Resurrection Day: Our Guranteed Hope

Pray for us: for we trust we have a

good conscience, in all things willing

to live honestly. But I beseech you

the rather to do this, that I amy be

restored to your the sooner. Now

the God of peace, that brought again

from the dead our Lord Jesus, that

great Shepherd of the sheep, through 

the blood of the everlasting covenant,

make you perfect in every good work

to do you that which is well-pleasing in

His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom

be glory for ever and ever. Amen. And I

brethren, suffer the word of exhortation:

for I have written a letter unto you in

few words. Know ye that our brother

Timothy is set at liberty; with whom,

he come shortly, I will see you. Salute 

all them that have the rule over you, 

and all the saints. they of Italy

salute you all. Amen.

Hebrews 13:18-25

     We now come to the end of the book of Hebrews and I do hope that you all have gotten out of it something that has caused you to examine your faith, and your pragmatic use of Authentic Christian Faith. Intercessory pray is a prayer that is heard by God and is once that all Authentic Christians should be involved in as we pray, both in our "closets," and in our communal worship. This is love that only Authentic Christians have that is not a love of self indulgence and is not narcissistic. Pray that they continue in a good conscience and to continue to listen to that small still voice of the Holy Spirit that speaks to them but never overrides their will. To live a holy life is difficult for sure, but it is possible of Jesus Christ has the priority for you life and not this world and this world's culture. 

     Jesus Christ is the Gospel and it is this Gospel that we live and preach and teach, not some other gospel, mostly a gospel of speculation and anecdotes that sound good but only are tickling the ears and leading more often than not to heresy. Jesus Christ rose from the dead and God is the one who raised Him from the dead but did not Jesus say that He would raise Himself from the dead? Yes! "Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again" (John 2:19). God will raise Jesus up and Jesus said He would raise himself, in fact the Greek word "I will raise" is first person: "I" and future indicative active, therefore there is no confusion, even if such as Jehovah Witnesses attempt to prove that Jesus is a created angel, that both accounts point to the fact that Jesus is God and has the power to raise Himself and others from the dead: (John 6: 39-44). Innocent blood was poured out upon the ground as it dripped from Jesus and from the cross on which He was crucified and it is the pouring out His blood that establishes an everlasting covenant which is able to make you perfect in His sight and cause you to do good work according to His will. Jesus Christ deserves all the glory for you and I have done nothing to deserve this grace from God, this faith from God, albeit, we do have to come to the place where we know we need a Savior and then by hearing His word faith is bestowed upon us and we believe and convert to the One who is willing to accept us and to make us His bride. What is there that we must do for Him? Nothing! But we must work with Him and that work is to live the life He outlined for us and to spread the Gospel. 

     The time is coming where we take special time to remember and celebrate this act of God for man. Please do not get all wrapped up in "Easter" things, the finding of colored eggs and "Easter" baskets, and all the other things this world makes "Easter" to be; in fact this is a solemn time as it should be as we consider the love of God, a love extended to us through Jesus Christ. We have everlasting life ahead of us, we have a life that God intended for man and it is God who will make this new heaven and earth possible. 

     Celebrate this special event in history for it is this by which you will be saved. Praise God for it is Him who makes all this possible. 

Therefore will I divide Him a portion

    with the great, and He shall divide

the spoil with the strong; because He 

    hath poured out His soul unto death:

and he was numbered with the transgressors;

    and He bare the sin of many, and made

intercession for the transgressor.

                       Isaiah 53:12

How To Live Your Godly Sanctification

Wherefore Jesus also, that He might 

sanctify the people with His own blood,

suffered without the gate. Let us go 

forth therefore unto Him without

the camp, bearing His reproach. 

For here have we no continuing city,

but we seek one to come. By Him the 

sacrifice of praise to God continually,

that is, the fruit of our lips giving

thanks to His name. Both to do good

and to communicate forget not: for 

with such sacrifices Go is will pleased

Hebrews 13:12-16

     Outside of the city of Jerusalem Jesus hung on a cross along with two other convicted criminals. They had done legally wrong, but Jesus had not done anything wrong according to the Roman law and only by the cries of those who hated Him and wanted to be rid of Him, and by the fact that Pontius Pilate could not afford another "run" in with Ceasar He granted their cries to crucify Him. Although this act to crucify Jesus was wrong in every way possible God in His timing used this to do the very thing that man could not do for himself: man cannot save himself and only God can sanctify a person. By the pouring out of the blood of Jesus, innocent blood spilled could the debt of sin be paid and the justice of God be satisfied. Man cannot ever, now, or in the future, do pay this debt for man is sinful from his birth until his death and the only way that this sanctification can be applied is by putting one's faith in Jesus Christ and converting to Him. Are you seeking the coming of Jesus for the second time? Good! that is a result of becoming a child of God. Yet there is more that is a true sign of your authentic repentance: and it is the offering of praise for His sacrifice and giving thanks unto His name. The sign that this has been and is authentic is that you repent, that is, to turn 180 degrees from what you are to what you have never been and that is, to now follow Him in all that you do and say. By doing this God is well pleased!

     Pastors and teachers and others who are leading the children of God have the responsibility to do so in truth and not be speculation, or anecdotal stories, or philanthropic activities that are derived from desire to gain people, money, or power. When it is found that they are teaching the truth of Scripture then we are obligated to obey them and to submit ourselves to their authority: "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you" (Hebrews 13:17). All Authentic Christians are the City of God, the temple of God, the place where the Holy Spirit resides and to do anything that would bring shame or reproach upon this city is to have the Living God bring chastisement in an attempt to bring you back to the truth. The best way to avoid this is to be proactive and study God's word, to examine all things, and when the good is found, hold on to it. We are not to sit back in apathy, rather to be intentional in our Christian Faith. 

     Examine your election and your Christian Faith using Scripture only to be your factual guide and by keeping His word will you then be all that God wants from you, and that is to be His witness wherever you find yourself, wherever you go, you will be a witness even to those you may never see. God is faithful: you too be faithful. God will bless, in fact He has already for He has prepared a heavenly home for you just waiting for your arrival.

Let not them that wait on thee,

     O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed

for my sake: let not those that seek

     thee be confounded for my sake,

O God of Israel.

                     Psalm 69: 6

Prepare now for the Sabbath

Richard L. Crumb 

Remembering And Examing By The Word Of God

Remember them which have the

rule over you, who have spoken unto

you the word of God: whose faith

follow, considering the end of 

their conversation. Jesus Christ

the same yesterday, and to day, 

and for ever. Be not carried about

with divers and strange doctrines. 

For it is a good thing that the heart

be established, with grace; not  with

meats, which have not profited 

them that have been  occupied therein.

Hebrews 13:7-11

     "Remember," to exercise memory and what was needful to remember is the One who rose from the dead: Jesus Christ. We are not to passively sit by and allow anyone, pastor, preacher, teacher, whoever to just say what they want even if it sounds good to the ears. We must especially examine those who "rule" over us, our pastors, and teachers, and others and not just accept all that they say as though they have some special connection to God. Our responsibility is to make sure that what is being taught that which is being spoken is the "word of God." We cannot become disinterested in what goes on in our Churches, our homes and with our friends. All that we have studied thus far led us to the one fact: we are the temple of God. Therefore we have a responsibility to act accordingly. We do not blindly follow someone's else whose faith may seem truthful, no, we examine all things and hold fast to that which is good, (1Thessalonians 5:21). There are those who teach a Jesus that is not the Jesus of the Bible making Him to be "a god," or as a teddy bear Savior, or willing to do all that a person may ask, and here is a thing to remember, if a person is not following in the footsteps of Jesus why would that person think that God, Jesus Christ, would answer their prayer? The only prayer that will be answered for sure is the prayer, a truthful prayer of repentance. Jesus Christ has not changed, He is the same, in the past, in the present, and will be in the future and only God can claim that so if Jesus, and He did, claim this then He is pointing to the fact that He is God, the Second Person of the Trinity. 

     So many various doctrines have come to mislead people and this misleading and those doctrines that are not based on Scripture began in the most early times of the Church. Some have persisted until now, others have been changed in some way but in actuality they are still a heretical view of God, of Scripture. Here is one persistent heretical view and can be found especially in the Roman Catholic Church: Baptism for the dead. Paul wrote: "Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead" (1Corinthians 15:29). An early Church father wrote: "He asks, "What will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise?" ... Do not then suppose that the apostle here indicated that some new god is the author and advocate of this practice. Rather, it was so that he could all the more firmly insist upon the resurrection of he body, in proportion as they who were batpized for the dead resorted to the practice from their belief of such a resurrection. We have the apostle in another passage defining "only one baptism." Therefore, to be "baptized for the dead" means, in fact, to be baptized for the body. For, as we have shown, it is the body that becomes dead. What, then, will they do who are baptized for the body, if the body does not rise again" (Tertullian (c.207,W), 3.449,450: italics mine)? Some denominations teach a form of doctrine that includes that there is a special anointing by the Holy Spirit and to speak in some form of "gibberish sounds," or as the Bethel Church of Redding and the School of the Supernatural teaches is that a person will receive some special visitation and that they are to go around and find people to pray for expecting that those anecdotal stories of healing and the raising of the dead are true and they will see this for themselves, and they believe this because they have come to believe that those teaching them are not attempting to mislead them. They do not examine all things. There are many more of such misleading doctrines that have taken its toll on people who are seeking the truth. Do not be one of them: Remember what Jesus taught, and what the inspired writers wrote who always taught the Gospel, nothing else, and how we are to apply the words of Jesus in our everyday life. Do not add anything to the Gospel as others have done for it is simple: do and live according to the laws, commands, and precepts of the Bible, and do not live in any other way. Easy to say, hard to do, of course we live in a sinful world, but Remember: you are the temple of the living God and God, the Holy Spirit resides in you and will lead you if you allow Him to do so. 

     Today is my birthday, I am now 74 years old, and find that I must continue to study, to make sure of my election, to not fall back on those things that seemed so good and fun but led me to have many unnecessary heartaches. I have found to live for Jesus is the only way that truly brings joy, and happiness. Someday I will be with my Savior in heaven and with that promise I can face anything and so can you.

Hear me, O LORD, hear me, 

     that this people may know 

that thou are the LORD God, 

     and that thou hast turned

their heart back again.   

            1Kings 18:37

Do not allow yourself to be fooled 

Richard L. Crumb