Articles of Interest by the Pastor

The Apostle Paul wrote to believers, saying “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Rom. 14:12). Unbelievers as well must give account of themselves to God. Our Lord Jesus explained the extent of their accountability in Matthew 12:36: “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.” In a day when no one seems to be accountable to anyone, it is vital that we understand we must all give account of our lives to God.

Many professing Christians seem to think that one is born-again simply by making a decision to believe in Christ and to invite Him into their hearts. But what do the Scriptures say? From John 1:12, 13 we learn: “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Through the Prophet Ezekiel, the Lord said, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh” (Eze. 36:26). All men need a new heart because there is something wrong with their old heart. Being deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9), it is the source of all evil (Mark 7:21, 22). To compound the problem, the heart is darkened (Rom. 1:21) and blind to its own condition (Eph. 4:18).

Long ago God said to Abraham, “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). This promise pertained to Abraham’s seed through Isaac and Jacob whom He later named Israel (Gen. 32:28). There are two parts to this promise. The second part, “and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” foretells the birth of our Savior, the Lord Jesus, who has blessed people from all nations in saving them from sin.

Jeremiah 17:7 declares, “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD and whose hope the LORD is.” This truth is supported by many similar statements in other passages of Scripture (Ps. 2:12; 40:4; 84:12). The blessedness of the man who has confidence in the Lord is illustrated numerous ways in God's Word. He is blessed in having his physical needs supplied. While God has made the earth productive to provide food for all his creatures (Ps. 104:27, 28), those who trust Him and pray each day for their daily bread (Matt. 6:11) are indeed blessed.

Both the church and the kingdom are prominent themes in the Word of God. Each has a very important role in God's eternal purpose. However, they are not one and the same. The church is not the kingdom, and the kingdom is not the church. In this short article, our purpose is to detail some of the differences between the church and the kingdom.

The Church Defined

Religion is defined as being any specific system of belief. Too often religion is limited to Christianity, Judiasm, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, et.al. These are certainly not the only religions in the world.. Atheisim is a religion, having as its main tenant the belief there is no God. The atheist is just as passionate in his belief as the theists is in his. Because God, as revealed in the Scriptures, cannot be seen, heard, or touched, the atheist does not believe that He exists.

The Lord Jesus warned His disciples of false prophets (Matt. 7:15). Where these and their teachings are, there are also false religions. Any religion that is opposed to God's Word is false and originates with men, not with the Lord. False religions are Satan's tool to decieve men and lead them to eternal damnation (Prov. 14:12; 2 Thess. 2:9-12). False religions center in man and his fleshly lusts, enabling him to worship according to the desires of his fallen nature rather than the Lord's commandments (John 4:24). Herein lies the broad appeal of all false religions.