"THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS" The Church At Colosse (1:3-8) by Mark Copeland

                     "THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS"

                      The Church At Colosse (1:3-8)

INTRODUCTION

1. After introducing himself and greeting the brethren in verses 1-2,
   Paul expresses thanksgiving to God concerning some things about the
   church at Colosse (read 3-8)

2. As we consider what Paul wrote, we learn some encouraging things
   about the church at Colosse which are worthy of our emulation as a
   congregation of Christians

[For example, notice that as a church...]

I. THEY WERE KNOWN FOR THEIR FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS (1:4)

   A. WHAT A WONDERFUL REPUTATION TO HAVE!
      1. Some churches are known for:
         a. Being "dead on the vine"
         b. Being "lukewarm" (cf. the Laodiceans, Re 3:15)
      2. But here is a church so strong in its faith in Jesus, that word
         had made its way to Paul
      3. In this, they were like the church at Thessalonica - 1Th 1:2-
         3, 6-10; 2Th 1:3

   B. WHY DID THEY HAVE SUCH A REPUTATION?
      1. Because they really trusted in Jesus Christ ("trust" is a key
         element in the matter of faith)
      2. Because their faith was a "steadfast" one - Col 2:5
         a. They were not faithful one day, then unfaithful the next
         b. Through "thick and thin", they maintained their faith in
            Jesus and did His will!

   C. WHAT KIND OF REPUTATION DO WE HAVE?
      1. Every church has one, whether it be good, mediocre, or bad
      2. Wouldn't it be wonderful if others could say of us, "We have
         heard of your faith in Jesus Christ"?
      3. If we remain steadfast in our faith, in time they will!

[Notice also that as a church...]

II. THEY WERE KNOWN FOR THEIR LOVE FOR ALL THE SAINTS (1:4)

   A. THEIR GOOD REPUTATION INCLUDED LOVE AS WELL AS FAITH!
      1. Toward Jesus, they showed faith; toward their brethren, they
         demonstrated love!
      2. Not only love for each other, but love for ALL the saints,
         including those in other places
      3. Again, in this they were like the church at Thessalonica - 
         1Th 4:9-10

   B. IF WE DESIRE A SIMILAR REPUTATION (AND EVERY TRUE CHURCH OF
      CHRIST SHOULD), WHAT CAN WE DO?
      1. We can be diligent in our love for one another, making efforts
         to become better acquainted and to serve one another
      2. We can demonstrate our love for ALL the brethren, by taking
         advantage of meetings and singings to be together
      3. We can ask the Lord to help us increase in this - 1Th 3:12
      4. We can urge each other to increase in this virtue - 1Th 4:9-10

[A truly strong faith in Jesus and love for the brethren is such a 
rarity in many churches, that any church which excels in these virtues 
will soon be known for such!

But as we continue in our examination of our text, we notice also that 
at the church at Colosse...]

III. THE GOSPEL WAS BRINGING FORTH FRUIT AMONG THEM (1:5-6)

   A. THE GOSPEL, WHICH SPEAKS OF THE HOPE LAID UP IN HEAVEN, HAD
      PRODUCED FRUIT IN THEIR LIVES
      1. Not only in THEIR lives, but throughout the whole world (1:6)
         - cf. Col 1:23
      2. We have seen the kind of fruit being born by the gospel:
         a. Faith in Jesus
         b. Love for the brethren
      3. In bearing such fruit,  they proved that they were truly
         disciples of Jesus! - Jn 15:8

   B. WHAT WAS THE KEY TO BEARING SUCH FRUIT?
      1. Notice that they had been bearing fruit "since the day you
         heard and knew the grace of God in truth" (1:6)
      2. By knowing (understanding, NAS) the grace of God, they were
         properly motivated to bear fruit
      3. So it is today, those who truly understand the grace of God
         will more likely respond in grateful service to God!

   C. WHAT IS "THE GRACE OF GOD" WHICH MOTIVATES ONE TO BEAR FRUIT?
      1. Simply put, it is the "unmerited favor" which God has shown us
         through Jesus Christ!
      2. We can summarize this grace of God by defining several key
         terms:
         a. CONDEMNATION - Being guilty of sin, we stand condemned in
            the sight of God and in danger of everlasting death - Ro 3: 23; 6:23
         b. ALIENATION - Being guilty of sin, we also find ourselves
            separated from God - Isa 59:1-2
         c. PROPITIATION - but in love and mercy, God sent Jesus to be
            our sacrifice for sins to appease God's just and righteous
            anger - 1Jn 4:9-10
         d. JUSTIFICATION - by responding in obedient faith, we can be
            justified (declared not guilty) by virtue of Jesus'
            sacrifice in our stead - Ro 3:21-26
         e. RECONCILIATION - Free from the guilt of sin, we can now be
            reconciled with God through Christ Jesus our Lord - 2Co 5:
            17-20
         f. SANCTIFICATION - By virtue of Christ's death, we may also be
            "set apart" in service to the glory of God - Ro 6:17-18,
            20-22
      3. The more one understands these concepts and their implications,
         the more likely they will also bear fruit!

CONCLUSION

1. Through Epaphras, the church at Colosse had heard of this wonderful
   grace of God - 1:7

2. And through Epaphras, Paul had heard of their wonderful love which
   was the fruit of their responding to this grace - 1:8

3. Indeed, the church at Colosse had admirable qualities, which we do
   well to emulate...
   a. Not for any glory for ourselves, but rather that God and His Son
      might be glorified
   b. For it is only by His grace that we would be able to imitate the
      church at Colosse

4. Brethren...
   a. Do we have faith in Jesus?
   b. Do we love the brethren?
   ...Let's be sure to allow the grace of God to have its desired effect
      in our lives!

If you have never responded to the grace of God, why not now?

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2016

Are the Genealogies of the Bible Useful Chronologies? by Bert Thompson, Ph.D.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=1143

Are the Genealogies of the Bible Useful Chronologies?

by	Bert Thompson, Ph.D.

Q.

I have heard it said that biblical genealogies are so filled with gaps that they are “useless” in matters of chronology. Is this true, or do the genealogies provide accurate chronological information as well? Can these genealogies be trusted in matters of chronology?

A.

Through the years, religionists who have become enamored with (and who have ardently defended) pseudoscientific attempts to date the Earth in evolutionary terms of billions of years, have stated that the biblical genealogies must not be used for chronological purposes because they allegedly contain “huge gaps” that render them ineffective for that purpose. In so commenting, most writers reference the classic work of William H. Green (1890) in this area. The work of Green on Old Testament genealogies usually is highly acclaimed, and accepted uncritically, by those who wish to place “gaps” (of whatever size) in the biblical genealogies. The argument usually goes something like this (to quote one writer): “Unfortunately for those who wish to attach a precise date on some historical events by using genealogies, their attempts are thwarted.” Thus, we are asked to believe that the genealogies are relatively useless in matters of chronology.
However, these same writers usually evince a complete omission of more recent work in this area—work which has shown that much of what Green had to say is at best incomplete, and at worst, irrelevant. When one discusses the genealogies, he does his audience (or reader) a disservice if he omits a discussion of Luke’s genealogy. Some are quick to talk about Genesis 5 and 11, but rarely do you see a discussion of Luke’s material (often it is conspicuously missing from any such discussions on genealogical materials). One performs a further disservice if he does not point out two very important points that come to bear on this whole discussion. First, to use the words of Arthur C. Custance:

We are told again and again that some of these genealogies contain gaps: but what is never pointed out by those who lay the emphasis on these gaps, is that they only know of the existence of these gaps because the Bible elsewhere fills them in. How otherwise could one know of them? But if they are filled in, they are not gaps at all! Thus, in the final analysis the argument is completely without foundation (1967, p 3).

If anyone should want to find “gaps” in the genealogies, it certainly would be a man like Custance, who spent his life desperately searching for ways to allow the Bible to contain an “old Earth” scenario. Yet even he admitted that the argument that the genealogies contain sizable gaps is ill-founded.
Second, and this point cannot be overemphasized, even if there were gaps in the genealogies, there would not necessarily be gaps in the chronologies therein recorded. The question of chronology is not the same as that of genealogy! This is a major point overlooked by those who accuse the genealogies of being “useless” in matters of chronology. The “more recent work” alluded to above, which sheds additional light on the accuracy of the genealogies, comes from James B. Jordan’s timely articles (1979, 1980). Jordan has done an extensive review of the work of Green, and has shown Green’s arguments to be untrustworthy in several important respects. To quote Jordan:

Gaps in genealogies, however, do not prove gaps in chronologies. The known gaps all occur in non-chronological genealogies. Moreover, even if there were gaps in the genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11, this would not affect the chronological information therein recorded, for even if Enosh were the great-grandson of Seth, it would still be the case that Seth was 105 years old when Enosh was born, according to a simple reading of the text. Thus, genealogy and chronology are distinct problems with distinct characteristics. They ought not to be confused (p. 12).

Much recent material has confused these two issues. For example, one writer stated: “Obviously, abridgment of the genealogies has taken place and these genealogies cannot be chronologies,” when exactly the opposite is true, as Jordan’s work accurately documents. Matthew, for example, was at liberty to arrange his genealogy of Christ in three groups of 14 (making some “omissions”) because his genealogy was derived from complete lists found in the Old Testament. In the genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11, remember also that the inclusion of the father’s age at the time of his son’s birth is wholly without meaning unless chronology is intended! Else why would the Holy Spirit provide such “irrelevant” information?
There can be little doubt that some have painted a distorted picture for audiences and readers when suggesting to them that substantial “gaps” occur in the biblical genealogies. Such distortion occurs, for example, when it is suggested that genealogy and chronology are one and the same, for they most certainly are not.
In addition, there are other major points that should be made available on these topics. Observe the following information in chart form. Speaking in round figures, from the present to Jesus is 2,000 years—a matter of historical record that no one doubts. From Jesus to Abraham is 2,000 years; that, too, is a matter of historical record which is well known. Each of those figures is extractable from secular history.

Present to Jesus	2,000 years
Jesus to Abraham	2,000 years
Abraham to Adam	? years

The only figure now lacking is that representing the date from Abraham to Adam. Since we know that Adam was the first man (1 Corinthians 15:45), and since we know that man has been on the Earth “from the beginning of the creation” (Mark 10:6, the Lord speaking; Romans 1:20-21, Paul speaking), if it were possible to obtain the figures showing how long it has been from Abraham to Adam, we would have chronological information giving us the relative age of the Earth (since we know that the Earth is only five days older than man—Exodus 20:11; 31:17; Genesis 1-2).
The figure for the time span between Abraham and Adam, of course, is not obtainable from secular history, since those records were destroyed in the Great Flood. Fortunately, however, we are not dependent on the records of secular history for such information; the biblical record provides that material for us. Note the following (and this is why Luke’s genealogy is so critically important in this discussion). In Luke’s genealogy, he listed 55 generations between Jesus and Abraham. We know from secular history (as documented by archaeology—see Kitchen and Douglas, 1982, p. 189) that this time frame covered only about 2,000 years. Between Abraham and Adam, Luke listed only twenty generations. And no one doubts that from the present to Jesus has been about 2,000 years. So, our chart now looks like this:

Present to Jesus	2,000 years
Jesus to Abraham	2,000 years (55 generations)
Abraham to Adam	? years (20 generations)

From this chronological information it is an easy matter to use the 20 generations from Abraham to Adam to determine the approximate number of years contained therein. In round numbers, the figure is 2,000. That completes the chart, which then appears as follows:

Present to Jesus	2,000 years
Jesus to Abraham	2,000 years (55 generations)
Abraham to Adam	2,000 years (20 generations)

Of course, some have argued that there are “gaps” in the genealogies. But where, exactly, would those gaps be placed, and how would they help? Observe the following: No one can put any usable gaps between the present and the Lord’s birth; secular history records that age-information for us. No one can put any usable gaps between the Lord and Abraham; secular history also records that age-information for us. The only place one could try to place any “usable” gaps (viz., usable in regard to extending the age of the Earth) would be in the 20 generations represented between Abraham and Adam. Yet note that actually there are not 20 generations available for inserting “gaps,” because Jude (14) noted that “Enoch was the seventh from Adam.” Examining the Old Testament genealogies establishes exactly that. Enoch was the seventh, beginning from Adam, which then provides us divinely inspired testimony (from Jude) on the accuracy of the first seven of the names. That leaves only 13 generations remaining into which any “gaps” could be placed. Wayne Jackson has observed that in order to get the Earth back only to the time of the evolutionary age of man (approximately 3.6 million years as suggested by the late Mary Leakey and her present-day colleagues), one would have to place 291,125 years in between each of the remaining 13 generations (1978). It does not take an overdose of either biblical knowledge or common sense to see that this quickly becomes ludicrous to the extreme for two reasons. First, who could believe (knowing anything about proper exegesis and hermeneutics) that the first seven of these generations could be so exact, and the last thirteen be so inexact? Second, what good would all of this time do anyone? All it would accomplish is the establishment of a 3.6-million-year-old Earth; evolutionists, theistic evolutionists, and progressive creationists need a 4.6-billion-year-old Earth. So, in effect, all of this inserting of “gaps” into the biblical text is much ado about nothing!
And therein lies the point. While it may be true on the one hand to say that a precise age of the Earth is unobtainable from the genealogies, at the same time let us hasten to point out that using the best information available to us from Scripture, the genealogies hardly can be extended (via “gaps”) to anything much beyond 6,000 to 7,000 years. For someone to leave the impression (even if inadvertently) that the genealogies do not contain legitimate chronological information, or that the genealogies are full of “gaps” that render them impotent, is to misrepresent the case and distort the facts.

REFERENCES

Custance, Arthur (1967), The Genealogies of the Bible, (Ottawa, Canada: Doorway papers #24).
Green, William H. (1890), “Primeval Chronology,” Bibliotheca Sacra, 47:294-295, April. Reprinted in Classical Evangelical Essays in Old Testament Interpretation (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1972).
Jackson, Wayne (1978), “The Antiquity of Human History,” Words of Truth, 14[18]:1, April 14.
Jordan, James B. (1979) Creation Social Sciences & Humanities Quarterly, 2[2]:9-15.
Jordan, James B. (1980) Creation Social Sciences & Humanities Quarterly, 2[3]:17-26.
Kitchen, K.A. and J.D. Douglas, eds. (1982) The New Bible Dictionary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale), second edition.

Are Christians Guilty of “Brainwashing” Their Children? by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=7&article=694

Are Christians Guilty of “Brainwashing” Their Children?

by	Eric Lyons, M.Min.

The more worldly and ungodly American society becomes, the more devout Christians will be criticized and persecuted for their beliefs and actions. One popular criticism that has been levied against Christians in recent years involves the Christian home. Allegedly, Christian parents are guilty of brainwashing their kids. Before children are old enough to digest for themselves all of the evidence for God’s existence, the Bible’s inspiration, or Jesus’ deity, some Christians (though sadly not near enough) are ingraining these beliefs into their children. Faithful Christian parents regularly and systematically teach their children fundamental Christian teachings without apology. Is this not a form of brainwashing? Is it not “forcible indoctrination”? How do Christians respond to the “brainwash” accusation?
First, we freely and unashamedly admit that we instruct our children in the ways of God from the time that they are born until they leave home. We sing to them about God. We talk to them about Jesus. We read to them from the Holy Spirit’s inspired Word. Moses instructed the Israelites:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates (Deuteronomy 6:5-9).

Just as “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52), so the children of Jesus’ followers should be brought up “in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).
But is this really the right thing to do? Is it not arrogant to teach kids that atheists and agnostics are wrong and that theists are right? Should we not let kids decide on their own if they want to believe in God? Is it not cultish to say Jesus “is the way, the truth, and the life”—that no one will live eternally in heaven except through Him (John 14:6)? Shouldn’t children be allowed to think for themselves?
The fact is, all parents (even atheistic and agnostic parents) teach their children that certain things are true and certain things are false; that some things are right and other things are wrong. Think about it: Can parents teach their children that 2 + 2 = 4, or must they allow their children to learn this for themselves? Can a mother teach her children that they are not ever to crawl into a freezer and close the door, or must she allow her children to risk suffocation and “learn on their own”? Can a father forbid his son from touching his guns and knives, or should he just leave them on the floor for the child to discover on his own what he should or should not do with such things? Can parents teach their children that they are to be kind to one another, and if they bite and hit each other they will be punished? Can parents teach their children that lying is wrong? Or, must parents simply allow the children to lie whenever they want, and to make up their own minds if lying is wrong for them when they become 18? Most rational adults would never sanction such foolish “parenting.” All parents “brainwash” their children about certain things. [Furthermore, we also understand that children grow up and ultimately decide for themselves what they want to believe and how they want to act, regardless of past influences (cf. Joshua 24:15; Revelation 22:17).]
In truth, Christians teaching their children that God exists or that the Bible is God’s Word is as logical, truthful, and fundamental as teaching them that 2 + 2 = 4. If parents can teach their children laws of science, such as the Law of Causality, the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics, and the Law of Biogenesis, then they are implicitly teaching their children that God exists, because all of these laws point to a Creator. If parents can teach children that no mere man knows the future, and then read from the Bible dozens of examples of fulfilled prophecies, they have simply taught the fundamental fact that the Bible is a book of Supernatural origin. Indeed, God exists and the Bible is His Word.
God wants us to teach our children about Him and His Word because it is the right thing to do. If it is acceptable to teach our kids about reading, writing, and arithmetic, about the laws of science, and about how bad lying and murder are, it most certainly is rational to teach children about the evidence for God’s existence and the reliability of His Word. After all, we would not even have reading, writing, arithmetic, laws of science, truth, the value of human life, etc. without God. He is the foundation of every good and true thing. He “is true” (John 3:33). His “Spirit is truth” (1 John 5:6). His “word istruth” (Psalm 119:160; John 17:17). And the truth will set men free (John 8:32). Nothing is more important to teach children.
*If Apologetics Press may help you effectively “brainwash” (i.e., instruct) your children in the ways of God, please do not hesitate to call upon us.

Acts 17 – The Apostle Paul in Athens by Ben Fronczek

http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?p=235

Acts 17 – The Apostle Paul in Athens

Acts 17 – The Apostle Paul in Athens

Read Acts 17:13-21   “When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.” (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)”

So here we go with Paul again fleeing from one place to another because he is being persecuted for doing something good. And here we find him now in the capitol of the Greek world, Athens.

Athens had actually reached its prime 500 years before Paul visited it, in the time of Pericles (461-429 B.C.). However Athens was still the cultural and intellectual center of the Greek world. While there, Paul could not help but see the many temples and statues that still stand there today. Today these objects are of interest mainly for their archeological and artistic value, but in Paul’s day they were idols and places of worship that the Greeks regarded as holy.

It was said that there were more statues of the gods in Athens than in all the rest of Greece put together, and that in Athens it was easier to meet a statue of a god than a man. (30,000 statues)

The Apostle Paul arrived there in Athens after visiting and starting churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. Unfortunately he was persecuted and had to flee each town. And so that’s what brought him to Athens.

After being in Athens and observing all of these idols, he can’t help himself and had to speak up and talk about Jesus, first in the local synagogue and then in the marketplace which caught the attention of local Epicureans and Stoic philosophers.

The Epicureans were disciples of Epicurus (341-270 B.C.) who believed that pleasure was the greatest good and the most worthy pursuit of man. Pleasure in the sense of tranquility and freedom from pain, and fears, especially the fear of death. Epicurus taught that the gods took no interest in human affairs. Thus organized religion was viewed as irrelevant because  the gods would not punish evildoers in the afterlife. Epicurus’ followers also believed that everything happened by chance and that death was the end of all.

This philosophy is still popular today.  Many people still believe that pleasure is the ultimate goal to seek out. And many people today don’t think God is involved in our life in a personal way. Some don’t believe in an after life or hell, and that everything happen only by chance.

Stoics followed the teachings of Zeno the Cypriot (340-265 B.C.). The name “stoic” comes from “stoa,” a particular portico where he taught when he lived in Athens. His followers placed great importance on living in harmony with nature. (Sound familiar: Have you hugged your tree today?) They stressed individual self-sufficiency and rationalism, and they had a reputation for being quite arrogant. Stoics believed that God is in everything, and everything is God. They were also fatalistic or believed that all events are predetermined so that man is powerless to alter his destiny. Many of their teachings are also common today.

And so these philosophers are curious about what Paul was teaching and invite him to speak before a council of men called the Areopagus.

In his speech he has some amazing things to tell them, especially considering who they were and what they believed.

I want to share with you a couple of things that caught my attention and I feel is relevant for us today.

 #1. Read. 17:22-23  “Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.”

Being religious, and surrounding yourself with all kinds of religious icons and people who think alike doesn’t necessarily meant that you have a relationship with our God, nor does it ensure salvation. As a matter of fact, these people even though they were steeped in their religious relics, they did not even know the one true God. They had had obviously been to busy making up new ones and then side-tracked themselves with others philosophies and false truths that were popular during that time.

Read  24:24-27  ““The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.  And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. “

As Paul begins to inform them about our God who they do not know. He lets them know that He is the God that:

– He made all things and is Lord of heaven and on earth (Not Zeus)

– He  doesn’t live in man-made temples, nor is He served by human hands

– He is God! He gives al men life and breath and everything else. He doesn’t need anything from us.

– He determines the time to be set for man and even where we should live.

 WHY?   

#2   V. 27 says, He does all this so that “men will seek Him and  reach out for Him and perhaps find Him!”

I love this thought here. God and Lord of the universe, the most awesome and powerful being in the universe, who created us, who sustains us, who determines a time and place for us to be born;    even though He is invisible, has a strong desire for me and you to personally seek Him out, with the hope of finding Him.

Our God is not the kind of God who is throwing Himself on us or forcing Himself on us. He wants to be sought out and pursued. I can’t help but think that He wants to be pursued like a lover, like someone who is real important to you. That’s how intimate of a relationship our God and our Father want to have with us.

I don’t believe He is interested in being some kind of religious icon, to have His image set in stone to put on your shelf or plant in your lawn. He wants us to hunger and thirst for Him, to search for Him, and seek Him out. HE want us to be driven to get to know Him. When asked, what did Jesus say was the greatest of all commandments? To love God with all one’s heart, soul, mind, and being.   You don’t fall in love with anyone like that without  pursuing them.

God told the Israelites in Deut. 4:29 “if you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

The Psalmist wrote, “Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.” (105:4)

I believe it’s when you seek God out and pursue Him like this you move from being simply ‘religious’ to becoming a genuine disciple. We read that God wants sons and daughters who love and want to have a relationship with Him and not just treat Him like some kind of Greek god whose way up there who just threw things into motion, sits back and watches, and expect us to revere Him simply because HE is God.

Re-read 17:27-28  “God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’

#3  God is not way up there someplace, rather He is near, for in Him we exist, and move, and live.   God is as close to us as our breath and closer. We just  need to open our eyes of faith. David understood this, Read Psalm 139:1-18 (click on link to read) http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%20139:1-18&version=NIV1984

God is right here with you and me, and you can’t hide from Him. We just need to learn to open up our eyes of faith, our spiritual eyes and then learn to practice the very presence of God everyday.

God is closer than you may realize. As a Christian, He very Spirit is in us.

Let me read one last section to you for the next point. Read Acts 17:28-34 “‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”

When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” At that, Paul left the Council. A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.”

#4  In this text Paul told them that in the past God overlooked their ignorance but now He commands all people to repent (that is to get on the right track, to return to Him, to turn from ignorance to truth). And that truth is found in Jesus;  not in the Greek Gods, not in Philosophies of that time, nor of this time, nor is it found in any other man made religion like, Buddhism, Hinduism, Mormonism, Islam or any other religion. God wants us to turn to Him and Him alone, and seek Him out. We are His offspring. He is our heavenly Father.  And Paul lets them, and us know that He has set a day when He will judge the world.

What does that mean?

Listen to what Paul wrote to the Thessalonians in his second letter.  He wrote this: “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power” (2 Thess. 1:7b-10)

Over and over we are told in Scripture that there is a great day coming when all mankind will be judged. Those who believe in, and have accepted God and His son Jesus who died for our sin will be saved and will enter His abode. But those who do not know God, and those who have not accepted Him and His Son Jesus, and those who have not accepted and obeyed the Gospel will for all eternity be sent away from His presence. And what a hell that will be!

Paul goes on to tell them, You want proof that this is all true? Well God proved it by raising the man who will judge you from the dead. And of course we know who He is. His Son, and our Lord, Jesus.

At this some of the Athenians laughed, some sneered and walked a way, but just like today a few stayed around and wanted to hear more of what Paul had to say. And some of them became believers.  Jesus Himself prophesied that many would be called, many would here the Good New, but only a few would accept the offer, this gift… how sad.

Sometimes, some folks just don’t want to believe or accept the truth when they here it. But that day Paul taught a powerful message.

#1) Being religious and surrounding yourself by all kinds of religious relics and people doesn’t necessarily mean a whole lot to God

#2) He is more interested in us seeking Him out, and even finding Him.  He wants us to have a personal relationship with Him.

#3) He is a lot closer to us than most of realize. We need to practice the presence of God.

 #4) God will not put up with the excuse of ignorance any more. There is a great day coming when we will be judged.

The question is are you ready?

Absolute Truth by Alfred Shannon Jr.

https://biblicalproof.wordpress.com/2011/02/page/4/

Absolute Truth

>
There is an Absolute Truth, and it is called the Word of God. It is the same gospel Jesus preached, the apostles taught, and the bible authorizes. It’s simple, easy to obey, and available for all who will accept it. The gospel of Christ: obey it, be faithful to it, and be saved.
It really is that simple.   Jn 17:17; 1 Cor 15:1-4; Rom 10:17; Rom 10:10;
Acts 2:38; Rev 2:10

God's gift of eternal life is in His Son by Roy Davison

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Davison/Roy/Allen/1940/lifeintheson.html

God's gift of eternal life is in His Son

“This is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son” (1 John 5:11). Life is promised “in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:1).

Man is mortal. Each day brings us one day closer to the day of our death.

Death is in the world as a consequence of sin: “Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).

All who sin, deserve to die: “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

Do you want to live for ever with the Lord? Although we deserve to die, we can receive eternal life as a gift of grace from God: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son” (1 John 5:11). “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23), “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23, 24).

This eternal life is 'in Christ' because it is 'in Christ' that we are redeemed, that we are justified by the grace of God. There is no salvation outside of Christ!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them. ... For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:17-19, 21).

“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree'), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:13, 14). To the Gentiles Paul wrote: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13); “that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel” (Ephesians 3:6).

Every spiritual blessing is in Christ: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love” (Ephesians 1:3, 4). God “has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (2 Timothy 1:9).

God's plan of salvation was ready before the creation of the world. In anticipation, God's grace was given to us in Christ Jesus: the redeemed would be sanctified in Christ. Paul calls us “the saints in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:1; 4:21). The 'saints' are those who are sanctified in Christ. Salvation is “in Christ” (2 Timothy 2:10). There is no salvation outside of Christ!

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance” (Ephesians 1:11).

“The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Thus, if we want to inherit eternal life, we must be in Christ. How do we get into Christ?

According to Galatians 3:13, 14, the Gentiles can receive the blessing of Abraham in Christ. Later in the chapter, Paul tells us how we get into Christ. “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:26, 27).

On the basis of our faith that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died for our sins and rose the third day, we are baptized into Christ.

One can only be baptized into Christ if one was not yet in Christ before baptism. Since one has eternal life only in Christ (Romans 6:23), one does not yet have eternal life before baptism.

Jesus said we must be born of water and the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God (John 3:5). He also said: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16).

“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13). “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27).

What happens at baptism? Paul explains: “³ Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? ⁴ Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. ⁵ For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, ⁶ knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. ⁷ For he who has died has been freed from sin. ⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, ⁹ knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. ¹⁰ For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. ¹¹ Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:3- 11).

We are therefore baptized into Christ because we take part in His death through baptism (which is a burial)! “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death” (Romans 6:3).

Through baptism we also take part in His resurrection! “We were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Our old man of sin is crucified with Him (Romans 6:6) and we are “alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:11).

“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27).

That we are baptized into Christ also explains why Peter gives the command: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38) and why Paul was commanded: “Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16) and why Peter says that baptism saves (1 Peter 3:21). Our sins are washed away, we are forgiven, we are saved at baptism because we are baptized into Christ our Savior!

This means that people who think salvation is possible by faith alone without baptism, and view baptism as only a symbol, have not yet experienced valid baptism. By their own testimony, they were not baptized into Christ, they were not baptized into His death. They are therefore still outside of Christ and still do not have eternal life.

“God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son” (1 John 5:11). “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

How do we get into Christ? “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” (Romans 6:3).

God's gift of eternal life is in His Son.

If you have not been baptized into Christ, do not wait a day longer! If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, if you are sorry for your sins and are willing to confess your faith, then on the basis of that faith, repentance and confession, you can be baptized into Christ and in Him you will have eternal life.
Roy Davison

The Scripture quotations in this article are from
The New King James Version. ©1979,1980,1982,
Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers unless indicated otherwise.
Permission for reference use has been granted.

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

In the light by Gary Rose

Sometimes I like to read my Bible outside, so I often sit in that comfortable wicker chair in the lanai. My shadow (AKA, my dog Pal) sits outside with me and his favorite place is where ever the is a beam of light- just like in that cute picture.

I like don't know why he does this, but my guess is that he likes the warmth; but who knows, perhaps he just likes the light. And this reminded me of a passage from the New Testament...

1 John, Chapter 1 (World English Bible)

  ⁵This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
  ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and don’t tell the truth.
  ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. (emphasis added vs. 7)
  ⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
  ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
  ¹⁰ If we say that we haven’t sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

God is light, sin is darkness. Jesus said...

John, Chapter 8 (WEB)
 ¹² Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.” 

And one more passage...

John, Chapter 14 (WEB)
 ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.

Now, I have no idea where the beam of light will be when I go to the lanai, but where ever it is Pal will be there. In like manner, where ever Jesus is, that is where I want to be!!! How about you?