The Quest For Truth!

John 8:31, “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

We are engaged in a full-scale spiritual war! Satan has equipped his army with every measure of deception in an attempt to deceive the very elect if it were possible. As the battle unfolds before us, we find ourselves desperately and almost frantically seeking to find that most essential element of our spiritual liberty which is Truth.

Truth is a precious treasure! It is so valuable that Jesus said that when we find it, we will utilize all our resources to obtain it. Matthew 13:44, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” Jesus compared the revelation of His Kingdom to finding a treasure hidden in a field or discovering a valuable jewel. Upon such a discovery a prudent man would sell or give up all that he may possess in order to obtain them. That is the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and worth the investment of a lifetime to secure.

The Truth is our salvation! 1 Timothy 4:16, “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” Paul had left Timothy to shepherd the Church at Ephesus. Now he is writing to him to warn of the troublesome teachers there. These teachers were apparently Jewish Christians who wanted to enforce the Old Testament Law in the Church. They wanted to be teachers of the Law though they did not understand it. 1 Timothy 1:7, “Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.” 

In the First Century as in the Twenty-First, some teachers denied that the dead are raised. Others said that Jesus never really was human, and still, others said He was not divine. But, it seems that the teachers which Paul spoke about spent much time with genealogies, perhaps to exalt themselves as priests or as descendants of David. The Old Covenant Law was so mixed with tradition and fable that their teaching produced confusion instead of enlightenment. The result was questions and vain jangling. 1 Timothy 1:4, “Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. 5Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: 6From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;” The revelation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ will not cause confusion! 1 Corinthians 14:33, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” (more on this tomorrow)

Sing Your Song Of Deliverance!

When you feel caught and destined to die in a trap that Satan has laid out before you, call to remembrance some people from the Bible. Joseph was rejected by his own brothers, thrown in a well, and sold as a slave. Paul was shipwrecked and so much more. Daniel was thrown in a Den of Lions. Job lost everything including his health and his family. But, each of these men had songs of Deliverance to sing in the end. You can also if you choose!

A trap or a pit of despair can seem like an eternity. When you feel forsaken, lonely, depressed, financially stripped, sick, and even at death's door as these men were, what do you do? What did they do? They called out to their God and trusted in Him to deliver them.

You must not look at your circumstances but look straight up from your pit and cry out to the Lord your God. I pray you will see the Light and the Angel of the Lord will be your Deliverer!

Most of us would do anything to avoid life's test and trials, especially the temptations set before us because of our own desires. But they still happen and we have the choice to remain caught or be set free by the delivering power of God. God will always bring good out of the hard times when we endure and trust in Him.

Acknowledge your fleshly desires and the sin that has beset you and repent. Give all your pain to God and confess your hurt, the resentment, and the anger. Allow God to help you to forgive those involved in your hurt and receive God's forgiveness and His love for you.

Remember, He cares! He loves you and He will stay close during your healing process as long as it takes. He is never far, always near. Soon, you'll be ready for the great finale. So sing your Song of Deliverance and Freedom! 

Psalm 40:3, “And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.”

The Origin Of Truth!

Confusion is the result when we walk away from God’s Truth. The first step in this process from Truth to confusion is a failure to embrace the work of the Holy Spirit. We must be able to recognize His presence and submit to His leadership if we are to walk in His Truth! (See “Why Are So Many Christians Confused?”) The second step in the process from Truth to confusion is a failure to follow Truth. As a child of God, we must seek for the revelation of Truth and walk in that Truth without reservation. (See “Why Are So Many Christians Confused? part 2”)

The third step in the process from Truth to confusion is the failure to accurately discern the origin and author of Truth. We will not discover God’s Truth through only an academic or scholarly study of Scripture. There is an abundance of research and information available to the avid student of the Bible. But even with the best research and commentary we will come away lacking the epiphany we so desperately desire. It is impossible for the carnal mind to comprehend the mind of God unless we have a Divine encounter with God in the process.

Truth comes in its entirety from the throne of God. It cannot be a mixture of Spirit and flesh but must be 100% God. Any deviation is a mixture of heaven and earth and will result in a dilution of the heavenly message. The Truth is born of God and has to be born out of God in us. Paul said, ”Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” Phil. 2:5. We must be born again of the Spirit of God if we are to accurately discern the origin and author of Truth!

God is Truth! Jesus is Truth and we know the Father through the Son. John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 7If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him." Jesus was the incarnation of God and as such the manifest character of God. God does not change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. And in God is no variableness. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning,” James 1:17. The principles of God are the same in every generation. 

God’s Truth is constant in every generation! Our understanding of the Truth continues to change but the Truth does not change! Therefore, our understanding of Truth is dependent upon our growing unto Christ. Eph. 2:20, “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” Our concept of Truth will continue to change as we move progressively toward God in the complete revelation of who He is. The Truth doesn't change, only our understanding of Truth. God is Truth! The more comprehensive our revelation of Him, the more comprehensive our revelation of the Truth!

The Soul Cries Out For Truth! by Myra Boozer

May those that are spiritually hungry rise up and say so…

May they call out to the teachers, preachers, the elders,

the Body of Christ...the Church...

May they tell them they are looking for a refuge, a half-way

house until they get HOME...

May they tell them the decor and the newest electronics

are not in their interest...

May they tell them it is the Fresh Bread that brings

Life and Hope...

It isn't found in the steeple or the pews...neither is it

found in the technology of the service, but in the TRUTH

OF GOD'S WORD...the Spirit, the life-giving transformation...

It is found in the revelation of Jesus and His love for their

cries, for their struggles and heartaches...

The world is heartless, cold and cruel...

They don't need to become another face in the crowd,

overlooked and forsaken...

The hungry need to be fed...

"Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind: Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock," I Peter 5:2-3.

Why Are So Many Christians Confused? Part 2

Confusion is the result when we walk away from God’s Truth. The first step in this process from Truth to confusion is a failure to embrace the work of the Holy Spirit (see the previous post). The Holy Spirit is our guide into the Truth of God's Word. We must be able to recognize His presence and submit to His leadership if we are to walk in His Truth!

The second step in the process from Truth to confusion is a failure to follow Truth. Not only must we be able to discern Truth by the working of the Holy Spirit, but it is equally important that we walk in Truth as it is revealed to us. One function of the Holy Spirit is to reveal Truth and secondly, empower us to walk therein. As a child of God, we must seek for the revelation of Truth and walk in that Truth without reservation.

What is Truth? Truth is the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Jude is pleading in Jude 1:3, “...that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” Jude’s encouragement to “earnestly contend for the faith” is simply to hold to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul declared the power of the Gospel in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth;” This was the message given to the saints to proclaim to a lost and dying world.

By the time of Jude’s writing there was an influx of false teaching coming into the churches and finding a receptive ear. Jude was writing some 40 to 50 years after the death of Jesus. The Faith which Jesus taught was being diluted (not containing very much of the original message). The element gone missing was the TRUTH which Christ had preached and modeled.

It was upon this TRUTH that Jesus established His Church and the gates of hell will not prevail. Jesus had asked, “whom say ye that I am?” Matt. 16:15. Peter’s response was, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matt. 16:16. Jesus stated that Peter knew this by revelation from God the Father and it is upon this Divine understanding of who Jesus is that He has built His Church and the gates of hell can not prevail against it. Matt. 16:18, ”And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” This is the faith once delivered to the saints, the Truth of the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. 

The power of the message is the TRUTH. The TRUTH is validated by the working of the Holy Spirit in the true believer. Validate is to recognize, establish, or illustrate the worthiness or legitimacy of. The Holy Spirit will demonstrate the legitimacy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Just as Jude pleaded with the first century Church, the Holy Ghost is pleading with the present day Church. He is saying repent and return to the Truth which Jesus taught and modeled. Therein is the power of God unto our salvation and ultimate victory! (More about this tomorrow).

Jesus Is Our Refuge! by Myra Boozer

You can't travel very far on any given Street or road without seeing a Church Steeple and sometimes they are side by side. When we lived in Valley Head, a tiny little town at the foot of Lookout Mountain near Fort Payne, AL., I could look out my kitchen window and see three Churches. We were Pastors of a Church on top of the Mountain at Mentone, also surrounded by other Churches.

There are church buildings everywhere. We are living in the middle of the Bible Belt but many people are confused, troubled and not connected to any Church...Why? This troubles me greatly...an abundance of Churches (places of refuge) but are they giving fresh bread (Jesus is the Bread of Life) to the hungry souls? Are they keeping the Spiritual Fires burning to warm the cold and the lost? Are they teaching Truth?...or just some ideas that make people comfortable in their situation? Do they offer Freedom from the chains that bind people? Do they have the Key to help the enslaved to be set free from sin? Are they the Lighthouse to the weary traveler? What is going on in these beautiful buildings that have the lights on several nights a week? Is there revival, renewal, regeneration, and restoration happening? What is happening in all these places? 

Our Church buildings are beautiful structures but will they lead the lost to Jesus? Will they leave rejoicing because of their new Freedom in Him? Will they find Hope and receive Life and direction for the days we have left? Will they desire to leave their shackles and receive the new life of freedom from sin and walk in union with Christ? People need answers! They need love! They need JESUS!

Why Are So Many Christians Confused?

Confusion is the result when we walk away from God’s Truth. As a child of God, a person would not intentionally walk away from the Truth of God. So, what has happened when on this journey to serve God’s will and purpose, they become confused and don’t know which way to proceed. They cannot understand how they arrived at such a place in their attempt to please the Lord. There are several factors that come into play and I will address each one over the next few days.

The first step in this process from Truth to confusion is a failure to embrace the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. John 15:26, “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:” The Holy Spirit is sent from the Father and will testify of Jesus Christ. He will do nothing to oppose or contradict the Father or the Son.

Now, a child of God would do nothing to oppose or contradict the Father or the Son. Jesus said in John 14:6, “...I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” It is obvious that if we are to follow God and the Son, we will embrace the work of the Holy Spirit. However, we must be very careful as to our acceptance or denial of doctrine labeled as Scriptural Precepts. The label does not define the true character of the doctrine but the measure of that doctrine is defined by the Holy Spirit through the Holy Scriptures. God’s Truth will deliver the sin-sick soul, bring freedom to shackled lives and heal the wounded heart! The measure of Truth is the effect it has in the life of a true believer.

The Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit is the sustaining force within each believer. He will lead and guide us into the Truth of God's Word. However, there are many voices claiming to speak for God. It is paramount that we learn to recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit and separate from the seducing spirits of this world. Although God uses human vessels to share His message, we must know God in an intimate relationship so He can speak directly to us. Then, what He is telling us will be confirmed by what He is telling other believers. In the multitude of counselors, there is safety! (Proverbs 11:14). The Holy Spirit and the Word will teach us the Truth. 

Therefore, it is imperative that the Body of Christ derive the correct interpretation of scripture. The only way that can happen is through the unopposed work of the Holy Spirit and acceptance of the Truth without reservation. We don't have to understand all that the Holy Spirit is revealing but just to recognize that it is He who is revealing. The complete understanding may be for a later time. The power of the message is TRUTH! The TRUTH is validated by the Holy Spirit! A Departure From Truth Results In Confusion! (More on this subject tomorrow).