A Principled Man

A man without principle never draws much interest.

Jas_3:13  Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
1Pe_1:15  But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
1Pe 2:11  Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 
12  Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. 

MARCH 1 – Is There Not a Cause?

MARCH 1 – Is There Not a Cause?

1Samuel 17:29  And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause? 

Is there not a cause? David’s brother attributed some characteristics to David that was wrong. David was surprised that the men in the service of the King would not answer the challenge of Goliath. David believed that someone should step up and be depending on the Lord to answer the challenge of Goliath. We certainly have challenges today that we need to step up to.

We need to step up to the challenge of soul-winning. We render excuses for why we cannot win lost souls to the Lord. He has given us all the equipment we need to be soul-winners. He has given us His Word that we are to speak. Get comfortable speaking it. He has given us a voice that we use to speak to people with. We even speak to strangers about the weather, the ball game of family. While shopping with my wife, we saw a baby in a buggy. Yes, comments had to be made about the baby. Yes, the mother and the grandmother had to pull out their phones to show pictures so yes, my wife pulled out her phone because she is a proud grandmother/great-grandmother. Before the two ladies left, the Lord and the Church had been spoken of. There is a cause.

There is a cause. We need to step up to the truth. We have the Word of God which is the final authority. This inspired Word fitly spoken give people divine direction. So many today lack purpose, meaning, and direction in their life. Those without purpose are living meaningless lives and have no direction and no goals. We need to step up with the truth that there is a Savior that give meaning to life. When one is saved, the Holy Spirit gives purpose. Ecclesiastes 12:13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. We have direction, becoming a new man in Christ. Our goal is a new place. That heavenly home.

There is a cause: Exalt Christ, Worship Christ, and serve Christ.

TERMS MUST DISCRIMINATE

HEBREW HONEYCOMB

William Andrew Dillard
TERMS MUST DISCRIMINATE

Surely the title of this article is elementary. If terms did not precisely identify mental ideas and/or discriminately identify people, places, things, then language would be meaningless, and civilization could not advance from what would surely be a pool of constant confusion. Even in an advanced society, the inadequacy of language, and/or the pollution of terminology continually hinders many efforts, giving rise to lawsuits in attempts to pinpoint precise ideas that weakened language sets forth.
It is of little surprise then that religious heresy, and many misunderstandings arise from failures to use terms of language more discriminately. Illustrating this point one need only to ask any number of people to define major doctrinal terms of the Bible such as salvation, baptism, church, etc. The degree of misunderstanding is staggering. Another such common usage error is the term “soul.” It is used indiscriminately in pulpit and pew, most often to convey the idea of the spirit of man. However, the trinity of man is soul (psyche, mind life), body, and spirit. I Thess. 5:23. Precise terms for each of these are used in the scriptures. Nowhere does the Bible indicate that the soul is the spirit of man. The soul is conscious life. Conscious life exists as a combination of the trinity of man, but it also exists without the body.
But wherein lies any danger in failure to use these terms discriminately? Well, to use “soul” to mean “spirit” fosters powerful, erroneous ideas. For instance, both the Bible and God’s people promote evangelism with the goal being the initial bringing of men to Christ, or the new birth. But the clear teaching of the scripture is that being born from above is an event affecting the spirit of man for both time and eternity. Upon that foundation one may embark on a lifetime of winning his own soul by which life is disciplined into conformity to Bible doctrine. But when soul is substituted for spirit, the idea is inferred that the soul is complete in its salvation at the point of the new birth. Is it any wonder then that non-bible reading Christians easily sleep in fundamental error fostered by indiscriminate terminology? Moreover, that will cost them dearly, and forever at the judgment seat of Christ.
It must be understood that salvation for mankind is threefold. The spirit of man is saved and sealed in repentance of sin, and placement of trust in Christ Jesus as one’s personal Savior. The mind-life (consciousness) is being saved progressively as one disciplines him/herself in conformity to God’s Word. Physical salvation will not come until the resurrection or rapture. Until then, it behooves all men to be discriminatory in the use of terminology lest destructive ideas find root and blossom into a successful undermining of one’s faith, or worse, into full blown heresy, affecting great numbers of people.

AND MAN BECAME A LIVING SOUL

William Andrew Dillard

HEBREW HONEYCOMB
AND MAN BECAME A LIVING SOUL
Genesis has been described as the baby book of mankind. Certainly it is true to its name which means “beginning.” The book is of immense value, attracting the keen attention of all who would learn of their origin, and the beginning of so many things affecting modern life.
Relating the creation story, Holy Writ profoundly states “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Gen. 2:7. Researching the ancient language one finds interesting information not readily stated here, but confirmed in other places in God’s Word. Specifically, attention is drawn to the word “life.” In the ancient Hebrew language, it is plural, thus: “man became a soul of lives.” Since the dual number is used in Hebrew for two things that normally go together, but is not used here, the employment of plural indicates at least three. Thus does the bible affirm that man is a spirit, a soul, and a body. I Thess. 5:23.
The body that God created from the same elements as the earth was a lifeless form until He breathed into it the breath of lives. The result is man became a soul of lives. Soul is the working expression of an intellect and spirit appropriately housed in a physical body to which they give life.
For those with hearing ears, this provides great understanding of the species as it relates both to sin and to salvation. Sin stained all three aspects of mankind. Just so, all three must be saved to realize the fullness of salvation. However in the wisdom and purposes of God, no one receives salvation in totality at one time. Instead, in the new birth, the spirit of a repentant person is both saved and sealed with the Holy Spirit of God, Eph. 4:30. In obedient discipleship, the mind is saved by being renewed to a high state of spiritual maturity, Rom. 12: 2. Under the operating laws of our present cosmos: that of sin and death, there is no hope for the body. It MUST die! However in the rapture or resurrection the body will be saved in immortal newness. It is then that men will know the fullness of salvation, and more precisely what Adam and Eve lost in paradise in choosing to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil instead of the Tree of Life.
It is of immense importance that every offspring of Adam should know this information, especially those of the household of faith. It is of eternal consequence what is done with the application of this information regarding the soul of lives that each one is.

HELP, SIDEBOARDS NEEDED

Author – William Andrew Dillard

Parson to Person
What am I ever going to do with all the blessings being heaped upon me? I live in a sinful body, under a sinful system. But the grace of the altogether lovely Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus by which I am eternally saved has also led me down the narrow road which His Word affirms to be correct. From other pathways, the moans and groans of sinners in the pain and agony of a life gone awry play loud and clear from community to global scenes. How I wish they knew Whom I know; what I know, and had the blessings I experience every day.
When one walks in the narrow path of the Lord, the blessing attendant to that life abound on every side. They become numerous, even mountainous in abundance. the Psalmist said, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation, Selah” Psalm 69:18 In the maze of normal life events, he cautioned himself and us to not get lost in temporal things saying, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Psalm 103:2.
Most everyone has a story to tell about someone they know who has fallen in the quagmire of sin, so why would I not be next? I think of His benefits toward me. I was given godly parents; exposed to the Word early and consistently. I have a loving Savior Who died for me. I have a faithful wife and dear children and grandchildren who love me and look up to me. I have a ministry that God called me to perform faithfully. I have a loving church to preach to and who hears my weekly messages. I live in a country where I am still free to worship God as the Bible teaches me I should. I have the blessed privilege of investing time, money, and life into His service, and He tells me that investment will net one hundredfold. The reality of my life is: Help! I need sideboards to contain the abundance of blessings that just keep on coming.
It is little wonder then that Jesus said, “ Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:38. How true it is! I am a very blessed man!
My prayer for you is that you will be blessed more than I am. If you think you are not so blessed, please stop now and meditate on Psalm One. It will put you on the pathway of life that requires sideboards. Even then, your containment capacity will not be sufficient.

Sideboards for Seniors

07 – January 07 – THIS DAY IN BAPTIST HISTORY PAST

Jabez Carey

 

 

“Never give up on a lost soul”

 

1814 – William Carey received an invitation to send a missionary to Amboyna, where 20, 000 national believers had no missionary to minister to them. Carey’s son Jabez immediately offered himself, and though he was not yet twenty, he crowded his marriage, ordination and farewell into a short time and then left for his mission. After the conversion of two of his sons, Dr. Carey became very anxious about the soul of Jabez, who had just begun practicing law. Carey wrote to his support team, which included John Ryland as the chief. On the Baptist Missionary Societies 20th anniversary, Dr. Ryland addressed two-thousand “of the mission’s friends in London, in the Dutch Church (Austin Friars), and weeping, asked them to pray for Jabez. God wonderfully answered prayer. In the very next mail Dr. Carey received a letter stating that Jabez had been gloriously saved.  Some of the Baptist Pastors in the Northhamptonshire Association called on the churches to appoint a day each month for prayer. Paul assured the Corinthians that they were “helping together by prayer.” May we pray our own children, to the harvest fields of the world!”
Dr. Greg J. Dixon: adapted from: This Day in Baptist History Vol. I: Cummins Thompson /, pp. 09-10.

 

The post 07 – January 07 – THIS DAY IN BAPTIST HISTORY PAST appeared first on The Trumpet Online.

 

 

 

 

Soul and Spirit

Bob Hess has done some in depth research on Man’s Soul and Spirit. With consideration of the girl on life support because of a common operation, maybe this will give some people a little insight into a dilemma.

 

 

I had an individual who wanted me to do a lesson on “The Difference Between The Soul And The Spirit”.  I taught a Sunday School lesson on this over the weekend and will pass it on to you.  I hope this will answer questions that MANY Christians have had down through the years.

 

The secret to understanding this topic is the Biblical Terms that were used in talking about the Soul and Spirit.  I attempted to show this in my class.  My Sunday School class seemed to understand it, so I’ll give you a try.  Here it is.

 

 

1.  The Greek word Psuche is translated into the word SOUL and LIFE.

 

 

    a.  In the New Testament this term is used to speak of the immaterial part of man.  It is invisible and is contained inside of the flesh covering.

 

    b.  Man’s soul speaks of the INTERNAL LIFE ELEMENT of the man.

 

    c.  I know that this may set many back on their heals, but animals have a soul.  In Revelation 8:9 we read “And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died and the third part of the ships were destroyed”.  The word “life” is the Greek word Psuche or in the English, soul.

 

    d.  The difference between the animal and man is that the man was created with a soul that was made up with three elements.  Man’s soul consists of two additional elements that animals do not.  Man has a SPIRIT and a MIND that are part of the makeup of the human SOUL or PSUCHE.  Animal souls do NOT contain these two elements.  We will get into these two elements later.

 

    e.  In 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Paul speaks of this.  He says that when the Lord comes back, we will go to be with him as a whole person, body, spirit and soul.

 

    f.  In Genesis 2:7 we are told that God breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life.  the word soul in this verse the Hebrew word, nephesh.  This word means breaths.  Here it states that man became a living soul or a living, physical, breathing being.  The term corresponds with the Greek word Psuche which is translated as “life” in Revelation 8:9 and soul in other references that are too numerous to mention.  See also 1 Corinthians 15:45 where the term is translated as soul and in Acts 20:10 where it is translated as life.

 

 

2.  The word Greek word Pneuma is translated as SPIRIT.

 

 

    a.  As was stated in our look at Psuche, the human has an element within the soul that is called the spirit.  That is one element that is NOT found in animals or other created beings.

 

    b.  It is very important to realize that this is NOT the word that is used for a GHOST.  The KJV translates Pneuma as Ghost in speaking of the Holy Spirit.  “Ghost” is a completely different term in the Greek, which we will see later.  The third person of the Godhead is the HOLY SPIRIT and NOT the HOLY GHOST.

 

    c.  The SPIRIT of man is not a material element, but is, as the soul, immaterial.

 

    d.  This part of man makes the man aware of his body and his natural, physical environment.

 

    e.  It is the part of man that makes him like God in the respect that it (the spirit) is eternal (will NEVER go out of existence) and it can share that characteristic of God.

 

    f.  It is the part of man that can be given a new birth from God (John 3:3-7).  NOTE:  It is the SPIRIT (Pneuma) that is born again (from above by the Spirit of God) and not the soul (Psuche).  This new birth is made possible through placing one’s trust in Jesus as his

 

Demons Believe in God

 

“Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble,” James 2:19.

 

 “They [the demons] cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?” (Matt. 8:29). 

 

Like the demons, I believed in Christ a long time before I was saved.  I believed He died to pay for my sins, but if I had died before I was fifteen years young, I would have gone to hell as an unbeliever.  One can believe that Jesus Christ was a historical person who died on the cross to pay the cost of people’s disobedience. That kind of belief will not save the sinner’s soul. Salvation only comes after repentance of sin, asking forgiveness and asking Christ into one’s life, total surrender, depending on nothing else but Jesus’ sacrifice.

 

Satan and his demons know they have only a short time to build Satan’s kingdom. Satan is not omnipresent, but he has enough demons who know his agenda to aggravate every one of us. In Ezekiel 28:11-19, God teaches that Satan was created full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. He was created the most beautiful, talented angel. God never took that wisdom and beauty from him. His demons use the devil’s music to trap souls for hell. Polls tell us that young people get their culture and attitudes from their music. James said, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). However, resisting is a conscious act, and Satan hypnotizes the mind with his musical vibrations, then plants wretched lyrics in the mind which forms the character of young people and adults.  Try listening to good Christian music for a week and see if it does not make a world of difference because you receive a different message of peace and salvation.

 

 

JUST A THOUGHT – One must trust Christ if he wants to be saved.

 

Robert A. Brock

 

 

THE GLOOM AND DOOM PEOPLE

Psalm 42:5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

We have many people that predict gloom and doom today. They always speak of the rush to ruin. They search for hope in history and find no hope. Through education they attempt to find and answer to the corruption and immorality that has over taken our land. They have not found any answer in civilization which they had hoped in. They cast an eye to other nations, hoping that dialogue and interaction would be the answer they were seeking but found wrecked cathedrals and destroyed homes that had been built without a solid foundation. How shallow the hopes and dreams of so many seekers in this world today. The answer is the creator of the world. God has the answer written in the Book of books. Our hope is in the creator that laid the foundation for this world. This Book says, “My soul, hope thou in God. Our hope is based on the fact that He is reigning and moving on in His eternal purposes to an end that shall be fair as a perfect day.

There may be some few years ahead. For some the prospect is dark and frightening. There will be many questions that cannot be answered about the future. Will your health hold out? Will your abilities and powers to hold a job hold out or will that day come when you can no longer provide for wife and children? When our hope is in our own selves we have a weak foundation. This world may not get better but the assurance we have is the Lord will return. We will have a new heaven and a new earth that is righteously ruled by Jesus. That is why we look to God for our Joy and Hope.

WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES ABOUT SANCTIFICATION

SACTIFICATION
I CORINTHIANS 1:1-3; I THESSALONIANS 4:3,4

The word “sanctification” is translated with different shades of meaning, but it carries the principle thought of separation and setting apart for a specific use. Definitions: “to separate from a common condition or use: dedicated; hallowed; pure; righteous; ceremonially or morally; to separate; consecrate; cleanse; purify; sanctify/ to regard or reverence as holy.” From the same word we get the word sanctuary.

I.  What Sanctification Is Not.

It is not a second work of grace so as to bring perfection and sinlessness to the body.

“Forgive us our sins” (Luke 11:4). This is a prayer for Christians. The Corinthian church was sanctified, but not perfect (I Corinthians 3:3; 5:1). “If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves” (I John 1:8). “I find then a law that when I would do good evil is present” (Romans 7:21).

II. Use Of The Word In The Bible.

    1. A day may be sanctified. “And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work” (Genesis 2:3).

    2. God may be sanctified. “Sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread” (Isaiah 8:13).

        “And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them” (Numbers 20:12).

        “And for their sakes I sanctify myself” (John 17:19).

    3. People may sanctify other people.

        “And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes” (Exodus 19:10).

    4. People may sanctify themselves (Joshua 3:5).

    5. Material things may be sanctified (Leviticus 8:10).

III. What Sanctification Means To Us Today.

    1. We are sanctified when we are born again. Jesus’ blood is the foundation of it (Hebrews 9:13,14). We are made fit for service to the living God by this sanctification.

Set apart by God (I John 3:9; Ephesians 1:13).

    2. Jesus was made sanctification for us and He IS our sanctification (I Corinthians 1:30).

    3. We sanctify our lives, our prayers and our bodies to God (Romans 12:1,2; I Timothy 4:4,5).

    4. We sanctify our lives daily (Philippians 2:12).

    5. It is God’s will that we sanctify our lives to Him (I Thessalonians 4:3,4). Paul tells how this is done in I Corinthians 9:27. Many lives are fuined because of lack of self-sanctification.
    6. The Christian’s sanctification should be progressive. “But the path of the just is as a shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18). “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby” (I Peter 2:2).

IV. How We May Know That We Are Sanctifying Ourselves To God.

By the Word of God. “Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth” (John 17:17). The word “sanctification” suggests self-denial, prayer and service.

V.  The Unsaved Cannot Sanctify Himself.

Sanctification is a work of God in the heart (II Thessalonians 2:13). The soul is completely sanctified in regeneration (Titus 3:5).

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