THE PROGRESSION OF REJECTION

Acts 19:9 “But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.”

Paul had revisited Ephesus and spent more than two years there. As was his custom, Paul initially went into the synagogue and preached the Word of God. All did not enthusiastically receive his message. As our text declares, he met considerable resistance from some. As we read this Scripture, we can see how the rejection of truth develops. You will notice that those who heard Paul’s words “believed not.” They did not accept the Gospel message as truth. When a person refuses to believe the truth, the only thing left for him to believe is a lie. Then we see that they “were hardened.” Their hearts were hardened as they resisted the Word of God. The next thing we see is that they “spake evil of that way before the multitude.” Because they refused to believe the Bible, their hearts became more calloused to the truth. They began to slander the way of Christianity. We can see an obvious progression in this passage of Scripture. There are severe consequences associated with the rejection of truth. Some of the hardest people are those who have heard the Word of God and have rejected it. We have been dismayed by the vicious words and critical attitudes of people who at one time listened to the preaching of truth. How does a person go from an apparent listener to a contentious opponent of truth? Sometimes it occurs as our text discloses. They close their minds to some matter of Biblical principle, refusing to submit to the authority of the Scripture. As they continue to resist the truth, they become more adamant. The harder they are, the easier it is for them to contradict and criticize. After all, if one is not going to obey the truth, it is only natural to try to save face and make the message or the messenger look wrong. It is absolutely essential that we make a conscious and consistent decision to respect and follow the Word of God. The way we respond to truth will greatly influence our continued Christian growth. Sometimes the Bible requires us to adjust our way of thinking or surrender our opinions. When we hear the truth, we can either believe and accept it, or resist it with lasting and harmful repercussions.

For Atheists Only

I would like to ask a big favor. Forget (for a moment) about whether or not God exists, and give me your serious thoughts on the few verses below. Please read them carefully:

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." (John 5:24-29).

Here's the build-up to my question: Some say Jesus of Nazareth was a great teacher. Others say that He was crazy, while others (a few) think that He didn’t exist at all.

I think that "great" teachers don’t say the sort of weird things He said (believe His words and you have everlasting life, that His voice would raise the billions of the dead human race, etc.), and if He didn’t exist, who said these amazing words? So, I think that there are only two reasonable options. He was either a crazy liar, or He was the Son of God. Am I wrong?

By Ray Comfort

"But Dad, Which One is God's Word?"

(I read this at Chick Publications and thought it was good.)

"Please turn in your Bibles to..." The pastor began his sermon. One could hear pages turning all over the building. One father watched his son, barely 9 years old, proudly open his Bible. His father had told him, "Make a habit of knowing God's Word for yourself. Never take man's word for what it says. Read it yourself."

The Words Didn't Match

But as the pastor began reading, something was very wrong! The youngster checked to be sure he had the right verse. Yes, that's the one. But the words didn't match! The pastor was reading from a new translation and, to those with limited reading ability, it sounded like another book! The boy glanced at his father, made a helpless gesture and closed his Bible. The father stared at his Bible but he wasn't following either. In his mind he was on the way home trying to answer a little boy's questions without destroying his respect for his pastor or the Word of God. "Which words were really God's words, after all?" he wondered.

All over the auditorium, Bibles could be heard closing. The Word, for which so many had died, would go unread by the people. Instead, they would receive it from the lips of the "holy man," who understood which words were really God's. An overreaction? Maybe. That is, if one accepts the notion that the professional clergy know best about spiritual matters, and are the only ones who can be trusted to find "truth."

As more and more Bible translations are published, fewer people preach the Word with confidence. One says it one way. Another says, "I like mine better. It says..." But what does God say? Can we really choose a Bible which says what we want it to say, and still take it seriously as the Word of God? Modern translations rely upon a Greek text which rests largely on two Catholic manuscripts. One of them is so pathetically marked up with corrections it finally ended up in the trash, where it was found.

Most Agree Beautifully

The other disagrees with the first, and is missing most of chapters 9 through 13 of Hebrews. How convenient that this manuscript neglects to mention we have no further need of priests! However, the vast majority of old manuscripts agree beautifully with each other, are quoted extensively by early church leaders, and are obviously from the text accepted by the early church as correct. These manuscripts combine to form the text from which the King James Bible was translated.

The importance of the King James lies mainly in the fact that it was translated from the true text, and therefore gives us the true and error-free Word of God. Pastors need to recognize that using many translations in the church undermines the people's confidence in the written Word, and thus undermines the whole church. They need one standard text. And it would certainly help to get the right one!

FOXY PEOPLE

"…the little foxes, that spoil the vines…" Song of Solomon 2:15

The "little foxes" that spoil the vine may be so little that only the eagles' eye can detect them. Regardless, they gnaw away at the vine of character and of trustworthiness.

Jacob was plagued with these "little foxes," prior to his wrestling match with God. His every thought and action had a personal agenda which profited him in some way. He had to win all the arguments, have the last word, and be at the front of the line, regardless of where it was going.

A person plagued with these "little foxes" may not be aware of them. They might not tell an out-and-out lie but they will embellish the story, misstate the facts and omit information, which does not promote them. Their little fits of temper, their tendency to place blame on others, and their superficial attempt to "out fox" you by promoting themselves betray them. These people are too draining to indulge, too clever to be trusted and too dangerous to ignore. They too need a wrestling match with Jacob's God in order to rid themselves of these "little foxes"

By Ken Blue

Casual Christians

We have too many casual Christians who dabble in everything but are not committed to anything. They have a nodding acquaintance with a score of subjects but are sold on nothing. “Of course I’m interested in church—but with my club and my lodge and my golf and my bridge and my stamp collecting and my ceramics and my African violets, I just can’t get too excited about religion.” Our Lord had no place in His program for casual disciples. It was all or nothing.

Vance Havner

Dangers of Drifting

Hebrews 2:1 "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip."

Laws of the Drift:

You always drift down stream.

You can drift without realizing you are doing so.

It takes no effort to drift. When we stop battling we often start drifting.

Drifting cost you plenty. Sin takes you father than you want to go; keeps you longer than you will want to stay and will cost you more than you want to pay.

Drifting puts others in danger as well.

The closer to the “falls” you get the faster the current.

If you fail to stop drifting the trip will end in disaster.

How to know when you are drifting.

When you find you are reading Bible less than you once did.

When you find you are praying less than you once did.

When you find you are attending church less than you once did.

When you find you are sharing the gospel less than you once did.

When you find you are reading Bible less than you once did.

When you desire for worldly things is growing stronger.

When sin hold on you is increasing.

How to stop drifting!

Get out of the water until you are stronger.

Stop doing what you were doing when you started to drift.

Paddle once again against the tide.

Separate yourself from those who are drifting with you.

Enlist the help of those who are going the right direction.

Refocus on where you want to go.

Be sure you are anchored in Christ.

By Jim Preston

The Blonde Mortician

A man who just died is delivered to a local mortuary wearing an
expensive, expertly tailored black suit.

The Blonde mortician asks the deceased's wife how she would
like the body dressed. She points out that the man does look good
in the black suit he is already wearing.

The widow, however, says that she always thought her husband
looked his best in blue, and that she wants him in a blue suit. She
gives the Blonde mortician a blank check and says, "I don't care what
it costs, but please have my husband in a blue suit for the viewing."

The woman returns the next day for the wake. To her delight, she
finds her husband dressed in a gorgeous blue suit with a subtle chalk
stripe; the suit fits him perfectly.

She says to the mortician, "Whatever this cost, I'm very satisfied.
You did an excellent job and I'm very grateful. How much did you
spend?"

To her astonishment, the blonde mortician presents her with the
blank check. "There's no charge," she says.

"No, really, I must compensate you for the cost of that exquisite
blue suit!" she says.

"Honestly, ma'am," the blonde says, "it cost nothing. You see, a
deceased gentleman of about your husband's size was brought in
shortly after you left yesterday, and he was wearing an attractive blue
suit.

I asked his wife if she minded him going to his grave wearing a
black suit instead, and she said it made n o difference as long as he
looked nice."

"So I just switched the heads."

What the Bible Says About Television

(The version of Psalm 23 believed by most Christians today)

The TV is my shepherd, I shall not want,

It makes me lie down on the sofa; it leads me away from the faith.

It destroys my soul; it leads me in the paths of fornication and violence for the sponsor’s sake.

Yea though I walk in the shadow of Christian responsibilities there will be no interruption, for the TV is with me, its cable and remote they comfort me.

It prepares a commercial for me in the presence of all my worldliness, it anoints my head with humanism and consumerism, my coveting runneth over.

Surely insignificance and ignorance shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house watching TV forever.