“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

— Matthew 28:19–20

Are you aware that we’re at war? But ours is a war of beliefs, not bullets. The spiritual conflict between Christ and the Devil is intensifying at home and abroad. We don’t necessarily fight against other nations so much as we battle against ourselves. America is engaged in a spiritual civil war. With all the evangelical radio and television ministries, you’d think that more Christians would join in the fight, but many Christians haven’t committed to do their parts to change our land. Others have heard that Christians shouldn’t concern themselves with political and social issues, so they don’t even register to vote. We read in Genesis 1:26 that God gave humans dominion over everything in the world. This has become known as the Cultural Mandate. To properly fulfill that mandate, we must participate in our local and national elections. (Let me say that I believe it’s a sin not to vote.) Have you registered to vote and exercised that avenue to make a difference for Christ?

We also need to stand up and speak about the truth God has given us. Jesus has called us to be salt and light in the world. We can’t fulfill that call if we stay within the walls of our churches. We need to touch the world around us. Jesus said that the well do not need a doctor; the sick do. He came to seek and save the lost and has called us to do the same. We can do this by praying for our nation. (Two men I know meet at 6:30 every morning to pray for the revival of our nation.) We also need to witness. We should hold as our first concern Christ’s last command—the Great Commission. We can change the direction of this country if we change ourselves and put forth the energy and dedication required to obey Christ’s commands. We all have a post in the great battle.

“Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war!
With the cross of Jesus going on before.”
Sabine Baring-Gould

“Who then is a faithful and wise servant …?”

— Matthew 24:45

How do we serve God? We serve God by serving each other. Jesus said that what we do for our fellow humans, we do for Him. He encourages us to visit the sick, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and house the homeless. He asks us to be hospitable and generous and to proclaim the Gospel.

Have you faithfully served the Lord by serving those around you? To learn more about serving God, consider one of God’s servants—Billy Graham. God used Billy Graham so mightily in our time. Why? Because Graham was the most brilliant theologian of our day? Probably not. Because he was the best speaker in America? Probably not. What was it about him, then? God used Billy Graham because Billy Graham was the kind of person God can trust to do His work.

Can God trust us? If He entrusts us with a task, will we do it? When God puts people in our way who need Him, do we minister to them faithfully?

In all areas of our lives, God wants us to be faithful. He wants us to faithfully serve our spouses, our children, and our parents. God wants us to be faithful to our Church and to the ministry He has given us to do. The Lord may ask us to accomplish a task of private or public nature, to one person or to many. But whatever we do for Him, let us do it steadfastly. Jesus said of the faithful servant in the parable of the two servants: “Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find [him working faithfully]” (Matthew 24:46). Ask God to show you how you can serve Him faithfully today.

“The task Thy wisdom hath assigned, O let me
cheerfully fulfill; In all my works Thy presence
find, And prove Thy good and perfect will.”
Charles Wesley

“He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”

— John 1:10-12

You’ve probably never had an encounter with a UFO (unidentified flying object), but thousands of people claim to have had such strange experiences. The reports of UFOs have been divided into three types: close encounters of the first kind—the sighting of UFOs, close encounters of the second kind—physical evidence for the presence of UFOs, and close encounters of the third kind—being kidnapped for short periods of time by beings who operate UFOs. You may doubt people who have claimed to have experienced such encounters, but there is another encounter about which you could have no question.

I’m talking about a close encounter of the fourth kind. It, like the others, began with a brilliant light in the sky that people followed until it finally stood still. The light drew attention to a Visitor from outer space who came to a small village on the other side of the planet two thousand years ago. This Being had a wisdom far beyond anything that we know. He had a power greater than any creature. But He was no alien. He came unto His own, and thousands of His own saw Him.

In fact, many of them claimed that He rose from the dead. Over five hundred people saw Him alive after His public crucifixion. The people who claimed to have this final earthly encounter did something which gives a credibility to their testimony not found in the testimony of modern close encounters. God, in His wisdom, saw to it that a persecution arose, and the people who encountered this Being suffered hardships, torture, and death specifically for claiming they had seen Him after His resurrection.

The mysterious thing about the close encounter of the fourth kind is that although it was an historical event, we can still experience it. Have you met with Jesus Christ today? Daily communion with the Lord of the universe is our close encounter of the fourth kind, the most precious part of our life.

“[Ours is] the visited planet.”
J. B. Phillips

“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

— Acts 2:42

“It is not good that man should be alone.” God knows this; He said it. God also knows that few things surpass being in a group of people with whom one really belongs. He knows we need that kind of relationship, and so He created it. On Pentecost Sunday two thousand years ago, He created a new kind of fellowship that had never existed in the world before. Scripture calls it “Koinonia,” the “family of God” or the “forever family.” The family of God includes all those who have invited Christ to make them new creatures and have experienced the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. Everyone in the family bears the same name, Christian, and has the same Father in Heaven. This makes us all brothers and sisters in Christ. What a comforting reality to belong to such a group.

As members of God’s family, the Holy Spirit has bonded us together in many ways. Let’s think of some. We are equal heirs, and our inheritance is infinite and inexhaustible. We are believers; our hearts and minds share the same spiritual perception of the world. We are disciples; we all sit at the feet of one Master and learn our worldview from Him. We are witnesses; we share the special joy of leading people to Christ. We are soldiers; we share trials and triumphs and strengthen each other in faith. We are also a fellowship of slaves. Have you ever thought of that? During Roman times, a bond slave’s life and death were in his or her master’s hands. Paul delighted to call himself a bond slave of Christ, and we should view ourselves in the same light.

Do you realize how blessed you are to belong to such a wonderful family? Do you want God’s family to grow closer, stronger, and more loving? Today ask God to show you how to play your part in the family.

“Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love.
The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.”
John Fawcett

“And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.”

— Genesis 22:10

Call to mind the biggest trial you’ve ever faced (you might face it even today). Remember the struggle, the pain, the despair? Does it help to know that through your trials God tests and perfects your faith?

Consider Abraham trudging his way toward Mount Moriah to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God. From Abraham’s trial and faithful response we gain great blessing, a treasure-trove of lessons, to give us insight into what God teaches us through trials.

The first lesson we learn from Abraham’s story is that God needs to test our faith to strengthen and purify it, just as gold must endure fire to gain strength and purity. God tested Abraham’s faith to determine upon whom Abraham relied, and Abraham passed the test by offering his son as a sacrifice. In turn, God provided another offering, a ram, saving Isaac’s life. As Abraham endured this trial, he gained even greater trust in God. Through our trials, we learn to trust less in ourselves and more in our heavenly Father.

Second, Abraham’s story teaches us that we’ll face trials throughout our entire lives. Even as a very old man, Abraham was called to leave his homeland and go to a place he did not know. When Abraham was ninety years old, God challenged him to believe he’d have a son. Until the end of Abraham’s life, God tried and perfected Abraham’s faith.

Third, we learn from Abraham’s story that God prepares us for difficult trials. Only after Abraham passed the tests of so many other trials did God allow the most difficult one to occur. God teaches us to climb the lower peaks before calling us to scale the loftiest summits. He teaches us to wade in the shallows before He calls us to plunge into the depths of the oceans. At each level of our faith, God has lessons for us to learn, and by His grace He enables us to pass successfully through each trial.

Take some encouragement from these lessons today. If you’re presently enduring a trial, know that God has not forgotten you. In fact, through it He wants to draw you closer to Him. Trust your heavenly Father to bring you through victoriously and with a greater faith in Him.

“The brook would lose its song if we removed the rocks.”
Anonymous

“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ … for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.”

— Galatians 2:16

Most people don’t get it. The darkness of spiritual ignorance has pervaded people’s minds, leaving vast numbers abjectly ignorant of this central doctrine of Christianity.

What am I talking about? The doctrine of justification by faith—the fact that we can have eternal life because Christ’s death has cleansed us of all sin, making us worthy to live in God’s presence.

Do you understand justification by faith? If you don’t, you’re not alone. So many, including Christians, can’t explain it. If you were to ask people from a variety of church backgrounds how to get to Heaven, I believe that most answers would include a work or act. “I go to church every Sunday.” “I keep the Ten Commandments.” “I try not to hurt people.” But none of these answers matches what the Bible teaches us about salvation.

So how do we become “justified?” The Westminster Catechism describes it most aptly, saying that justification is an act of God’s free grace wherein He pardons all our sins and accepts us as righteous because of Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross. What does that mean? Most important, it means that God sets us free from eternal punishment by His will, not our own. The only thing we can do is accept the gift by faith.

God is the only one who can justify us, and yet we continue to try to justify ourselves. Someone once said to me, “I can justify everything I have done to God.” Though most people wouldn’t state it that way, many people try to do just that. But the doctrine of justification condemns every person’s effort to justify himself or herself. Only God can justify us. He does it once and for all, completely and perfectly, in the twinkling of an eye.

Who are you trusting for your salvation: yourself or God? Only God’s free grace can save you. Accept His undeserved favor, and stop your striving. Allow Him to give you the free gift He offers, and just watch where it will take you.

“Justification is the pivotal point around which all else turns.”
Geerhardus Vos

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations …”

— Matthew 24:14

This month marks the annual remembrance of Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the New World. Columbus was a brave and farsighted leader whose monumental discovery changed the world. But our society often questions Columbus’ character. We know he was a man of flesh and blood, a sinner as we all are. And we know he made mistakes. Yet we can’t hold him responsible for all the things modern critics would like to blame him for.

So what kind of person was Columbus? His son portrays him as a gracious, loving father. Columbus was a godly man who so fervently attended to Scripture reading, prayer, fasting, and all of the worship services, that if one didn’t know he was a seafaring man, one would have suspected that he belonged to a holy order. In fact, when Columbus first landed in the New World, his first act was to plant a cross on the land.

The names Columbus chose for the places he discovered also indicate his dedication to Christ. He named his first landing place “San Salvador,” which means “Holy Savior.” He named his next landing places “Vera Cruz,” which means “True Cross,” and “La Navidad,” which means “The Nativity” or “Christmas.” Then Columbus came to an island with three hills on it, and he named it “Trinidad,” meaning “The Trinity.” He did this time after time in the places he landed, indicating his godly focus and nature.

Today you’ll often hear people doubt the goodness of Columbus’ character. Part of this is because they perceive that Columbus sailed for “gold and glory.” But listen to what Columbus himself said about his reason for sailing: “It was the Lord who put it into my mind to sail to the Indies. The fact that the Gospel must be preached to so many lands—that is what convinced me.” Overall, I think Columbus is a model of courage, who admirably drew his life’s vision from Jesus Christ.

“No one should fear to undertake any task
in the name of our Savior, if it is just and if
the intention is purely for His holy service.”
Christopher Columbus

“Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”

— Psalm 29:2

What do you expect when you go to church on Sunday mornings? Do you view Sunday morning church as a type of performance? Many people do. They listen to the choir as if they were at a concert, ready to critique the choir’s performance. They sing hymns but never once as they sing do they ever think of praising God. Instead, they sing hymns by rote, with their minds turned off.

But God doesn’t want us to sit back as passive observers. He wants us to actively participate in worshipping Him.

Soren Kierkegaard, the Danish philosopher, thought that most people conceive of church as a drama wherein they are merely spectators. In this drama, the minister is the principal actor. God prompts the minister by whispering His lines in the minister’s ear (should the minister chance to forget them), and the congregation members are the critics who pass their judgment on the performance.

The truth of the matter, says Kierkegaard, is that church is a drama of sorts. But if we view worship as God designed it, the congregation members should be the actors, the minister the prompter, and God Himself the critic. Why? Because worship is one’s response to the revelation of God. When we recognize God’s true nature, we want to worship Him in direct proportion to the clarity of our vision of Him.

So many people don’t understand the true joy of worship. And God doesn’t want us to miss it. This Sunday, remember to actively worship God as a participant, not as a mere spectator. When the choir sings and the minister preaches, lift their words in praise to God. “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name.”

“If absence makes the heart grow fonder, some
people ought to love their churches greatly.”
Anonymous

… Unlike those high priests, He does not need to offer daily sacrifices—first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for He did this once for all when He offered up Himself.

— Hebrews 7:27

There were priests in the Old Testament, but now Christ, our great High Priest has come. He completed the work that they could only begin.

With a priest and an altar you have something else: you have a sacrifice. For hundreds of years, at God’s instruction, the ancient Hebrew priests offered sacrifices with many specific guidelines. There were daily sacrifices and specific annual offerings. They may have “forgiven” sins temporarily, but never permanently.

All of these sacrifices foreshadowed the once and for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross. What He did is the basis for all forgiveness. His blood was much more precious than that of bulls and goats.

Read Hebrews 9-11 and you will notice that one word appears over and over and over again. It is a word that I recommend you underline. It is “once” or “one.” By one sacrifice Christ has forever reconciled us to God. There was only one sacrifice, and it took place upon the Cross 2,000 years ago. On that finished sacrifice all of our hopes are founded.

Question to ponder:
What does it mean that our High Priest offered Himself up “once for all”?

… weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

— Psalm 30:5

Sorrow, sadness, and weeping are all part of this life. None of us are untouched by the troubles of the world. But these are temporary—whereas joy, for the Christian, is everlasting. 

One time at a speaking engagement in Indianapolis, a man came up to me and said, “I was down in Ft. Lauderdale on vacation, and I met a lady in your church who shared with me those good tidings of great joy.” She had told him of the Gospel and he had accepted Christ. He continued: “You certainly cannot know, you cannot imagine the indescribable joy I have known for the last year since I came to know Christ. I never would have believed it.”

It is never recorded once that Jesus ever laughed, and yet the night before He went to the agony of the Cross, He said, “I have spoken these to you, that My joy may remain in you” (John 15:11). He came from the source of all joy—from Heaven—and He came to bring that joy to us. He took all of our sorrows and our griefs upon Himself, and thus, though He never laughed that we know of, He did weep. And He wept, so that we might be glad.

Question to ponder:
What difference does it make that sadness is temporary?