Read previous
Editorials
Bible Studies

Be sure to visit
Women's Ministry

Back to Editor >>

Previous Two Cents Index

The Greater Plan of God
"We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son"   Romans 8:28-29

Do We Acknowledge the Almighty?
"In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."   Proverbs 3:6   Those that put themselves under a divine guidance shall always have the benefit of it. God will give them that wisdom which is profitable to direct, so that they shall not turn aside into the by-paths of sin, and then will himself so wisely order the event that it shall be to their mind, or for their good.

The Double Minded Man
John Bunyan gave this man the name, "Mr. Facing-both-ways" in his classic book Pilgrim's Progress. This man is incapable of commitment because he torn between two worlds. He desires the promises of heaven, but too in love with the world to bear his cross. Jesus said, "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me."

They Say, and Do Not
"The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not."  (Matthew 23:1-7)   Good doctrine is not the worse for being taught by bad men; nor are good works to be slighted and neglected, because they are not done by all that teach them; but it must be owned that examples are very useful.

Carry Forth the Filthiness Out of the Holy Place
"And (Hezekiah) said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place."  The Church has come to a dangerous place, she is content, some even believe she is in revival, herein lies the real danger. The devil has deceived the Church into believing all is well, she has been lulled into a false peace and security.

The Voice of Our Actions
Men have learned to cloke their words carefully to cover their motives, even use smooth Christian vernacular. But our subtle actions speak volumes of what our mouth will guard. The tree will certainly be known by its fruit. You can shroud your character with words of love and compassion, but do your actions speak the same thing?

Genuine Christian Love For One Another
Christian love, the very foundation of Christian motive. The phrase however, has blended into the common Christian language and has all but lost its scriptural meaning. In I Corinthians chapter 13, we find the biblical definition of Love, but it's John who fine tunes the real meaning of what Christian love is. "whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected." 1 John 2:5

The Heart of Christianity
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."  Hebrews 4:12  Few scripture reveal the true power of God's Word like this. So powerful is His Word, that it divides the soulish man from the spiritual. With a Word from God, the joints are separated from the marrow, and by a mere whisper, God reveals the thoughts and intents of mans heart.

Our Great Shame
The shame of this generation is a want for the of knowledge of God. The scripture warns, "Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame." (1 Corinthians 15:34) Ungodly men stand behind pulpits around the world and proclaim lies, these are they who have taken away the key of knowledge, not entering in themselves, they hinder those who would.

The Preeminence of Christ
"For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence."   (Colossians 1:16-18)

Hypocritical Oath
"I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest. I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation."   Psalms 40:8-10

Vailing the Glory
"And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face."   Exodus 34:30,33" 

Nature of the Flesh
Look past the cosmetics of the modern church and you will find the works of the flesh. Kind after its kind, carnel preachers reproducing carnel christians, ultimately reverting back to their true nature. Paul said they have, "...a form of godliness... Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth"  (2 Timothy 3:5&7). They cannot find truth for the same reason a thief cannot find a police officer, they both prefer the darkness.

For the Letter Killeth
The Church has become dangerously shallow in spiritual matters. That is to say, there is little to no spiritual depth to most professing Christians. For most of those who still read their Bibles, it is usually nothing more than black ink on white pages, or at best, the letter of the law. Few actually take the time to meditate on the Spirit of the Word.

Running for Dinner or for Life
I believe with all my heart that the true Church of the Lord Jesus is about to enter a time that she will run for her life or die. There is only a remnant left of what Jesus had intended for His church to be. In Luke 18:8, Jesus asked a very pointed question, "...when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"

Astonishing Odds
"But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled."  Matthew 26:56  I love triva facts, and am always overwhelmed by the odds calculated for a single man in history to fulfill all the prophecies concerning the Messiah. These kind of facts are intended to persuade men, "Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;"  2 Corinthians 5:11,  but they also help to establish sound faith in the Saint.

Christ is in You... YOUR Only Hope
Paul sums it up in 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" We christians must examine ourselves thoroughly by the Word of God and be assured that Christ is in us. The alternative is a reprobate. Most of the Church world today goes about her buisness of religion while Christ himself has no part in it.

Knowledge
Scripture has much to say about knowledge, both profitable knowledge, "...put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:"  Colossians 3:10,  and unprofitable knowledge, "Having a form of godliness... Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth"  II Timothy 3:5 & 7.

God Bless America, But Don't You Dare Tell Us To Repent!
I recieved the following open-letter from a friend. It stirred me so that I felt I should share it. The letter written by James White, was apparently written shortly after the 9-11 attack. He deals honestly with the condition of the church of of this nation. I strongly encourage you to read it through.

The Search For Reality
Being real! Now that is the bottom line of the christian faith. Sadly to say though, much of christianity does not have real faith, so they substitute truth with a "reality" they can grasp and manipulate. Though many of these men may believe they are doing the work of God, in truth, are only using God as a means to their own ends.

Insider Language that Excludes Non-Christian's
I recently ran across an article dealing with "christian jargon". It claims that the church can no longer effectively reach the unsaved with its Insider Language. It would seem that the new age church has been caught up in the "politically correct" movement.

Your questions and comments are always welcome
You can contact us at info@theoldtimegospel.org