Basic
Doctrines
Repentance From Dead Works
Faith Toward
God
Baptisms
Laying on of Hands
Resurrection of the
Dead
Eternal Judgment
Foremost,
I would like to review the basic doctrine of Christ. Biblically, this
is our foundation.
Heb 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of
the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying
again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith
toward God, 2Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands,
and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
All
to often we have people being converted to Christianity and getting
nothing more than "fire insurance." We think we have
fulfilled the "requirement" to escape hell. In reality, we
end up living defeated lives. We do what we want and are never really
happy. We acquire everything we think will make us happy, but are
never satisfied. Sometimes we feel as empty as we were before we
asked Jesus into our lives. The real problem is the need for a solid
foundation.
Unfortunately, many Christians ignore some of
these "foundational" truths. What often follows is
shipwreck. While being adamant about repentance, we ignore the
importance of "laying on of hands." While preaching
"eternal judgment", we say nothing about the baptism that
empowers us to overcome.
The importance of a good foundation
is evident in any building endeavor. Jesus told the parable of the
foolish man who built his house on the sand. In Matthew 7:24-27,
Jesus says that he who hear His Words and does not act on them is
like the man who builds his house on the sand. As soon as things
start going wrong, he falls apart. The parable is again recounted in
Luke 6:46-49. In Matthew, the parable follows a discourse about those
who will say to Jesus, "Lord, Lord!" talking about all the
great things they did in the Name of Jesus. His response was, "I
never knew you. Depart from Me. . ." In Luke, the parable
follows Jesus simply saying, "And why do you call me ,`Lord,
Lord,' and do not do what I say?"
The importance of a
good foundation is abundantly evident. Just saying, "Lord,
Lord," is not enough. We need a good foundation. We need a solid
Rock to stand on. The foundation starts with meeting Jesus. It starts
with the sinner's prayer. We walk with the Risen Lord, Jesus. We
build, learning basic foundational truths. We keep on walking with
Jesus, the Holy Spirit being our guide. We keep on learning and
growing closer to the One Who paid for our salvation. We keep on
standing in faith and working out our salvation. As Hebrews 6:1 says,
once we set the foundation, we go on to perfection.
Our hope
is to help Christians build a solid foundation and to provide a place
of learning and encouragement. First and foremost, we need to have a
living friendship with Jesus. As we learn more about His Love and
grow closer to Him, we find He is, indeed, a friend who is closer
than a brother. It is my desire that you find the joy of walking with
the Living God, not the chore of "being a good person".
Jesus' goal is that we have abundant life. Why settle for
religion?
Let's go on and build that foundation.
Repentance
from Dead Works
The
following verse has been broadcast quite a bit lately. God fearing
people have realized that many of the problems we are experiencing in
our nation are caused by our own rejection of God. They are calling
people to repentance.
2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people,
which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and
seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from
heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
We
have heard it so much that we tend to stop listening as soon as we
hear, "If my people…" But Scripture abounds in
encouragements to "turn around". In Ezekiel 18:31, God
says, "Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have
committed, and make yourselves a new heart, and a new spirit! For why
will you die, O house of Israel?" Maybe we ought to sharpen our
ears.
You say, "That's nice, but we are in the New
Testament now. Forgiveness is free. Besides, that verse is talking to
Israel." In answer, I only have two things to say. First,
Almighty God has never changed. After all, you did have to admit you
were a sinner so you could receive that forgiveness. God still hates
sin. Jesus paid the penalty for you. Second, let's go on, to the New
Testament.
John the Baptist came preaching what? Matthew 3:12
"Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand." In Luke
13:3, addressing questions about whether a tragedy was because of
sin, Jesus says, "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you
will all likewise perish." After the death and resurrection of
Jesus, the apostles never stopped saying, "Repent!" When
Simon the magician tried to buy the gift of the Holy Spirit, Peter
tells him in Acts 8:22 "Therefore repent of this wickedness of
yours, and pray the Lord that if possible, the intention of your
heart may be forgiven you." Paul, while preaching, concludes in
Acts 17:30 "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance,
God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should
repent."
Repent doesn't mean simply saying you are sorry!
Repentance is reconsidering your lifestyle and "turning around."
The definition of the Greek word is "to think
differently
or afterwards,
that is, reconsider
(morally to feel
compunction):-repent."
Quite literally, the word repent means changing your mind. It
literally means to change the way you think. Do you really want
victory in your life? Ask God to help you change the way you think.
Quit dwelling on your prior lifestyle and follow Ephesians 4:22-24
"that, in reference to your former manner of life, you put aside
the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts
of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and
put on the new self, which, in the likeness of God has been created
in righteousness and holiness of the truth." I encourage you to
read the rest of the chapter. Matter of fact, read Ephesians 4:17-32.
Finally, Philippians 4:8 tells us, "Finally, brethren, whatever
is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is
lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence, and
if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these
things."
Change your mind about your life and REPENT from
dead works. The religious leaders in the days Jesus was on this
earth, were upset about Jesus' disciples "defiling"
themselves. They were eating without going through the ceremony of
washing their hands. In reply, Jesus told them exactly what "defiles"
a man. Jesus pointed to their hearts. Matthew 15:18-20, "18But
those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the
heart, and they defile the man. 19For out of the heart proceed evil
thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness,
blasphemies: 20These are the things which defile a man: but to eat
with unwashen hands defileth not a man."
Paul, talking to
the church in Galatia, said, "My children, with whom I am again
in labor until Christ be formed in you-" Galatians 4:19 The
Galatian church had lost their perspective and were trying to justify
themselves. What they needed to do was let Christ be formed in them.
What they needed was to set their minds on those things that are
above. They needed to have Christ formed in them, so they could walk
with Jesus instead of "for" Him. They needed to change
their minds. They needed to repent.
Do you want victory?
Change the way you think. Let the Holy Spirit change your heart and
listen to Him. He will lead you into all truth.
Do you really
want times of refreshing and the presence of the Lord in your life???
Peter, filled with the Spirit, says in Acts 3:19 "Repent
therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that
times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."
Faith Towards God
It
is interesting that this part of the foundation, noted in Hebrews
6:1, doesn't just say "faith." It says, "faith toward
God." One hears, "Have faith!" all the time, but it
raises the immediate question, "In what?" or "In who?"
The evolutionist has faith in evolution. The Satanist has faith in
Satan. The humanist has faith in himself. The atheist even has faith.
He has the misguided faith that there is no God.
Hebrews
11:6 says "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for
he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is the
rewarder of those who seek Him."
God has given us an
incredible number of promises in the Bible. We have promises
regarding our children. We have promises regarding our peace. We have
promises regarding our prosperity. There are promises regarding our
health. We even have promises on how much God really cares for us.
There are promises, yes, regarding our very salvation. We have
promises that touch every area of our lives. We have promises on what
God will do if we come to Him. God just wants us to trust Him.
Can
you trust the Bible? Bible believing archaeologists have used the
Bible to find lost cities. Job, who was on earth long before Noah,
knew and wrote that the earth was round. And Columbus had to try to
prove it wasn't flat! NASA, doing a time trace, even verified that we
are missing 24 hours of history. This is accounted for in two
separate passages of the Bible. One passage accounts for 18 hours and
the other accounts for the remaining 6 hours. Science is just now
catching up to the Bible in many other areas.
So what is faith
toward God? Faith toward God is summed up in Hebrews 11:1-3 "Faith
is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we
understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that
what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
Regarding
Hebrews Chapter 11, I encourage you to read the entire chapter. Read
it and meditate on each passage. Let it soak into your spirit. Let it
transform your mind. The entire chapter tells of both acts of faith
and the incredible rewards of faith. Just remember this, these people
were real people, just like you and me. What He did for them, He will
do for us.
To sum it up, if you want to see God move
supernaturally, trust Him, take Him at His Word, act on His Word and
just watch it happen. Read the Bible and do what the Word says.We
have faith in every area of our lives. When we sit, we have faith in
the chair that it will hold us. When we turn the air conditioner on,
we have faith that it will cool the air. When we board an airplane,
we have faith that it will fly. For that matter, when we board an
airplane, we have faith that the pilot knows how to fly the plane.
When it comes right down to it, we even have faith that there is a
pilot. Faith is not part of our foundation. Faith toward God is an
essential part of our foundation of Truth.
Baptisms
The
first question I hear is what do you mean, baptisms. You get dunked
or sprinkled and that's baptism, right? Well, the Bible mentions
seven different baptisms.
The baptisms I believe the Lord would
have me cover here, though, are three that are specifically pertinent
to new Christians. These are the baptism into Christ, the baptism of
John (or the baptism of repentance) and the baptism of the Holy
Spirit. The rest can be covered later.
Baptism
into Christ:
When
we receive Jesus as our Lord, we are baptized into Christ. We become
part of the body and, yes, we receive the Holy Spirit. Gal 3:27 "For
as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Also take a look at Rom 6:3,4 "Know ye not, that so many of us
as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as
Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even
so we also should walk in newness of life."
1 Cor
12:12,13, "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and
all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also
is
Christ. 13 For by
one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we
be Jews
or Gentiles, whether we
be bond
or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." and
Col 2:12 "Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen
with him
through the faith of
the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead."
We
are commanded to be baptized in water. When Paul was blinded and
Ananias came to him in Acts 9:17 Ananias says "Brother Saul, the
Lord Jesus has sent me so that you may regain your sight, and be
filled with the Holy Spirit." Vs 18, talking about Saul says,"
"And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales,
and he regained his sight, and he arose and was baptized."
First, Ananias regarded Saul as a Christian and calls him Brother.
Second Saul gets up and is baptized. Recounting this in Acts 22:16,
Paul repeats Ananias' words, "And now why do you delay? Arise,
and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name."
This is the baptism that John came preaching and Jesus continued. It
is an outward proclamation that we have made a decision to renounce
our former life and will seek a new life in Christ. After talking
about Noah and the flood, Peter says in 1 Peter 3:21 " And
corresponding to that, baptism now saves you - not the removal of
dirt from your flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience. -
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ." We have a double
symbol here. The flood symbolizes baptism and baptism symbolizes our
salvation. Baptism is a statement that says, "YES, I am
identified with the death of Christ." As we go into the water,
we are "buried with Christ". As we come out, we are
resurected, a new creature in Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17
One
passage that is often taken on its own, is Ephesians 4:1-6,
:Therefore
I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy
of the calling with which you have been called, 2
with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance
for one another in love, 3
being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace. 4
There
is
one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of
your calling; 5
one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6
one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in
all.” Well meaning believers claim that water baptism is the
“only” valid “baptism.” Verse five is
clearly a part of a call to Christian unity. This is the only
baptism that is “required” to be a member of the Body of
Christ. If you are baptized into Christ, you are my brother or
sister, period, regardless of your beliefs on other baptisms
mentioned in Scripture.
However,
there are several other baptisms mentioned in Scripture. This is why
I believe the list of “basic doctrines” includes the
“doctrine of baptisms.” Notice that “doctrine”
is singular while “baptisms” is plural. The most common
Scripture mentioned “baptism” that is strongly held onto
is the “Baptism in the Holy Spirit.”
Baptism
in the Holy Spirit:
When
Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of
a dove. Why???
John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit in
the womb of Elizabeth. I have no doubt that Jesus was likewise
filled. Why would Jesus need the Holy Spirit to descend upon Him when
he was baptized? The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the power of our
ministry. This marked the very beginning of Jesus' ministry, in which
He walked totally in the Spirit, just as we are told in Scripture to
do. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus did only what He saw the Father
doing. Only through the Holy Spirit did Jesus speak what He heard the
Father say. Jesus said we would do greater things than He, Himself,
did. John 14:12-14 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater
works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And
whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father
may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I
will do it." How? Walking in the Spirit, just as Jesus showed
us. The early disciples waited for it in Acts 1:5 and in Acts chapter
2, 120 of them received it. Peter recounts the Gentiles receiving the
Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues in Acts chapter 11 and remembers
the Word of the Lord in verse 16, "And I remembered the Word of
the Lord, how He used to say, `John baptized in water, but you shall
be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'"
Paul, in Acts chapter
19 asks the believers in Ephesus if they had received the Holy
Spirit. When they said no, he wanted to know what they were baptized
into. They had been baptized into the baptism of John. Paul explained
that John preached Jesus. When they heard this, verses 5 and 6
recount, "And when they heard this, they were baptized in the
name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the
Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began speaking with tongues and
prophesying." When Paul found that they had not received the
Holy Spirit, his first thing he wanted to know was what they were
baptized in. To him, it seemed matter of fact that if they received
Jesus, they should also receive the Holy Spirit. He explained Jesus
to them, they were baptized in the name of Jesus, he laid hands on
them and they received the Holy Spirit. They started speaking in
tongues and prophesying.
There are several other “baptisms”
mentioned in Scripture.
Baptism
of Naaman
in 2 Kings 5: This was appears to foreshadow of the “baptism
of repentance” or the “baptism of cleansing” or the
“baptism into Christ,” in which we are cleansed from the
sim that defiles us like Naaman's leprosy. Jesus mentioned this
event in Luke 4:27, but did not call it baptism.
The Baptism
into Moses:
1 Corinthians 10:1-4, “For
I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all
under the cloud and all passed through the sea; 2
and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3
and all ate the same spiritual food; 4
and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a
spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.”
I believe Paul is showing the similarity of Moses' exodus from Egypt
to our exodus from sin. This event was obviously Old Testament and,
I believe, foreshadows the baptism into Christ.
There are a
couple of baptisms that we hear little about, but was clearly
mentioned by Jesus Christ, Himself and we would be remiss if we
didn't mention them...
Baptism
in Fire:
Matthew 3:6-12, “But when he saw many of the Pharisees
and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of
vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8
"Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; 9
and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham
for our father'; for I say to you that from these stones God is able
to raise up children to Abraham. 10
"The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore
every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into
the fire. 11
"As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who
is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His
sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12
"His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear
His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but
He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
This
appears to be the alternative of the baptism of repentance. On the
one hand we have the baptism of water symbolizing repentance and
washing away our sins and on the other, we have the baptism of fire
that burns away those who are not baptized into Christ. However,
some do hold that this is a baptism to burn away the garbage in our
lives. I do agree that Christ, through the Holy Spirit, helps us
clean our pasts and our lives, but I'm not so convinced that this
verse is talking about the baptism of fire being for believers. It
looks to me that John is talking about a choice between heaven and
hell.
Nonetheless, some maintain that after we receive Christ,
we all must go through a purging process that will “burn away”
those practices that conflict with conduct becoming to the Gospel of
Christ. In other words, they maintain that if we don't give up the
ways of the world, Christ will burn them off. In my personal
experience, the Lord certainly does bring up and encourage me to lay
aside ways that detract from the Gospel, but I see a loving Lord,
helping one who was once a sinner to lay aside the ways of the world
and put on the new man, who was created when I received Jesus.
Consider the writings of Paul in Ephesians 4:22-24, “that, in
reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self,
which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23
and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24
and put on the new self, which in the
likeness of
God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”
I see encouragement and the helping hand of a Savior, either
personally or with the help of the body of Christ rather than a flame
thrower.
Baptism
of suffering:
Matthew
20:20-23, “Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus
with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him. 21
And He said to her, "What
do you wish?"
She *said to Him, "Command that in Your kingdom these two sons
of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left." 22
But Jesus answered, "You
do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I
am about to drink?"
They *said to Him, "We are able." 23
He *said to them, "My
cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My
left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has
been prepared by My Father."
(NASB)
The KJV renders this passage a little differently. “Then
came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons,
worshipping him,
and desiring a certain thing of him. 21
And
he said unto her, What
wilt thou?
She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on
thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. 22
But
Jesus answered and said, Ye
know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall
drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized
with?
They say unto him, We are able. 23
And
he saith unto them, Ye
shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I
am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not
mine to give, but
it
shall be given to them
for
whom it is prepared of my Father.” (KJV)
The
difference appears to be related to the earliest manuscripts, copies
of the Gospels that were written closer to the time of Christ's
death, that do not have the phrases about baptism. The KJB, the
Jubilee (a Jewish translation), Young's Literal Translation, the
Literal Translation, the Geneva Bible and some others include the
phrase “and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized
with” while the newer translations do not. Nonetheless, the
meaning of the passage is clear. The sons of Zebedee are destined to
drink the cup of suffering that some refer to as the “baptism
of suffering.” Some maintain that this was limited to these
apostles while others “count it a blessing” to share in
the sufferings of Jesus, quoting also 1 Peter 4:13, “but
to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on
rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may
rejoice with exultation.” (NASB) We see a lot of this in third
world countries and in missionary ventures from the time of Christ on
through even this day and age, to varying degrees. Even today,
people have been beaten or even killed merely for mentioning the Name
of Jesus or smuggling Bibles or various other “crimes”
against anti Christ regimes. Whether we call it a baptism or a cup
of suffering, it is clear that some Christians do share in the
sufferings of Christ and if we suffer in connection to the Gospel,
the rewards far outweigh anything we could ever suffer..
Laying on of Hands
The
laying on of hands is another foundational Doctrine that is
incredibly important.
The
laying on of hands is the Lord's most common method of transferring
power. The Apostles laid their hands on those they were sending
forth. Ananias laid his hands on Paul and Paul's eyes were healed.
Jesus laid hands on the sick and they recovered. Paul laid hands on
the Ephesians and they received the Holy Spirit. The practice of
laying on of hands can be boiled down to four separate purposes:
ordination, blessing, healing and the impartation of the Holy Spirit.
In actuality, all four of these areas involve the transference of the
Power of God.
Ordination:
From the Old Testament,
through the New Testament, laying on of hands was the how one was
ordained or consecrated for service. In Numbers 8:10, we see the
people of Israel instructed to lay hands on the Levites. The Levites
were being set apart for service. Deuteronomy 34:9, the Word of God
says Joshua was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had
laid his hands upon him. This refers to Deut. 31:14, where Moses was
instructed to get Joshua and present themselves at the tent of
meeting, where God commissioned Joshua. Moses laid his hands on
Joshua; God commissioned him. This is an important point. Although
Joshua had received the spirit of wisdom through the laying on of
Moses hands, it was God who commissioned Joshua to carry on with the
work He had given Moses. Joshua was ordained and consecrated for
service. Yes, but this is the Old Testament! Did they continue the
practice in the New Testament? After setting apart seven men who were
known to be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, in Acts 6:6, they
laid hands on them. In 1 Timothy 4:14, Paul talks to Timothy and
tells him not to neglect the gift which was given to Timothy when the
elders laid their hands on him. In 2 Tim 1:6, Paul talks to Timothy
about the gift he received through the laying on of Paul's
hands.
Blessing:
Joseph brought his sons, Ephraim
and Manasseh to his father, Israel (Jacob) to receive Israel's
blessing on them. In Genesis 48:14, Israel laid hands on them and
blessed them. Numerous other times, in the Old Testament, blessings
were given through the laying on of hands. Even Jesus used the laying
on of hands to give blessings. In Matthew 19:50 and Mark 10:13-16,
children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and
pray for them. Sermons, throughout the ages have been brought,
quoting Jesus in these verses as He said, "Let the little
children come to me and do not hinder them." Likewise, myriads
of sermons have been delivered, telling us that unless we receive the
kingdom of God as a child, we won't enter it. What was Jesus doing?
He was laying his hands on these children and blessing
them.
Healing:
Jesus practiced the laying on of
hands for healing. Even in his home town, where there was the
hindrance of lack of faith, Mark 6:5,6 says, "And he could there
do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk,
and healed them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief.
And he went round about the villages, teaching." Later, in Mark
7:32, Jesus uses the laying on of hands to heal a deaf and dumb man.
In Luke 4:40, Jesus was laying hands on all who were brought to Him
and they were healed. In Luke 13:13 a woman had a sickness caused by
a spirit. Jesus laid hands on her and healed her.
Laying on of
hands was to be practiced by the church. This is seen in Mark
16:15-18, "And he said unto them, Go ye
into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And
these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they
cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They
shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall
not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover. 19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he
was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And
they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with
them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen."”
Notice in verse 18, Jesus says they shall lay hands on the sick and
they shall recover. Notice also in verse 20, that they went forth,
preached the Gospel and the Lord worked with them, confirming the
word with signs. If the great commission to "Go ye into all the
world, and preach the Gospel to every creature" is true, I would
think "they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover"
is also true. In fact, personally, I think this should be normal
practice in the church until we have finished going into all the
world.
This practice was common in the early church. Even at
the end of Acts, we see that Paul prayed and then laid hands on the
father of Publius and healed him. Acts 28:8.
Impartation
of the Holy Spirit:
There are several accounts in the book of
Acts telling us that people received the Holy Spirit. This didn't
require the laying on of hands, as evidenced in Acts 10:44. In this
passage, Peter was still preaching and those he was preaching to
received the Holy Spirit while he was still preaching. They hadn't
even been baptized in water yet. Most scholars agree that God did
this as a sign to Peter, showing him that God had, indeed, accepted
the Gentiles also. It astonished those Jews who were with Peter, as
well as Peter, himself. Still, it seems the normal practice was to
lay hands on people, that they would receive the Holy Spirit. This is
seen in Acts 8:14-17. The apostles had heard that Samaria had
received the Word of God and made a special trip to come down and
pray for the believers. They prayed and when they laid hands on them,
they received the Holy Spirit.
Conclusion:
Whether
it be the Holy Spirit, healing, blessing or ordination, God moved in
a mighty way through the "laying on of hands." It should be
a normal part of the believer's experience. The only admonition is
given to Timothy in 1 Tim 5:22. Paul tells Timothy to not lay hands
on anyone hastily and share in their sins. Perhaps this is why Peter
prayed first and then laid hands on people. Personally, I believe
Paul was talking about ordaining people to the Lord's work. As for
me, I don't lay hands on anyone before I pray and ask the Lord what
He wants to do. Through the laying on of hands, I, personally, have
seen quite a number of healings, even feeling fevers leave under my
hand, by the Power of God, my Messiah and Savior.
Resurrection of the Dead
While
I was a teenager, through Viet Nam and for a while after Viet Nam, I
had received the deception that when I die, oh well, that's all there
is. What brought me to search for truth is the question, "Is
this all there is?" Once I found Jesus, in May of 1974, I found
that life as I knew it, was just a beginning. Scripture, which I
found trustworthy, had shown me that God had not created me to die,
but to live eternally. Is there a resurrection? Let's check it
out.
Scripture abounds with references to life after the
grave. Let's just quote a few of these references, starting with
Psalms 40:15, "But God will redeem my soul from the power of the
grave: for he shall receive me." The message is clear. God will
redeem my soul from the grave.
Jesus spoke often about the
resurrection. In John 5:25, Jesus talks about the there being a time
coming when the dead would hear. In John 6:40, Jesus says, "And
this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the
Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will
raise him up at the last day."
When Jesus' friend
Lazarus died, the discussion between Jesus and Martha is quite
interesting. It is found in John 11:17-25 "Then when Jesus came,
he found that he had lain in the grave four days already. 18
Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs
off: 19 And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to
comfort them concerning their brother. 20 Then Martha, as soon as she
heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still
in the house. 21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst
been here, my brother had not died. 22 But I know, that even now,
whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. 23
Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise
again. 24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise
again in the resurrection at the last day. 25 Jesus said unto her, I
am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he
were dead, yet shall he live:". Martha's brother,
Lazarus, was dead and laying in a tomb. Jesus had just told her in
John 11:23 that her brother would rise again. In verse 24, Martha
tells Jesus that she believes in the resurrection. In verse 24, Jesus
says, "I am the resurrection"
Paul, making his
defense to Felix, said, in Acts 24:15, that he has the hope of the
resurrection. This was right after saying that he believed everything
that agrees with the Law and is written in the prophets. Later, in 2
Corinthians 4:14, Paul says, "Knowing that he which raised up
the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us
with you."
Paul even explains the resurrection in 1
Thessalonians 4:13-18, "But I would not have you to be ignorant,
brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even
as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that
Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of
the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming
of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord
himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall
rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the
air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one
another with these words."
Is there a resurrection? You
bet there is! Comparing this life with eternity is like comparing a
grain of sand to a beach. How many times do we hold onto that grain
of sand and throw away the whole beach. Knowing that there is a
resurrection brings things into perspective. As for me, I'll go after
the beach. I've decided to go after eternal life with Christ. In His
grace, He has blessed my grain of sand also. As Jesus said in Luke
18:29,30, "And he said unto them, Verily I
say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or
brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake,
30 Who shall not receive manifold more
in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting."
As for me, I choose LIFE!
Eternal Judgment
Books
can be and have been written about the Judgment of God. The
realization of the coming judgment is one of the main things that
will bring us to Christ. I tend to preach the Love of Jesus and how
Jesus wants to save us and be our friend, but we cannot forget what
He is saving us from. Yes, He saves us from alcoholism, drugs,
perversion and any other sin, but the main thing is that He saves us
from hell, itself. One thing is absolutely clear. There is a judgment
coming!
Actually, there will be two judgments. One to separate
the believers from the unbelievers and one to judge the believers
works. Don't be willingly ignorant of God's judgment. IT IS
COMING!
2 Peter 3:3-7 tells us, "Knowing this first, that
there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own
lusts, 4And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the
fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they
were from
the beginning of the creation. 5 For this they willingly are ignorant
of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth
standing out of the water and in the water: 6Whereby the world that
then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7 But the heavens
and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store,
reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of
ungodly men."
When we look at the original language,
Greek, where the KJB says they are willingly ignorant, they are
"willingly unaware." They choose to be unaware that the
Lord is coming back to judge the world. It's kind of like being
willingly unaware that there are any automobiles on the highway and
standing in the middle of it. Why would we do that? For the joy of
dodging cars??? A good friend of mine used to do something I thought
was pretty dumb. He would put one hand on the table, throw a knife
with the other hand and stick it between his fingers. I guess he
liked living dangerously. When he was showing me, though, he missed.
It hurt. He took a chance for the thrill of taking a chance and ended
up hurting himself. Sin is quite similar, only much more deadly. We
play with sin because it feels good or we just want to do whatever WE
want to do. There is only one penalty for sin, though. A lot of
people think that if you tell a little lie, you get slapped on the
hand and if you murder someone, you die. Not so! Scripturally, if you
fail on one point, you are not guilty of murder, or stealing, or
lying; you are guilty of breaking the law. For that there is only one
penalty, death. Consider James 2:10-11, “For
whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point,
he
has become guilty of all. 11
For
He who said, "DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY," also said, "DO
NOT COMMIT MURDER." Now if you do not commit adultery, but do
commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.”
Jesus
made no bones about Judgmet. Judgment is coming and the wicked will
be separated from the righteous. Mat 25:31-34 "When
the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with
him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32
And
before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them
one from another, as a shepherd divideth his
sheep
from the goats: 33
And
he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34
Then
shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of
my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world: "
The
writer of Hebrews simply says in Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is
appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:"
Jude goes further saying, "And Enoch also, the seventh from
Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten
thousands of his saints, 15 To execute judgment upon all, and to
convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds
which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches
which ungodly
sinners have spoken against him."
Jude 14,15 is a key
passage in figuring out the end time events and what order they will
happen in, but here, I would like to focus on the fact that the Lord
is coming with ten thousands of His saints. There is another
"judgment" that will take place before this can happen. The
saints must be judged also.
Jesus says in Matthew 16:26,27,
"For
what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose
his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
27 For
the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels;
and then he shall reward every man according to his works."
Paul
explains in 2 Corinthians 5:9,10, "Wherefore we labour, that,
whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. 10 For we must
all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may
receive the things done
in his
body, according to
that he hath done, whether it
be good
or bad." Notice that Paul says "…we
must all appear . ."
Paul wrote most of the New Testament. If he is going to stand before
Christ, I really don't think we are going to escape having our works,
good or bad, judged.
If you are in Christ, though, take heart.
Peter tells us in 2 Pet 2:9 "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the
godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of
judgment to be punished:" And John says in 1 John 4:17, "Herein
is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of
judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.;" If we are
walking in God's love we shouldn't have any problems with the
judgment between the saved and the unsaved.
Just be aware that
the Judgment of our works is why we must "work out our own
salvation with fear and trembling" as Paul says in Philippians
2:12,13, "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not
as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out
your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which
worketh in you both to will and to do of his
good
pleasure."
James 2:8-13 "If ye fulfil the royal law
according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself,
ye do well: 9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and
are convinced of the law as transgressors. 10 For whosoever shall
keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point,
he is guilty of all. 11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery,
said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou
kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak ye, and
so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For he
shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy; and
mercy rejoiceth against judgment."
ABOVE ALL ELSE, WALK
IN LOVE!