The Power of His Resurrection
Hunt, DaveJanuary 1, 2009
| Paul's prayer for the Ephesian believers is very specific. He asks God to bestow upon them a deeper knowledge and understanding of Christ that we do well to seek for ourselves. This is not something that one can learn in a seminary or even in a Bible study or from reading devotional books. Paul's desire for them was that they would willingly receive from God "the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ" (Eph 1:17-23). Specifically, Paul prays that they would know the "exceeding greatness" of the power that God wanted to demonstrate in their lives. His explanation of this power is most instructive. Paul tells us about it in Philippians 3. It was, in fact, what he desired so much for himself. He called it the "power of his resurrection" and declared: "[Oh] that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus." Was Paul uncertain of his salvation, concerned that he might not qualify for the resurrection of believers at the Rapture? Hardly! He is telling us that the Resurrection of Christ is not only a historical event that we look back to with satisfaction and joy. It is the greatest event in the history (past, present, or future) of the entire cosmos! The greatest event that the universe will ever see is also one of the most difficult to understand. We mention it so casually, but here is the hinge upon which all history hangs and is forever divided. The division of time ought to be not only BC (Before Christ) and AD (meaning After Christ); it ought to be BR (Before the Resurrection) and AR (After the Resurrection). With modern telescopes and the means of apparently probing farther into space than ever before, David's words in Psalm 19 take on deeper meaning: "The heavens declare the glory of God...." Creation is the greatest visible expression of power, and we bow in awe and worship when we think of the infinite God behind all that we can see. But Paul says that is nothing in comparison to the power displayed in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and this is the great power that Paul desired for the Ephesians to experience in their daily lives. In fact, Paul tells us that the Resurrection is the greatest display of God's power ever to be demonstrated, nor can it ever be surpassed. We need to understand why this is so and why Paul prayed as he did. After all, "In [Christ] was life" (Jn 1:4). Jesus said, "I have power (dunamis) to lay down [my life] and...to take it again. This commandment have I received from my Father." (Jn 10:18) Then why did it take such power to raise Christ from the dead? During His life on earth and before His own resurrection, Christ had raised many from the dead. Those resurrected, such as Lazarus (Jn 11:1-43) and the widow of Nain's son (Lk 7:11-16), died again after some days or years, to await the resurrection of all believers at the Rapture. How could the Giver of life, by whom all things were created (Jn 1:3), be killed? Here we have a seeming contradiction. Christ himself said, "No man taketh my life from me...I lay it down of myself" (Jn 10:18). Yet Peter indicts the Jews with having killed Jesus: whom "ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain" (Acts 2:23). In addressing the rabbinical council, Stephen uses even stronger language: "of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers..." (Acts 7:52). The answer to the question of why it took the greatest power ever displayed to raise Christ from the dead can only be found in relation to the death He died. God had declared that the penalty for sin is death, which is eternal separation from Him. Isn't that rather harsh? Adam and Eve were driven out from the garden paradise by their Creator, who had placed them there, for the seemingly minor infraction of eating some fruit. How could that be worthy of eternal punishment? We have such a careless view of sin, looking at the act alone and forgetting against whom the act was committed. The sin of Adam and Eve was not merely eating the forbidden fruit. It was deliberate defiance of and rebellion against the One who had created them and the entire universe. From our viewpoint, David's sin of adultery, murder, and lying was far more reprehensible. But David knew what sin was: "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight" (Ps 51:4). At its heart, sin is deliberate treason, open and defiant rebellion against the Creator and Ruler of the universe. We need to remember this fact. Most Christians who, when convicted by conscience, fall on their faces and confess their sins are not really confessing the horror of what they've done. It is not enough to repent of the deed. We must confess also that, no matter how trivial we think the act was, we have repeated Adam and Eve's treason against the Lord God. Without that admission deeply felt as a conviction in our hearts, the confession is incomplete. Now we begin to understand why it took the "exceeding greatness of God's power" to raise Christ from the dead. The hymn writer put it well, "'Twas our sins' vast load that laid Thee, Lord of life, within the grave." What does that mean? How could our sins have been laid upon the sinless Christ? This certainly was not accomplished by Pilate's condemnation of Christ nor in the scourging and being nailed to a cross by godless Roman soldiers. Yet this is what that unbiblical film, The Passion of the Christ, portrayed-and it was praised by thousands of evangelicals including hundreds of leaders. What really happened on the Cross not only could not be portrayed in a movie but by omission was denied. Isaiah wrote, "It pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin" (Isaiah 53:10). Clearly, what men did to Christ had no part at all in the Lord's bruising Him and making His soul a sacrifice for sin. There is a moral and spiritual dimension to sin that Christ had to endure for every individual, and none other could. Not only did our Savior have to be perfectly sinless to pay for the sins of others but He had to be infinite. No one less than God could accomplish this satisfaction of justice. But the penalty had been pronounced against mankind. Thus, God, though infinite, could not pay that penalty unless, without ceasing to be God, He became fully man. This is what the one and only virgin birth was all about. Atheists complain that it would be unjust for an innocent party to pay the penalty for the guilty. That would be true were it not for another dimension to the Cross. For those who believe, God considers Christ's death and resurrection to be as their own. A miraculous inner transformation occurs, which Christ promised and which He called being "born again" (Jn 3:3-16). That's not a cliché but reality. Pilate could not have known what he was saying when he presented Christ to the howling mob: "Behold the man!" This was man as God had intended him to be. Paul called Him the "second man" and also the "last Adam" (1 Cor 15:45-47). In other words, from Adam, freshly created by the hand of God in the Garden, to Jesus, the last Adam, freshly formed in the womb of a virgin, there was no one of whom it could be said, "Behold the man as God intended him to be." "Sins' vast load," which would have held mankind in the Lake of Fire forever, could be fully endured by the infinite One upon the Cross, where He stood between God and Man. If Infinite Justice had not been satisfied through Christ's full payment for our sins, He could not have come out of that grave. The penalty for sin is eternal banishment from God's presence and from His entire universe into the Lake of Fire. That is what high treason against the Creator of all merits in His court. One of the greatest horrors of the Lake of Fire will be the fact that even in that place of torment, these haters of God find no escape from Him. He is there in the consciences of the damned, consciences that will no longer find any excuse behind which to hide. There will be no escape from the truth they rejected, and that will haunt them eternally. David said, "If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there" (Ps 139:8). It would be impossible for any finite being to pay the infinite penalty demanded by God's infinite justice. No man attempting to pay for his own sins could ever finally say, as Christ declared in triumph on the Cross, "It is finished! The debt has been paid." But the penalty must be paid in full. How else can the prison gates of justice be torn open? In the Book of Job we get some inkling of the very real struggle between Satan and God for the cosmos. "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them" (Job 1:6). In that amazing account, we are given an insight into what is involved in this battle between God and Satan. It is a conflict of cosmic proportions for control of the universe, and man is the prize that both sides seek. This is a very real battle for man's heart and affection. Nor is there any guarantee that God will triumph in every individual case. With the gift of free will, every man has an individual choice to make concerning which side he will join in this battle. Christians have a vital role to play in Satan's ultimate defeat: "They overcame [that old serpent, the Devil - Rev 12:9] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death" (Rev 12:11). With the love of Christ in our hearts, we follow the example that Christ himself left to us: "Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously" (1 Pt 2:21-25). Satan continues to enter God's presence boldly, as he did in Job's day. How do we know? He still accuses the brethren before the throne of God day and night and will do so to the very end (Rev 12:10). As we've said before (and it bears repeating), Satan is like a lame duck president. He can still walk the corridors of power unopposed and wield considerable influence behind the scenes. He has not yet been thrown out of heaven, but that day is coming soon: There was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Rev 12:7-9) How will Satan finally be cast out? An old hymn expresses clearly and beautifully what scripture portrays: "In weakness like defeat, He won the victor's crown; Trod all our foes beneath His feet by being trodden down. He Satan's power laid low; Made sin, He sin o'erthrew. Bowed to the grave, destroyed it so, and death, by dying, slew." Satan cannot understand how Christ, through meekness and seeming weakness, could triumph over him. Everything about the Cross confuses him. First he inspired Peter to prevent Christ from going to the Cross: "Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee" (Mat 16:21-22). We know that Satan inspired Peter because of Christ's reply: "Get thee behind me, Satan." Then he inspired Judas to betray Jesus to the rabbis so that they could have Him crucified: "Satan entered into him [Judas]" (Jn 13:27). Satan doesn't understand to this day. In my opinion, Satan really thinks he could be the final victor in this battle for the hearts and minds of mankind. And why not? He offers what he has trained man's greed and lust to desire: wealth, possessions, hedonistic pleasure, free sex, popularity, fame, drugs and alcohol in abundance, and satisfaction of every lustful desire. Yet multitudes choose instead to follow Christ, though He offers hatred and rejection by the world, with persecution and suffering-but eternity in His presence, where there is true happiness: "In thy presence, is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11). And what of those who make the wrong choice and opt to join Satan in committing treason? God does not take pleasure in punishing the wicked (Eze 33:11), but each one's punishment must be suited to the crime. When one reads what the atheist leaders say about God in blatant and defiant rebellion, we know they would tear Him from His throne if they could. They hate God. It is clear that torment for eternity in the Lake of Fire for their treason will at last be the reaping of what they have sowed. Consider the following from Richard Dawkins, leader of the New Atheist movement, in a debate with John Lennox, a fervent Christian, also an Oxford professor and scientist with two earned Ph.D.s, who in his closing remarks testified to his faith in Christ and to our Lord's resurrection: "Yes, well, that concluding bit," said Dawkins, lips curled in contempt, voice dripping with venom, "rather gives the game away, doesn't it? All that stuff about science and physics...that's all very grand and wonderful, and then suddenly we come down to the resurrection of Jesus. It's so petty, it's so trivial, it's so local, it's so earthbound, it's so unworthy of the universe." Yet God calls the Resurrection the greatest display that could ever be known of His majesty and power. How pitiful is this vitriolic outburst from Dawkins! This pagan, who obviously worships creation instead of its Creator (Rom 1:21-23), is beside himself with rage. This expression of his hatred of God will mock him eternally (Prov 1:20-33), while heaven will ring with the eternal yet ever new song of praise to God and the Lamb: "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing." TBC Quotable The Word of God is quite sufficient to interest and bless the souls of men throughout all time; but novelties soon fail. "Surely," cries one, "we must add our own thoughts thereto." My brother, think by all means; but the thoughts of God are better than yours. You may shed fine thoughts as trees in the autumn cast their leaves; but there is One who knows more about your thoughts than you do, and He thinks little of them. "The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity." To liken our thoughts to the great thoughts of God would be a gross absurdity. Would you bring your candle to show the sun? your nothingness to replenish the eternal all? It is better to be silent before the Lord, than to dream of supplementing what He has written. The Greatest Fight in the World:C.H. Spurgeon's "Final Manifesto," 12-13 Q&A Question: Sam Harris (one of "The Four Horsemen" leading the "New Atheists") writes: "According to the most common interpretation of biblical prophecy, Jesus will return only after things have gone horribly awry....It is therefore not an exaggeration to say that if the city of New York were suddenly replaced by a ball of fire, some significant percentage of the American population would see a silver lining in the subsequent mushroom cloud, as it would suggest to them that the best thing that is ever going to happen was about to happen: the return of Christ." Why would Jesus have to use some huge catastrophe in order to make his appearance on earth? And why would Christians rejoice over such a tragedy, with complete disregard for the lives lost? Response: In more than 50 years of speaking at prophecy conferences and both reading and writing many bestselling prophecy books, I have never encountered Harris's bizarre idea. He displays the grossest ignorance of the Bible I have ever seen, especially from someone who claims to know it and who dares to ridicule it. Where did Harris get this "most common interpretation of biblical prophecy"? It contradicts the Bible and maligns God's character and that of Christians! A tiny fringe group of Christians may hold such an unbiblical and God-dishonoring view. No Christian would rejoice at the destruction of New York or any other city. Statements like these erode any confidence one might have otherwise had in the accuracy of Harris's accusations. Could his books be worth reading? A major mistake is his failure to distinguish between the Rapture (which occurs during a time of false peace and prosperity and takes true Christians to heaven) and the Second Coming (when Christ rescues Israel at Armageddon and destroys those who are attacking to destroy her). The Great Tribulation ends in the siege of Jerusalem. At that time there could be a nuclear exchange. This is not, however, a necessary condition for the Second Coming. Question: Sam Harris argues, "The idea that the Bible is a perfect guide to morality is simply astounding, given the contents of the book....We must also stone people to death for heresy, adultery, homosexuality, working on the Sabbath, worshipping graven images, practicing sorcery, and a wide variety of other imaginary crimes. Here is just one example of God's timeless wisdom: 'If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, "Let us go and serve other gods,"...you shall not yield to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him; but you shall kill him, your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people'" (Deuteronomy 13:6, 9). This is supposed to represent a "loving God?" How can you defend this? Response: As usual, this criticism from Harris displays his ignorance of the Bible and leaves common sense far behind. It also reveals an open hostility, prejudice, and an unwillingness to have his ignorance remedied. He is not interested in truth but only in tearing down the Bible and turning as many people against it as he possibly can. First of all, these commands were for Israel, not for any other nation, either then or since: "He hath not dealt so with any other nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them" (Ps 147:19-20). Israel has a special relationship with God: "The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth." He commanded Israel to obey His laws and warned that if they persisted in rebellion He would cast them out of the land He had given to them and would scatter them to every part of the earth. They would be hated, persecuted, and slaughtered unmercifully, suffering more than any other people in history. Dozens of prophecies written 2-3,000 years ago accurately foretold the Holocaust and also Islam's attempt to destroy Israel today. On the basis alone of fulfilled prophecies concerning Israel, we have more than sufficient proof of the existence of God to convince anyone who is willing to face the truth. "The God of Israel" (an expression found 203 times in the Bible) promised that He would not let the Jews be wiped out. He would preserve a remnant and, in the "last days," gradually restore them to their rightful land, though surrounded by enemies vastly outnumbering them and bent on their destruction. In this remarkable prophecy God has linked Himself eternally with Israel. What an embarrassment it would be to the "God of Israel" if Israel no longer existed! Do you want to prove that God does not exist? Then wipe out the Jews. To do that you would have to wipe out Israel. I pity any man or nation that tries! As for the penalties that God prescribes, which Harris imagines reveal God to be a monster, governments in every culture have by necessity dealt severely with those who attempt to overthrow them. This is high treason, and the penalty is death. If God exists and is truly the Creator, then surely He, more than any earthly government, is entitled to make the rules. This He has done by establishing physical laws that hold the universe together, and then by writing moral laws in every conscience. What Harris lists are all acts of treason against the Lord of the universe. Yet the Creator is not allowed to mete out severe punishment, including the death penalty, against rebels guilty of intending to overthrow His rule? Satan was the first to commit high treason, and he apparently took one-third of the angels with him. God is patient in His dealings with men, but those who persist in rebellion, as do atheists such as Harris, will, unless they repent, be banished from God's universe, and consigned to the Lake of Fire eternally. (See TBC, 4/08 article ; 6/08 Q&A for what that means.) Treason committed by humans will be tolerated for a time, perhaps even for the whole of one's life—but after death comes judgment. Question: Sam Harris writes, "Every devout Muslim has the same reasons for being a Muslim that you have for being a Christian. And yet, you do not find their reasons compelling. The Koran repeatedly declares that it is the perfect word of the creator of the universe....Can you prove that Allah is not the one true God? Can you prove that the archangel Gabriel did not visit Muhammad in his cave? Of course not!" How can one tell which "holy book" is true and which is not? Isn't it one man's word against another man's? Response: We can prove that each of Islam's claims is false. Harris displays abysmal ignorance both of Christianity and of Islam. There are many profound differences and only a few superficial similarities. The "God of Israel" inspired 40 different prophets over a period of 1,600 years to write the Bible. Most of them never met any of the others, yet their prophecies all agree with and supplement one another. There are no prophecies in the Qur'an, any more than in the Hindu Vedas or sayings of Buddha. Every one of the 40 biblical prophets has 39 independent witnesses, most of whom lived in different cultures and times in history and never even met one another, yet their testimonies agree. This is a powerful witness to the truth of the Bible. For the veracity of the Qur'an, there is only one—Muhammad. He began his career with more than 20 murders and perpetuated his power by murdering thousands more through disciples following his example. This evil continued until his death. Islamic historians admit that far from dying like Jesus Christ as a willing sacrifice, Muhammad died ignominiously, poisoned by the widow whose husband he had murdered. Christians have a multiplicity of prophecies and witnesses, testifying to Christ's sinlessness. The Qur'an itself urges Muhammad to confess his sins, but, at the same time, it admits the sinlessness of Jesus Christ. Proof of the Bible is found in hundreds of prophecies recorded centuries before their fulfillment. The Qur'an has none. Many eyewitnesses have attested to the fact of Christ's resurrection. Some of the greatest legal minds and many historians declare that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is established on such solid evidence that it would stand up in any court. Islam has nothing comparable. Question: In Christopher Hitchens's God Is Not Great, he says that the magnificent, irreducible complexity of the human eye is not evidence for a Creator but cites "the ineptitude of its 'design'" as proof for evolution. He quotes Dr. Michael Shermer, who claims that "a simple eyespot with a handful of light-sensitive cells...developed into a recessed eyespot...then into a pinhole camera eye...then into a pinhole lens...then into a complex eye." Shermer goes on to say: "The anatomy of the human eye, in fact, shows anything but 'intelligence' in its design. It is built upside down and backwards, requiring photons of light to travel through the cornea, lens, aquaeous fluid, blood vessels, ganglion cells, amacrine cells, horizontal cells, and bipolar cells before they reach the light-sensitive rods and cones that transduce the light signal into neural impulses—which are then sent to the visual cortex at the back of the brain...." Hitchens says, "It is because we evolved from sightless bacteria, now found to share our DNA, that we are so myopic...we must never forget Charles Darwin's injunction that even the most highly evolved of us will continue to carry 'the indelible stamp of their lowly origin.'" My question is: For optimal vision, why would an intelligent designer have built an eye upside down and backwards? Response: I have a question first of all for Hitchens. Can he prove that we "evolved" from sightless bacteria? It is true that we all share the same DNA alphabet, even with carrots and garden slugs; but human DNA is far more complex. Nor is DNA all that makes us human and separates us from all lower creatures. What part of the DNA spells out appreciation for poetry, the ability to compose an opera, or to write like Shakespeare or Dickens? Where does the DNA spell out the genius to define the mathematics to engineer the construction of a high-rise building or to design the space capsule that landed on the moon? None of these abilities comes from DNA, nor even from the brain, but from the nonphysical mind. Hitchens is determined to support his atheism at any cost, and that makes him so eager to accept anything that seems to do so that he is blind to the many facts to the contrary. The truth is that Shermer, upon whom Hitchens relies, has the facts twisted. He recites the standard theory of evolutionists concerning the origin of the eye from "a simple eyespot with a handful of light-sensitive cells...then into a pinhole camera eye...then into a pinhole lens...then into a complex eye." Evolutionists all repeat this same recital as though it has been established by fossils, but that is far from the case. It doesn't take a genius to realize that this is pure speculation. A child could ask simple questions that neither Shermer nor Hitchens could answer: What is an eyespot? How did it develop? Many cells on our body are "light sensitive" but none of them will turn into an eye-why this one? How and why did it develop a "recessed eyespot"? How did it make the huge leaps from "eyespot" to a "pinhole camera eye" then into a "pinhole lens"-and how could it have been called a "camera" before it had a "lens"? At what point did these partial developments begin to benefit the organism enough to aid in its survival? How did they avoid being wiped out by natural selection before they became part of a functioning whole? As for the eye being badly designed, ophthalmic scientists have denounced this idea. Dr. George Marshall, for example, Sir Jules Thorn Lecturer in Ophthalmic Science, University of Glasgow, declares: "The [belief] that the eye is wired backward comes from a lack of knowledge of eye function and anatomy.... [T]he nerves could not go behind the eye, because that space is reserved for the choroid, which provides the rich blood supply needed for the very metabolically active retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). This is necessary to regenerate the photoreceptors, and to absorb excess heat. So...the nerves [must] go in front instead. "Inverted wiring is necessary for vertebrate eyes to work...the direct opposite of what evolutionists claim would be the 'correct' wiring. [In fact], the evolutionists' claim is actually undercut by their own assessment of squid eyes, which despite being 'wired correctly,' don't see as well as vertebrate eyes.... "Interestingly, anyone with excellent eyesight is said to have 'eyes like a hawk,' which are 'backwardly wired,' not 'eyes like a squid.' The excellent sight provided by these allegedly 'wrongly wired' eyes makes [evolutionists'] objections absurd.... [The] claim that the nerves obstruct the light has been falsified by very new research by scientists at Leipzig University.... "Not only is the inverted wiring of our eyes a good design, necessary for proper functioning, [but] it is also coordinated with an ingenious fibre optic plate. So the vertebrate eye has the advantage of a rich blood supply behind the receptors without the disadvantage of nerves blocking out light. Such fine coordination of parts makes sense with a Master Coordinator, while it's a puzzle for evolutionists." (http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/5214/#endref1 ) News Alert Seattle Times, 12/2/08: A group of atheists filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to remove part of a state anti-terrorism law that requires Kentucky's Office of Homeland Security to acknowledge it can't keep the state safe without God's help. The plaque, posted at the Kentucky Emergency Operations Center in Frankfort, includes the Bible verse: "Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." State Rep. David Floyd, R-Bardstown, said the preamble to the Kentucky constitution references a people "grateful to almighty God," so he said he sees no constitutional violation in enlisting God in the state's homeland security efforts. "God help us if we don't," he said. Letters Dear Dave and T.A., I want to tell you how much I have enjoyed Dave's many books, as well as the articles by T.A. and Dave....After examining every criticism you guys receive (in the published letters), I have yet to read a single valid concern about anything you have written in either book or newsletter. Though I am a Calvinist, I dearly love both of you, pray for your continued healing, and I truly hope that I will enjoy literary gems (by both of you) for many years to come!...I am currently re-reading one of Dave's books from 1983, Peace, Prosperity, and the Coming Holocaust. As Mr. Hunt predicted, the New Age movement has thoroughly integrated its pagan agenda into American life in every conceivable way. Thank you kindly for your wonderful ministry. The Lord Jesus/Almighty Father/precious Holy Spirit is glorified. DW (NY) Dear Dave, Just a note to say thank you for all you and T.A. do: for pointing me to the Bereans as a guide to discernment of all the false teaching that is afoot. I was a cop for 23 years and had to read the law and apply it. Your clear logic in reading Scripture as it is written, and calling attention to man's twisting of the Gospel is amazing. WM (email) Dear Dave, Thank you for your ongoing ministry. It is a real light in ever-increasing darkness descending on the church around the world. I'll be using the September...article on Rick Warren to convince my friends not to have his "Purpose" programmes or books, etc., at their churches. It is interesting that in the Bible it talks about how people will talk of "Peace" yet all around them is calamity. LA (Australia) Hello Mr. Hunt, I just wanted to show my appreciation for your ministry. You are a blessing to the Christian community. I'm only 20 years old and I search for your clips on YouTube, Google, and AOL almost every day. I wanted to personally tell you how much your work means to me. You're a true man of God, and people like you I wish could live forever. Keep the faith, and be in good health. SW (email) Dear Dave, I...just wanted to encourage you, as your ministry has been such a blessing over the years. I live in an area in the UK where it is either spiritually dead or biblically way off. We sometimes feel so alone, and without your Berean ministry would feel even more cut off. I thank you for your faithfulness to the Word and your adherence to the true gospel. We pray for the healing of both yourself and T.A. McMahon. God bless you all at TBC. CR (United Kingdom) Dear Dave, I would like to commend you for staying the course and for "earnestly contending for the faith..." as Jude said....It disturbs me somewhat to read of some of your disgruntled readers who seek to chastise you and want to exit themselves from your mailing list. It shows a lack of true spiritual discernment of the Scriptures and a carnal spirit evoked by who knows what? I can testify that for the 20 years that I have been reading The Berean Call, I have yet to find one item where I disagree with your teaching as regarding the Scriptures. I have many of your books and appreciate them, too. I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior at 11 years of age. Our family was attending a denominational-type church where I never heard the way of Salvation. We were introduced to a home Bible study, which eventually led me and our family to a Brethren assembly where we learned the truths which you teach. I am now 89 years old and am an elder in our assembly and still teach the unvarnished truth that you are upholding. It does my heart good to read your paper month by month and still see that you hold fast as the Bereans did. I pray that God will give you physical and spiritual strength to continue your efforts until we hear the shout and we are taken up! "Wherefore comfort one another with these words" (1 Thes 4:18). EB (NY) Dear Friends at TBC, Greetings, and thank you for all you've done for me. Last Sunday I had the privilege of giving a 20-minute message in church. I preached on A.A....I've never gotten a response like this message got. People either loved it, eyes were opened, or they hated it. Several people even stomped out of the room....I really appreciate your prayers. LB (prisoner, NE) Dear Dave and Tom, I value and appreciate your ministry so far greater now than I did 20 years ago when I began reading your newsletter. Because of your steadfast dedication to hold everything up to the light of Scripture, I see how vitally crucial this is, and seek to do the same....Please know that I am sincere in saying that my relationship with God has deepened and become dearer to me as a result of the impact of your ministry, The Berean Call, and that is priceless. DS (CA) TBC Notes A Physically Finer 2009er Dave and I are looking forward, by the grace of our merciful Lord, to a healthier year ahead. Dave's recovery from a series of physical afflictions and medical procedures has been slow, but his definite progress has been encouraging. The primary hurdle remains a lack of stability due to increased nerve damage suffered from replacing an earlier hip replacement that deteriorated. We are praying that a physical therapy regimen and lots of walking will solve the stability problem. My season of affliction, resulting in four surgeries over a six-month period, came to a very good ending last month. All the procedures, from a large (benign!) tumor removal, to a temporary ileostomy, to months of self-catheterizing, to putting me back together, by the Lord's mercy were very successful. As Dave mentioned the other day, he believes the Lord has more for us to do. That would seem to be the case, because throughout all of the above, and by His wonderful grace, we've been no less productive and fruitful than any year previous to 2008. We both are humbled and deeply thankful for your outpouring of prayers on our behalf. Executive Director T.A. McMahon Extra What a Friend We Have in Jesus Oh the glorious truth of it! Jesus is our faithful and true Friend. He is our "Brother born for adversity" (Proverbs 17:17). He is the great King and God and Creator, and yet He is desirous to be our Friend! Earthly friends will fail us, and do. We fail our own friends. Because of unfaithfulness on the part of the children of men, true friends are hard to come by and will all eventually fail. But Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, the One who purchased our pardon at Calvary, will be your Friend if you will trust in Him. So often we forget about all that we have in Christ and that we are blessed beyond measure in Him in whom we are complete. We who have received the Lord Jesus into our hearts are the children of the One who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, who declares: "the world is Mine." He owns the universe and has promised to give us all things, and yet we usually live in poverty—spiritual poverty. The biblical command in Philippians 4 is that we should let our moderation be known unto all men, showing that the Lord is at hand. He is near and ready to deliver, but He awaits our call for that deliverance. God reigns in heaven looking down upon us, desirous every moment to show Himself strong on our behalf, but we, in our shortsightedness and faithlessness and carefulness, will not come unto Him that we might have life and deliverance from all of our afflictions and troubles: "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lorddelivereth Him out of them all" (Psalm 34:19). So many troubles encompass the saints, and we get bogged down and discouraged under their weight, and it shows up in our countenances, conversations, and lifestyles. It was never the will of God for His people to be discouraged, downcast, fretful, murmuring and complaining. Yet He has seen fit for us to suffer the afflictions that come with this life. This is part of His school, and the lesson that He desires to teach us is to "look up": "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). Remember David. His own men considered stoning him because their enemies had stolen their wives, children, and goods while they were away with the Philistines to fight against Israel. What was David's response to the greatly troubling circumstances? "David encouraged himself in the Lord." This is all it says, but oh, the depths of the meaning for us! The difference between failure and defeat for the saint is in which way he turns. "Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me" (Psalm 50:15). This is the will of God for us! He allows all of these trying situations to test us, to prove us, and to show us our insufficiency apart from Him who is all sufficient, in whom all of our needs are met (Psalm 23:1; Philippians 4:19). If we do not come to Him for His help, we don't gain the victory that God has already made available for us in Christ. Then He doesn't get the glory that He otherwise would. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). God is at all times and in all circumstances instructing the saints to be fully dependent upon and to utterly cast themselves upon Him for everything. Paul concluded that the thorn in his flesh, whatever that may have been (we do know that it was an infirmity of some sort, and a great trial we may be sure), was a gift from God to reveal Paul's own weakness and turn Him to the Lord, "the Strength of Israel," to be his strength. Paul declares after beseeching the Lord three times to remove his "thorn in the flesh": And he [the Lord] said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I [Paul] rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) We are ever exhorted in Scripture to come to the Lord Jesus in every trying circumstance, trusting fully in Him (Isaiah 26:3-4). Peter encouraged: "Casting all your care upon Him, for he careth for you" (1 Peter 5:7). Likewise, Paul exhorted: "Be careful for nothing; but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7). Let us trust His promises! —Brendan Booher What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! · What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! · O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, · All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer. Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? · We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer. · Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? · Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer. Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? · Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer. · Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! · In His arms He'll take and shield thee; thou wilt find a solace there. Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear · May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer · Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer · Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there. —Joseph M. Scriven |
