither side hasbeen persuaded, yet each goes homeclaiming victory. Both live exactlyas they have lived before, perhapstinged with just a touch more pride.

Atheism: There is no God, Imay do as I please without sin,guilt, need for repentance, or anythreat of punishment. Defiance: Toknow the living God, the Almighty,the Creator ... and tell him "No!"We now move from the realm of theintellectual heights to the epitomeof stupidity.

But, there's more ...Yet a third reading may strike

us. "The Fool hath said in his heartNO GOD." This is the man whodoesn't deny God's existence nordoes he willfully violate God's laws.

He does not care about God. "I don'tneed God." "No God for me." Thisman says, "God, leave me alone."And he tells others, "Don't put yourreligion on me."

One may see thousands of suchpeople, educated, wealthy, urbane,on Sunday mornings: on golfcourses, pontoon boats, party barges( when a pastor owns one it's apontoon boat and when others ownone it's a party barge), sidewalkcafes, the arboretum, or for manymillions of others, lying drunk inbed, or if not in a house at all, witha dirty needle on the pavement,unable to get up. "God, don't botherme." "Leave me alone."

God remains patient. Andloving. And hopeful.

But there's more ...A sad day comes: horrible,

inescapable judgment. Someone has said, "There is

nothing so sure in life as death andtaxes." He was wrong. First, somebelievers will be alive when Christreturns and will never die. Second,there are nations in the world whereno taxes are assessed. But don'tpack your things yet; it's tough toget in those places. Easier tomaneuver your camel through aneedle's eye!

This one thing is sure:Judgment! God's holiness demandsit while fools deny it.

Judgment – a day when all, thegreat and small, stand before God.Only God can help. Only God canforgive. Only God can grant life.

Fools come in a lot of varieties.Some have denied His existence.Some have refused to yield to Him.Some fools have prayed -- withoutknowing it -- "God don't botherme," only to receive an eternalanswer to such pitiful entreaties.

"Alas! Depart from me." To thelake of fire, which is the seconddeath ... Fool! "God is not mocked.What a man sows, that’s what he isgoing to reap." È

Fool!By Dr. Brian Atra.