Contribution - Giving First to the Lord by Larry R. Coffey

http://insearchoftruth.org/articles/giving_first_to_the_Lord.html

Contribution - Giving First to the Lord

Introduction

My experience has been that the subject of giving is not discussed as much today as in the past. That may not be the case in all churches, but it seems preachers are more reluctant to preach on this subject. It may be because they do not want people to feel they are seeking more funds personally, or it may be because they know people are uncomfortable hearing this subject discussed. Surveys do show that the percent people gave of their income did decline in the last half of the 20th century. There are a number of issues involved in this subject that will be addressed in this article.

Ancient Giving

V. P. Black wrote a booklet entitled “My God and My Money” in 1964 in which he shows the ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans gave 10% of their income. It appears their reasons for doing so was to avert or appease the divine anger, or to secure the divine favor. The question is why did they choose 10% rather than some other percent? It probably goes all the way back to the family of Adam. We read in Genesis 4:3-4:

“And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering.” (Genesis 4:3-4)

While we don’t have a percent mentioned in Cain and Abel’s case, we do have 10% mentioned as early as Genesis 14:20 where Abraham gave to Melchizedek a tenth of the spoils he received when he rescued Lot from the five kings who had taken him captive. See also Hebrews 7:4:

Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils.” (Hebrews 7:4)

Then we read concerning Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, that he made a vow to give a tenth back to God of all he received, Genesis 28:20-22:

“Then Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You’.” (Genesis 28:20-22)

Giving in the Jewish Age

We often hear the Jews were to tithe and thus we conclude they were to give 10% of their income. A closer look at the Law of Moses indicates the faithful Jew gave well more than 10%. They were to give to the poor and needy.

“When you reap the harvest of your land you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger; I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19:9-10)

“When you reap your harvest in your field, and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.” (Deuteronomy 24:19-20)

We read of other annual giving requirements placed upon the children of Israel.

“You shall not delay to offer the first of your ripe produce and your juices. The first-born of your sons you shall give to Me.” (Exodus 22:29)

“that you set apart to the Lord all that open the womb, that is, every firstling that comes from an animal which you have; the males shall be the Lord’s.” (Exodus 13:12)

From these verses we learn they were to give:

1. First of the fruits
2. First of the cattle
3. First born of their children — redeemed by money payment (Numbers 3:46-48)

Then there were freewill offerings where the amount was not specified such as the Feast of Weeks in Deuteronomy 16:10-11:

“Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the Lord your God blesses you. You shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your manservant and your maidservant, the Levite who is within your gates, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are among you, at the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide.” (Deuteronomy 16:10-11)

Israel had three tithes, two annual and one every third year. The first tithe was for the priests and is recorded in Leviticus 27:30-33:

“And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord. If a man wants at all to redeem any of his tithes, he shall add one-fifth to it. And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord. He shall not inquire whether it is good or bad, nor shall he exchange it; and if he exchanges it at all, then both it and the one exchanged for it shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.” (Leviticus 27:30-33)

The second annual tithe recorded in Deuteronomy 14:22-27 consisted of the yearly increase of the Lord. It was to be eaten by the offerer, his household and the Levite with the firstlings of the herd and the flock in the place the Lord would choose. This tithe might be converted into money at home to be expended at the place for sacrifice and feasting. It involved a stay of at least a week each at the Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles, as well as a shorter period at the Feast of Weeks.

The third tithe required every three years is recorded in Deuteronomy 14:28-29. One tenth of every third year’s increase was to be laid up at home and was to be shared by the local Levite, the stranger, the fatherless and the widow.

V. P. Black estimates that a devout Jew gave at least one third of his total earnings to God. This is far greater than the 10% we always hear.

Giving in the Christian Age

Since we are no longer living under the Law of Moses, today I hear people say we don’t have to give 10% anymore which is code for we can give less than 10% and still be pleasing to God. We will briefly look at what the New Testament teaches concerning giving.

In the beginning of the New Testament, we hear this from Jesus in His sermon on the mount:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

A summary of Jesus’ teachings on the subject of material possessions is quite revealing. About one half of His parables dealt with money such as the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:13-21. One out of every six verses in the gospels concerns man and his possessions. There is 16 times more about stewardship than about baptism, and 32 times as much about stewardship as about the Lord’s Supper.

Paul wrote much about possessions in his epistles. He wrote to Timothy about the love of money and how he should instruct the rich:

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (I Timothy 6:10)

“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” (I Timothy 6:17-19)

One of the greatest hindrances to being liberal in our giving is covetousness. God thought it was such a problem He included it as one of the “thou shalt nots” in the 10 commandments. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines covetous as “marked by inordinate desire for wealth or possessions or for another’s possessions”. Covetousness is mentioned numerous times in both the Old and New Testaments: Exodus 18:21; Psalm 119:36; Isaiah 57:17; Mark 7:22; Luke 12:15; Romans 1:29; Ephesians 5:3; Colossians 3:5; Hebrews 13:5; II Peter 2:3.

How should the Christian give?

I have heard it said the only person who can get into one’s pocketbook is the Lord. Thus, before one will give as the Lord expects he must first give himself to the Lord. When Paul was encouraging the Corinthians to give for the poor saints, he used the churches of Macedonia as examples and said about them in II Corinthians 8:5:

“And this they did, not as we had hoped, but first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.” (II Corinthians 8:5)

We read in II Corinthians that our giving should be willingly, purposely, cheerfully and liberally. Note the following scriptures:

For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.” (II Corinthians 8:12)

“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” (II Corinthians 9:6-7)

“while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men.” (II Corinthians 9:13)

When should a Christian give?

The church should be a Christian’s first consideration when giving. The only statement we have in the New Testament as to when they were told to give into the church treasury is recorded in I Corinthians 16:2:

On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.” (I Corinthians 16:2)

Of course, Christians are taught to give on other occasions. We are taught to give to and take care of our family members:

“But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (I Timothy 5:8)

If any believing man or woman has widows, let them relieve them, and do not let the church be burdened, that it may relieve those who are really widows. (I Timothy 5:16)

Christians are to also help fellow Christians in need as well as other people whenever the need arises.

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:10)

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep one-self unspotted from the world. (James 1:27)

“Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. (Ephesians 4:28)

How much should a Christian give?

Now to the final question which is the big one. ... My concern is that most people want to know the absolute minimum one can give and still please the Lord. The New Testament does not give a percent. It says to give as one prospers.

“On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.” (I Corinthians 16:2)

“If there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.” (II Corinthians 8:12)

So, the Lord has left it up to us based on our evaluation of how well we have prospered and the kind of heart we have.

Conclusion

When we consider that the ancients gave 10%, the devout Jews gave up to as much as one third, and we have the greatest blessings of those in any age, it would be hard to conclude that we could give less than 10% and be pleasing to the Lord. How much we may give that exceeds 10% would depend on our situation and the needs that exist in our realm of knowledge. Those who love the Lord “with all their heart, soul and mind” (Matthew 22:37), will be generous in their giving.

Remember what Jesus said:

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)

-- Larry R. Coffey

James (Part 6) Religion That God Likes by Ben Fronczek

http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?p=1079

James (Part 6) Religion That God Likes

James (Part 6) Religion That God Likes

As Jesus, James, Jude, Joseph, Simon and their sister grew up together in the same household as their parents Mary and Joseph, I cannot help but wonder what kind of things they talked about behind closed doors. What kind of things did they talk about and what instructions did they receive from Mary and Joseph in the privacy of their own home, especially regarding religious matters.

We know that Mary and Joseph must have had good hearts for Father God to choose them to raise His one and only son Jesus. We are told that before Mary conceived an angel visited Mary and told her that the Lord was pleased with her and she was highly favored. (Luke 1:28)  I don’t believe that God would place His one and only son in a household of immoral, unrighteous perverts.    Did they sin? With the exception of Jesus they all did just like we all do, but they probably did their best not to live in an evil or worldly manner.

So behind closed door what did Mary and Joseph try to teach their kids? What kind of things did they warn their children to wary of? Well, probably much the same things we warn our children about today; to be wary of those who lie, cheat, steal, those who abuse themselves and others, those who live ungodly lives, especially those who take on the appearance of being good but then do evil, even if they call them self a religious leader.

We know that during this time as these kids were growing up there was a lot of religious people who were hypocrites. I am sure it did not escape the notice of these kids, especially as they entered their teen age years. Teens can be very perceptive. I can just imagine these kids coming home and sharing behind closed doors things they saw that just weren’t right. “Mom, dad, today when I was down town I saw the teachers and priests out in front of the synagogue chanting and praying. Then they talked about how much they give each week like show offs. Then a poor old lady hobbled over to one of them and asked if they could give her something to eat, maybe just a small piece of bread because she hadn’t eaten in two days. But those men were really mean and yelled at her, and pushed her and told her to get away. I went over and helped her up and gave her the piece of bread you gave me for lunch because I felt sorry for her. Mom, dad why were they so mean, she was just hungry?”

If Jesus got mad about anything, we see in scripture it was when people, especially ‘so called religious people’, acted like phony hypocrites.

In Matthew 23, we read how Jesus blasted those Pharisees and teachers of the Law for acting like this. In 17 verses, Jesus called these men hypocrites over and over at least six times. In the context He also calls them; “blind guides, sons of hell, blind men, blind fools, snakes, a brood of vipers, filled with greed and self indulgence, white washed tombs that look nice on the outside but  on the inside they are rotten.”  And these were the ‘so called’ religious men they grew up with.

I think such behavior was a topic of conversation in their home and well as many other homes when doors were closed. I also believe that Mary and Joseph must have warned their kids about such evil behavior. They probably instructed their kids to obey the teachers and do what they say but  they should not do the bad things that they do..

Their others son Jude, also wrote about being careful in dealing with the same thing in his letter, how even selfish hypocrites can and will enter and try to lead the Lord’s church. Concerning them he writes, “12 These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.  (Then in Vs 16 he writes) 16 These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.”

And likewise James addresses the same issue about this kind of evil behavior as he concludes chapter one by writing, “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.        26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” 1:21-27

I can’t help but believe that these men were first taught these lessons at home, as boys, behind closed doors, along with their other siblings. Of course its meaning became fuller and clearer as they grew older and accepted God’s own guidance for their life.

As I mentioned before in each of the previous lessons on James, he gives us  good and practical instruction for holy living.  Let’s look at what he says here:

#1. The 1st thing that James tells us in this text is that we need to get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent . 

It was prevalent then, and it’s prevalent today. But just because it’s prevalent that doesn’t mean we have to take part in it. It comes down to the choices we each make for our life. James was writing to Christians here. He tell us that if we have polluted our life with things that God sees as morally unacceptable, he said that you need to get rid of them. I’m not going to give you a list of those things here in this lesson, but all you have to do is read thru the New Testament, especially the epistles, because many of those things which we should avoid doing are repeated over and over by those early writers.

#2.  The second thing he mentions here in this verse is that we need to humbly accept the word planted in us which can save us.

As I mentioned with the first point, it all comes down to what you decide to do, what you choose. Some of us only do what we want to do. Some of us are not yet humble enough to fully accept God’s will for our life even though we know what it is. God’s word which we have read and which is now planted in us tells us not speak in a evil or profane manner, it tells us not to gossip or judge others, we are told not to worry or fret but to trust in the Lord. It instructs us in many other things as well. But do we trust Him enough to heed His word? James tells us that we need to if you want to be saved. It’s that important!

#3. Likewise in Vs 23 he instructs,  ‘Don’t just listen to God’s word, Do what it says.’

James stops here and carefully illustrates what he means. Did you ever look in a mirror, and then a moment later forget what you look like? He said that’s what it’s like when you accept God wonderful gift of grace;isHis His forgiveness, the knowledge and reality we can be free from a vile life, knowing that you are His son or daughter and co-heir with Christ;  but then a moment later as if you forget, you turn away and act like the evil, ungodly, self centered people of this world… even though you claim to be a Christian.

Maybe you’ve seen or heard of people like that. I hope that you are not one of them. They go to church, they look good, The have  a big thick Bible, they talk the talk, they may even serve in different ways, but then after they leave the church building it’s like they forget who they are in the Lord. People on the outside see them act and speak like everyone else in the world.

I have known preachers and elders who have preached and served, but then I heard of ungodly scandals which they were involved in. They end up saying the wrong things, or doing ungodly things and they looked like one big phony hypocrite to those under their care and those outside the church.  James said, ‘Don’t just listen to God’s word, Do what it says.’                                                     

#4. Then James wrote, 26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.”

Just like those Pharisees and teachers of the Law of old, just because a person is Christian, and is a regular church goer, that does not give us the right to talk down to others.

#5.  James goes on to say, religion that God our Father wants is not a show, it’s not about portraying an image, or developing a routine. Rather I believe it involves how we use what we know about God. It’s seen in our attitudes and is demonstrated in how we act towards God and one another after we leave the church building.  James wrote 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress….”

The knowledge and blessings He sends our way should overflow on to others. His love, mercy and grace should reflect in our own life.

I think that somehow Satan has effective tricked and robs many of us of the peace and joy we should be experiencing as a Christian. Over the years I have seen too many Christians going around feeling guilty and disturbed about things that they thought they should feel guilty about.

What does James say here? Does he tell us that Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is… your need to bring a lot of people into this church and do your very best to make it grow? Does he say that you need to go out and pound on every do in the community and ask people to come to church. Does he say that we have to dress in holy garb, chant certain prayers, or make special sacrifices?

No. He specifically said that the kind of Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.  I believe that James is telling us that God not only wants us to accept and do His will, here He also lets us know that the most acceptable practice and expression of  true religion is seen by demonstrating love, mercy, and helping others  when and wherever we can.

In much the same manner when we read of the judgment scene Jesus talked about in heaven, when all people will be gathered and separated before Jesus with some to the right, and some to the left to be judged. Do you remember why those on His right we allowed into heaven? Was it based on how many people they got to come to church? How perfect they lived their life? How many times they made it to church on time?  No, none of those things are mentioned.  Rather how much they loved and serve others in need.  In Matt 25 it says,

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’    37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’                                                                                                 

… Maybe we are focused on and feeling guilty about the wrong thing? We wonder why people are leaving our churches, and why our numbers arn’t growing; is it possible some in our midst feel lonely, unconnected or even neglected? We all have busy lives and schedules, but I thinks is vital if not crucial to love our brethren, get to know them and evey once and a while spend some time with them. Otherwise they may decide to go elsewhere to fill that void.  I believe God will take care of our numbers when we learn to learn to start showing His love and mercy to those both inside the church as well as those outside.

#6.   And last of all James conclude by saying, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: keeping oneself from being polluted by the world.” 

There is more than one way to poison one’s life. You can poison the body with chemicals and toxins such as mercury, and lead, and snake venom, toxic waste, and probably thousands of other unnatural or even natural compounds, but James tells us here that we need to keep our self from being polluted by the world. I believe he is making reference to those things that can sicken our mind, spirit, and soul.

In the same way you would not feed a little child mercury or lead, we also try to keep our children from being exposed to harmful, TV, movies, games, profanity and anything else perverse. Why? Because like poison those things can harm that child in so many ways psychologically.   Why are we any different? We shouldn’t expose our self to any kind of immoral, unholy garbage either. It can poison our thinking, and our spirit.

These are wise words for a Christian to life by. My encouragement to is put them into practice and what happens.

For more lessons click on the following link: 
http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?page_id=566

Blessed Are the Faithful by Alfred Shannon Jr.

https://biblicalproof.wordpress.com/2011/05/page/7/

Blessed Are the Faithful

Only a few will talk about the doctrine of Christ: Some for money, some for glory, and a few to save a soul. Some will write for it, fight for it, and even die for it. God is also looking for those who are willing to abide by it. Blessed are the faithful which endure till the end.

2 Cor 2:17; Prov 11:30; Mt 4:19; Philip 1:15-18; Jude 3; Jam 3:1; Philip 1:21; Rom 2:21,22; Rev 22:14; Rev 14:13; Rev 3:11; 1 Jn 2:17

SECOND PETER by Paul Southern

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Southern/Paul/1901/peter2.html

SECOND PETER

1. THE TITLE
This book bears the name of the writer (1:1), and is the second of two general epistles by Peter (3:1).

2. THE WRITER
For information concerning Peter, the student is referred to the outline of I Peter, and to Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias.

3. THE ONES ADDRESSED
The letter is addressed to "them that have obtained a like precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God and the Savior Jesus Christ" (1:1). However, the immediate recipients of this epistle were the same people who received Peter's first letter, "sojourners of the dispersion," or Jewish Christians scattered abroad in the five provinces named in I Peter 1:1.

4. TIME AND PLACE OF WRITING
We have no definite information concerning the time and place of writing. Conservative estimates set the date around A.D. 67 or 68. Some scholars conclude from II Peter 1:13-16 that Peter's death was imminent. Although the epistle makes no direct reference to its point of origin, many commentators hold that Peter wrote it from Rome just before he died.

5. OCCASION FOR THE LETTER
The libertines and mockers, two classes of false teachers within the church, were causing considerable difficulty. This letter warns the church against them, and exhorts Christians to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" (II Peter 3:18). The plea for steadfastness is prominent, in view of numerous heretics threatening the spiritual life of the saints.

6. A COMPARISON WITH I PETER
A comparison of the Petrine Epistles reveals some interesting points. In I Peter the persecutions were from without, whereas II Peter reveals internal troubles. The first epistle often refers to the suffering, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ. Second Peter fails to mention these. The spirit of the first letter is that of sweetness and mildness. The underlying tone in II Peter shows severity, anxiety, denunciation. In I Peter the second coming of Jesus is connected with the reward of the faithful saints, whereas in II Peter it is linked with the doom of sinners. The key-note of I Peter is hope; of II Peter, knowledge.


7. EXERCISES FOR STUDENT ACTIVITY


1. True-False
1. Man must have a special revelation to know God's will T F
2. Peter wrote three general epistles T F
3. Second Peter was written from Ephesus T F
4. The key-note of II Peter is knowledge T F
5. The spirit of II Peter manifests sweetness and mildness T F
6. II Peter links Christ's return with the happiness of Christians T F
7. II Peter tells of internal church trouble T F
8. II Peter mentions the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ T F
9. II Peter names seven Christian graces T F
10. A child of God can fall from grace T F
11. II Peter shows the author anticipated an imminent death T F
12. Jesus predicted Peter's martyrdom T F
13. Peter witnessed the transfiguration of Christ T F
14. The apostle Peter is our day-star T F
15. All false teachers are cowards T F
16. All false teachers will be punished T F
17. A dumb ass had more sense than Balaam T F
18. Mockers walk in the footsteps of Christ T F
19. Jehovah counts time by years T F
20. The Lord will announce the day of His coming T F


2. Topics for further study
1. Study the points of similarity and the points of difference in First and Second Peter.
2. Characterize false teachers as they are presented in II Peter.
3. What is meant by the expression, "cast them down to hell (tartarus)"? (2:4).
4. What interpretation do Roman Catholics place on II Peter 1:20?
5. Characterize the libertines and mockers discussed in II Peter.
6. Give Peter's description of the dissolution of the physical universe.
7. Since we treasure the dying counsels of great men, it is interesting to note the final precepts of Peter. Holiness appears to him of first importance, steadfastness is the greatest blessing, and the divinity of Christ is his last thought.

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

A sign of the times by Gary Rose

Imagine you are just driving along and you see this young boy holding up this sign. What do you do? Well, you might think: Now, there is a very young “religious nut” or Who does he think HE is? Or maybe, Look honey, there is a sign for all those sinners out there! I suppose a very select few will quietly say to themselves- maybe I should?

Yesterday, I watched Dr. Ford testify and later that evening Brett Kavanaugh. Then I heard Lindsay Graham castigate the senate committee in one of the most powerful condemnations for misconduct I have ever heard. It reminded me of signs that I have seen along the road over the years and a simple statement from the book of Amos...

Amos 4 (World English Bible)

  ¹ Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their husbands, “Bring us drinks!” 
  ² The Lord Yahweh has sworn by his holiness that behold,
“The days shall come on you that they will take you away with hooks,
and the last of you with fish hooks.
  ³ You will go out at the breaks in the wall,
everyone straight before her;
and you will cast yourselves into Harmon,” says Yahweh.
  ⁴ “Go to Bethel, and sin;
to Gilgal, and sin more.
Bring your sacrifices every morning,
your tithes every three days,
  ⁵ offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened,
and proclaim free will offerings and brag about them:
for this pleases you, you children of Israel,” says the Lord Yahweh.
  ⁶ “I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities,
and lack of bread in every town;
yet you haven’t returned to me,” says Yahweh.
  ⁷ “I also have withheld the rain from you,
when there were yet three months to the harvest;
and I caused it to rain on one city,
and caused it not to rain on another city.
One place was rained on,
and the piece where it didn’t rain withered.
  ⁸ So two or three cities staggered to one city to drink water,
and were not satisfied:
yet you haven’t returned to me,” says Yahweh.
  ⁹ “I struck you with blight and mildew many times in your gardens and your vineyards;
and your fig trees and your olive trees have the swarming locust devoured:
yet you haven’t returned to me,” says Yahweh.
  ¹⁰ “I sent plagues among you like I did Egypt.
I have slain your young men with the sword,
and have carried away your horses;
and I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camp,
yet you haven’t returned to me,” says Yahweh.
  ¹¹ “I have overthrown some of you,
as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
and you were like a burning stick plucked out of the fire;
yet you haven’t returned to me,” says Yahweh.
  ¹² “Therefore thus will I do to you, Israel;
because I will do this to you,
prepare to meet your God, Israel.
  ¹³ For, behold, he who forms the mountains,
and creates the wind,
and declares to man what is his thought;
who makes the morning darkness,
and treads on the high places of the earth:
Yahweh, the God of Armies, is his name.”

Amos was a nobody, a sheepherder from Tekoa, but he had a message from God. Israel had sinned and before their actual judgment day, God wanted to let them know WHY they were about to be punished! Take note of the “therefore” of verse 12!

Before yesterday, I never thought much of Lindsay Graham, but his tirade against injustice has made me think a lot more of him!!!

Election day is fast approaching and with it consequences. Frankly, after this hearing, I am thinking of the November election as a battle of Good versus Evil.

May God cleanse this country of evil and all who are corrupt in government!!!

Anybody have a spare sign?