"God Speaks"

“God Speaks”

By Stan Butler

Hebrews 1:1-2a; God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son.

God has spoken and made himself known in many ways. One of these ways He speaks is in lightning and thunder; Loud and boisterous, mighty and deafening, threatening yet wonderful. Listen to some of the times that it’s recorded throughout His word that He has done this.

In Exodus 20:18-20a; At Mount Sinai, the lightning and thunder was so loud and overwhelming that the Israelites told Moses; “Let God speak to us through you because if he speaks directly to us we will surely die.” Pretty awesome huh?

In 2Samuel 22:14-15a; David speaking to the Lord in a psalm of thanksgiving is saying that God “rides on the wings of the wind in thick clouds of dark water, and that he thunders from heaven with the voice of the most High and sends out lightning…”

In Psalms 18:13-14a; David again says, “The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire, and he shot out lightnings…”

In Job 37:3-5; “God directs his lightning unto the ends of the earth, after it a voice roareth with the voice of his excellency, God thundereth marvelously with his voice.” Think of how true this is…every time you see lightning; a few seconds later, you always hear thunder.

In Revelation 4:5; John says, “I saw the throne of Almighty God and him that sat thereon and that out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings.”

And lastly, in John 12:28-29a; Jesus says the words, “Father, glorify thy name.” Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. (and "according to the scriptures" it says), The people that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered… Totally awesome.

Many people are afraid of storms that produce thunder and lightning. I happen to love them. To me, its God’s way of speaking and saying, I am still the God of this universe, listen to my mighty voice and see my display of awesome power. …and when I speak, you listen.

When was the last time you were awakened by a thunder storm in the middle of the night and slipped out of bed and went out and opened your garage door and just stood there and listened to Almighty God speak in the thunderings and lightenings? When was the last time you raised your arms towards heaven during a thunderstorm and praised and thanked God for his mighty power and for giving you such a marvelous display of it?

Now… what about the God who in these last days has spoken and still speaks to us through his Son. It’s a still quiet voice, no thunder, no lightning, but the display is super colossialically spectacular. Perhaps you’ve been there…you are at the Lord’s Table… you look down at what you hold in your hands…what a display of power and might…you are holding the very love of God in your hands.

In one hand you see a piece of bread, and in a still quiet voice, you can hear Jesus say if you recall the words He spoke in Luke 22:19; “this is my body which is given for you.” The scripture in Ephesians 2:14-16 comes to mind reminding you that it’s through this broken body that the “middle wall of partition” has been broken down…no more going through a priest or middle man… the veil in the temple has been torn from top to bottom… you’re now given the expressed privilege of coming straight to the very throne of the most Holy and Reverend God. You can say, “I love you” face to face…one on one.

In the other hand you see a cup, and in this cup is the fruit of the vine, and if you recall the words that Jesus spoke in Matthew 26:28 you can hear Him say in that still quiet voice, “this is my blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for you for the remission of your sins.” Imagine with me if you will the awesome display of power as you drink this cup…your sins are washed away…you have just renewed the covenant with the one who died for you…and perhaps through watering eyes, you promise to be faithful to this covenant.

The next time your experiencing the wonders of a storm, let Almighty God speak to you through the lightnings and thunderings. And the next time you sit at the Lord’s Table, experience the love of God and let the words that Jesus has spoken…speak to you again there also.

"To be or not to be...Ignorant That Is?"

“To be or not to be….Ignorant That Is”

By Stan Butler

I guess I should start this devotional out with a definition of the word ignorant. It simply means to have a lack of knowledge about a subject or thing. There is no shame in being ignorant. Everyone on this planet is ignorant to a certain degree, because no one knows everything about everything. The disciples that ate with, walked, talked, and handled Jesus were no different. At least in the beginning, the disciples were ignorant concerning some of Jesus’ sayings as well as His actions. Now I tell you that in order to tell you this: we need not be ignorant about the same things the disciples were. Let’s look at some examples. These examples given are only a few of many listed “according to the scriptures.”

In John 2:19-22 Jesus said; “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will you will raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body. So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken. Now from the time Jesus said these words to the time they understood them was probably 3 years or more as He spoke these words early in His earthly ministry. They remained ignorant about this for quite some time.

Luke tells us of another example: Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again.” But the disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said. (Luke 18: 31-34) It was just a few days later after these things happened, Jesus would remove their ignorance and open their understanding. Jesus appeared to the disciples after his resurrection to show them that He had been victorious over death and the grave. They were so amazed that he had to show them the holes in his feet and hands and even eat some solid food to prove it was He and he was alive. What Jesus tells them is recorded in Luke 24:44-45; Now He said to them, “These are my words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, and that all things which are written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures."

Now let’s look at one final example found in John 6:48-67; Jesus is saying, “I am the bread of life, and except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood ye have no life in you. Whosoever eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me and I in him.” Now at the time Jesus said this, they didn’t understand it. They were ignorant as to what he was saying. They even said in verse 60, “This is a hard saying, who can hear (understand) it.” And in verse 66 it says; "and from that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him." Now let’s jump forward in time when these sayings are made clear to them and their ignorance is removed. At the last Passover meal Jesus had with these same disciples, in Matthew 26:26-28 we read; And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” They took the bread and ate it.… they took the cup and drank it .… and never uttered the words “this is a hard saying, who can hear it.” But these words are still being misunderstood to this day. It’s one of those sayings or teachings to which Jesus could very easily say as he did in John chapter 13; “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” That hereafter for us would be hereafter we have read and studied “this is my body” and “this is my blood.” Oh that he would only forcibly “open their minds to understand the Scriptures.” (Luke 24:45) But God doesn’t force us to believe anything he says, that’s left up to us. The disciples understood and were not ignorant, they didn’t “go back and walk with him no more.” Yet we have among us today those that would twist, turn, chop, bend, mutilate, change, and just refuse to believe the words that Jesus spoke. By doing so, they have, in a sense “gone back and walk with him no more.” They have turned His covenant renewal into a mere commemoration.

I have a question to which you should have an answer: Are you choosing to be or not to be ignorant of the scriptures’ teachings?

"According to the Scriptures"

"According to the Scriptures"

By Stan Butler

1Corinthians 15:1-4; Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.

Paul explains in four short verses the gospel, which has the power to save, and this gospel involves the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now if you were to say to a friend from a mainline denominational church; “according to the scriptures, the gospel has the power to save and we in the nondenominational Christian /Churches of Christ believe the gospel Paul preached and the gospel the bible teaches involves the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus”, they would probably reply, “well that’s exactly what my denomination believes to because it’s according to the scriptures and its in our handbook on doctrine and discipline. Can you imagine the sense of unity and all the “warm fuzzies” you’d feel being in complete agreement on this fundamental doctrine of the bible with this individual from a denominational church?

Since “you’re in for a penny, in for a pound,” you turn to Luke 24:45-47, and read; Then opened he their understanding that they might understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

As you are reading this, someone else from a different denomination joins the conversation. You say, according to the scriptures, Jesus commanded that repentance and remission of sins are to be preached to everyone everywhere and it should begin in Jerusalem. To which they both reply; we believe that a person must repent and we also believe in the forgiveness of sins because that’s according to the scriptures. It’s also what our handbooks on doctrine and discipline say. Wow, more warm fuzzies and such unity. Just what Jesus prayed for.

About now, you’re thinking, this is great…I’m going to push the envelope and see what easy to understand basic doctrine we can agree on next that’s according to the scriptures. As you’re leafing through your bible, yet another person from a third denomination joins the conversation.

You stop leafing at the first New Testament conversions mentioned in the bible and they just happen to be in Jerusalem. Yep, good ole Acts 2:38; Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Since you’re leading this unity party, you say, according to the scriptures, it says that if a person will repent and be baptized, their sins will be remitted and they will become a Christian. That’s what we believe in the non-denominational Christian/Churches of Christ.

The first believer says, that may be according to the scriptures, but we don’t teach that. In my denomination you go to an altar and you pray for the remission of your sins and you pray till you feel saved. And as for that baptism stuff…it has nothing to do with salvation. It’s something that a Christian does to show the world an inward change has already taken place, and that’s how I got saved. You ask him to show you where that’s according to the scriptures, and he says, it’s written in our handbook on doctrine and discipline.

Then the second believer pops up and says, what you believe may be according to the scriptures, but in my denomination all you have to do is accept Jesus into your heart and He’ll save you. And as for that baptism stuff, whether a person gets baptized or not is up to them. It has nothing to do with the salvation of a man’s soul, and that’s how I got saved. Again you ask for a show of where that teaching is according to the scriptures, to which they reply, it’s in there some where and even if its not, it’s in our handbook on doctrine and discipline.

At this the third believer says, it may be true that what you believe and teach is according to the scriptures, but we teach a much simpler way to become a Christian. We have the candidate to repeat what we call “the sinners prayer.” But when he repeats it he has to really mean it and be really sincere, and that’s how I got saved. Again you ask for chapter and verse according to the scriptures, and again you’re referred to the handbook on church doctrine and discipline.

Well, there goes your unity party and love fest. You have just found out that you’ve been talking to three people who call them self’s believers but have never really even become Christians according to the scriptures. You then are reminded that being a believer is really no big deal because the devil believes in God (James 2:18) and we all know his fate. But they are such good and sincere fellows and you just want to hang out with them so bad. Then it comes to you…you’ll all agree to put your doctrinal differences aside and create a “sense of unity”. It won’t be the true unity that Jesus prayed for and wanted, and by never mentioning doctrine you’ll never make Christians of these mistaught individuals. It’ll be a “love divorces doctrine” club and “unity rejects truth” club. You’ll now be like the preachers and leaders in their denominational churches who are like the scribes and Pharisees and hypocrites that Jesus spoke to in Matthew 23:13 when he said; “ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither allow them that are entering to go in.” Wow, did He say that. To be in the kingdom, you have to repent and be baptized for the remission of you sins, and by agreeing to forsake doctrine for unity, "you’ll shut up the kingdom of heaven against them."

Remember the next time that your at an interdenominational hymn sing or gathering that according to the scriptures, 2Tim 3:16---“All scripture is God breathed, and is profitable (useful) for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction.” And we’re told in 2Tim 4:2-4, “Preach the Word, be prepared in season and out of season (when it’s convenient, and when it’s not convenient), correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and careful instruction. I know that it won’t seem convenient at the time if you’re at one of these gatherings, but lean over right then and there and whisper to the person sitting beside you, “Let me show you according to the scriptures how you can be both a believer and a Christian.”

I went to such a gathering a few years ago and never uttered one word to any of the mistaught individuals sitting around me and by doing so I feel that I actually “shut up the kingdom of heaven against them.” I don’t feel very good about that so now I just follow the advice of Paul that he wrote to the Romans and in Chapter 16 and verse 17, he said “Now I beseech you brethren, (I strongly urge you) mark them (watch out for them) which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid (keep away from) them.”

The next time you’re invited to an interdenominational gathering, I would “beseech” (strongly urge) you to go, and while you’re there witness to those in attendance. But… if you think that it’s likely that you won’t be doing that, then I would also “beseech” (strongly urge) you to follow Paul’s advice and “avoid them.” It’s my gut feeling that we must do one or the other, because it's "According to the Scriptures."

"Grace"

"Grace"

By Stan Butler

Have you ever considered some of the words that Christians sometimes use seemingly without a second thought? It’s as though we have allowed some words to become almost too familiar…and because of this, their meanings may have lost some of their significance. Although we may still consider these words special, some of their “specialness” may be lost in the way we use them almost in a disregarding manner.


Take the word “grace.” Most would say, “Oh yeah, grace, that’s unmerited favor.” Well… this two worded definition for “grace” doesn’t even scratch the surface. To me, that’s almost disregarding. And for a very long time…a very long time, that was my definition of the word “grace”. But “grace” goes so much deeper than that. There is a sense of reverence in this word “grace”, and for good reason. Let me share with you a little… just a little of what my study of “grace” brought to light.


Knowing there had to be a more fitting definition to this word “grace”, I searched my Strong’s concordance, looked in Vine’s expository dictionary of New Testament words, looked in a few commentaries. I even spent about an hour on the internet looking for the “best of the best” of definitions for the word “grace.” Nothing…and I mean nothing I found fulfilled the meaning of the word “grace” for me.


I remembered that "According to the Scriptures", “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally.” (James 1:5) If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a Christian, it’s that if you really want wisdom, God will not withhold it from you, and it is so much more rewarding to find something for yourself in God’s word than it is have a preacher, teacher, or author of some book point it out to you. I also know that in order to receive knowledge, one must incline their ear, look for it, search for it as for silver or hidden treasure, cry out for it (pray) and if you will do these things, then you will find the knowledge of God. While sitting in a classroom of the school that uses our church building on a Wednesday evening bible study, I kept noticing the blackboard was completely erased except for the scripture Titus2: 11-12. I finally jotted it down so I could look it up later, and I’m glad I did. I’m glad I was searching everywhere as if for silver or hidden treasure for a deeper understanding of this word “grace.”


I found a deeper understanding of the word “grace” in Titus 2:11 NASB; which says, “for the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men.” Now there is a definition of “grace” I can sink my spiritual teeth into. Put the person Jesus (who has appeared) in place of the word “grace” and you’ll have the best definition ever. It reads like this, “for Jesus has appeared, bringing salvation to all men.” Jesus is the Grace of God. No word is more crucial to the doctrine of salvation than the word “grace.” Jesus is the very heart and core of salvation. The two are inseperatable.


Every Sunday as we accept the invitation of our Lord to be at His table, we are confronted with God’s grace and should fully realize that we are the recipients of the most undeserved mercy ever afforded to mankind, and with this realization in mind, it should not only humble us, but also bring about a change in the way we live our lives from week to week. As we examine ourselves, we must…we must realize and understand the enormity of our sin in the sight of a holy God. Then and only then will we be able to grasp the wonders of His grace.


We experience God’s grace everyday in various ways. I believe Annie Johnson Flint probably had a good grasp of the grace of God. As a young girl, she became very badly crippled with arthritis. Her entire adult life was one spent in severe pain right up till her death. Near the end of her life, with a crayon pushed through bent and gnarled fingers and held there by swollen joints, she wrote the words to the hymn, “He giveth more grace.” These four words in the title to her song, “He giveth more grace”, I found tucked away in James 4:6. It’s a hymn that’s in most of our hymn books, though I have never heard it sung in any church service that I have ever attended. Here are her words:


He giveth more grace… as our burdens grow greater, He sendeth more strength… as our labors increase; to added afflictions… he addeth His mercy, to multiplied trials… he multiplies peace.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance, when our strength has failed ere the day is half done, when we reach the end of our hoarded resources, Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
Refrain:


His love has no limits, His grace has no measure, His power has no boundary known unto men, for out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.


We’re reminded every week especially during the quiet time of communion, that it is out of His infinite riches in Jesus, that He giveth… and giveth… and giveth again. Such Love… such Mercy… such Forgiveness… such Grace. All so freely given…yet all so unmerited and all so undeserved. Thank you, Heavenly Father… Thank you… Thank you.

"A Cross to Bear"

"A cross to Bear"

By Stan Butler

Jesus said in Luke 14:27; “whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” In Matthew 10:38, Jesus says basically the same thing using these words; “he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.”


These two verses tell us three things: 1) we all have a cross to bear, 2) we all have to bear that cross and follow after Jesus, and 3) failure to do these first two makes us unworthy and disqualifies us from calling ourselves “His disciples.” Now being good restoration movement folks and priding ourselves as being a people of the book, we always stress that, "According to the Scriptures," Jesus says in John 3:5; “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” So if we’re going to stress the “cannot” of John 3:5, let us also stress and with the same conviction the “cannot” of Luke 14:27.


The cross Jesus carried and died on was the cross of reconciliation. There was no need for him to be reconciled to God because He and the Father are one. (John 17:22) The cross that Jesus was willing to bare was a vicarious cross and until someone proves me wrong, I believe that our cross should somewhat resemble that of the cross of Jesus in that ours must be a vicarious cross also. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines vicarious as 1) performed or suffered by one person as a substitute for another or to the benefit or advantage of another. Who would ever disagree that Jesus suffered in our place on the cross and we reap all the benefits. He was innocent…we are the guilty party. He was sinless…we were the sinners. We deserved death…yet He was the one that was put to death so we could be reconciled back to God. Paul tells us in Colossians 1:21-22a; once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death…thus I say it’s the cross of reconciliation.


Now the cross we are to carry. After Jesus was resurrected and just before He ascended into heaven, it’s recorded in Matthew 28:18-19 that He said; “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” With absolute total authority, Jesus gives us the very first post resurrection commandment and covenant keeping stipulation… “To go and make disciples.” Let’s go back to the Merriam-Webster dictionary for a second definition of vicarious and see if it would even remotely fits in the discussion here. Webster’s second definition is as follows: 2) serving in the stead of someone which has been delegated as in vicarious authority. With all authority in existence, Jesus has delegated to us the task of making disciples. It’s like He’s handed us His cross and said “now it’s your cross and if you’re my disciple, carry on this reconciliation I made possible.”


Paul told the saints at Corinth in 2Corinthians 5:18-20; Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Him, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.


Those of us who have been baptized for the remission of our sins are “in Christ” and a new creature (His ambassador). We attend church every Lord’s Day and sit at the Lord’s Table and remember that cross of reconciliation and all that took place on it. Communion so beautifully identifies with the message of the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord, and if we would just commit to turn the message that is in the Lord’s Supper into ministry, and be an ambassador of that message, we could actually win this world for Jesus. So I join Paul in saying, “I beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” And then be an ambassador for Christ and take this message to a lost and dying world.


There are two questions that we must all ask ourselves: 1) What am I doing with this ministry of reconciliation that has been given to me, and 2) by definition, am I being honest when I call myself one His disciples?
Listen to these words one more time: “whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” and “he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.”