Halloween A Covenant with Death and Hell Part 3

The original Halloween was a hellish night of Baal worship and child sacrifice. And most of our current Halloween customs derived directly from Baal rituals! 

On November first was Samhain [Halloween] . . . Fires were built as a thanksgiving to Baal. . . (Kelley, Ruth Edna, The Book of Hallowe'en, Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Co. Boston, 1919)
The mystic rites and ceremonies with which Hallow’en was originally observed had their origin among the Druids . . . ancient Baal festivals from which many of the Hallow’en customs are derived. (Douglas, George William. The American Book of Days, p. 569)
Baal is also a synonym for the devil. (Burns, Cathy. Masonic and Occult Symbols Illustrated, p. 327)

Halloween glorifies death in worship to Baal or the devil!

The Druid festival of Samhain was a celebration of death. Strutting its hellish death images of skulls, skeletons, ghosts, demons, devils and incarnate evil – today’s Halloween glorifies Death. David Skal titled his history of Halloween—Death Makes a Holiday:

The grand marshal of the Halloween parade is, and always has been, Death. (Skal, David J. Death Makes a Holiday: The Cultural History of Halloween, p. 18)
Halloween can be traced directly back to Samhain, the ancient Celtic harvest festival honoring the Lord of the Dead. (Thompson, Sue Ellen. Holiday Symbols and Customs, p. 251)

The Devil glorifies death. Hebrews 2:14 says, ". . . that through death he [Jesus] might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;" Proverbs 8:36 says all they that hate the Lord ". . . love death." Revelation 6:8 says the rider of the antichrist’s pale horse, ". . . and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him."

Understanding the hellish history of Halloween—why in the world did decent people so embrace it? What magic "trick" transformed rancid Samhain into the giddy Halloween?

As the Catholic missionaries swarmed Britain and Ireland seeking the mass conversion to Catholicism their orders from Pope Gregory in 601 A.D. was to cunningly convert the Druid rituals into Catholic rituals. The Catholics converted the ritual of Samhain into the festival of All Saint’s Day, a day of celebration and prayer to dead "Saints." 

Halloween begins well over 2,000 years ago in the British Isles. Here, we find the holiday stripped to its most essential element: a night when Celtic tribes communed with the spirits of the ancestral dead. These grand and glorious pagan celebrations were assimilated by the Catholic church. . .  Rather than extinguish old customs, the church leaders provided Christian versions of them: from the Middles Ages on, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day replaced the ancient Celtic celebrations of the dead. (Bannatyne, Lesley Pratt, Halloween: An American Holiday, an American History, Facts on File, Inc., New York, 1990 p. x)

The Catholic festival of All Saints Day was also known as All Hallows Day, with the word "hallow" replacing "saints." The day before All Hallows Day (October 31) was recognized as All Hallows Eve. Eventually, All Hallows Eve became Hallows Eve; hallow’even; hallow’en and ultimately today’s Halloween. 

All Saints' Day perpetuated the pagan Samhain of November Eve. (Bonwick, James, Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions, Dorset Press, 1984 (1986ed), p.87)
Many traditional beliefs and customs associated with Samhain . . . continued to be practiced on 31 October, known as the Eve of All Saints, the Eve of All Hallows, or Hallows Even. It is the glossing of the name Hallow Even that has given us the name Hallowe’en. (Santino, Jack editor, Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life, The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, TN 1994 p. xvi)

In 835, Pope Gregory IV "blessed" All Saint’s Day as a sacred "day of obligation," consequently on that day, the Catholic Church officially "ordained" Halloween. Halloween owes its very life and breath to the "blessing" of the Catholic Church. Samhain would have breathed its last breath many years ago if not for the "ordination" of the Catholic Church. 

Few holidays have a stranger or more paradoxical history than Halloween. Technically, it is the vigil of All Saints Day, observed by Roman Catholics . . . Halloween has clear connections with the rites of the druidic priests. . . (Douglas, George William, revised by Helene Douglas Compton, The American Book of Days, The H.W. Wilson Company, New York, 1948, p. 741)

A perverse and blasphemous twist to Halloween concerns the name "Halloween." The word "hallow" means "holy, sanctify or consecrate." The popular Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9 begins with, ". . . Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. . ." The label "hallow" belongs to God the Father—Hallowed be thy name. Halloween was a night sacrificing young children to the worship of Baal. It is no accident that the name of history’s most hellish night, glorifying "death and hell," wears God the Father’s holy name of "hallow." The blasphemous name of "Halloween" clearly bears the fingerprints of Lucifer as found in Isaiah 14:12, ". . . I will be like the most High."

How may a state of entire sanctification be retained? Part 2

5. You must live in the spirit of watchfulness.

Watch over your heart, and keep it "with all diligence." Watch over your lips, and be jealous of your tongue, and guard against a light and trifling spirit, by which multitudes have fallen into darkness and ruin. Watch for seasons of prayer and special communion with God. Watch for opportunities of doing and for receiving good. Watch against the allurements of the world, and against everything that is sensual, and has a tendency to lull the soul to sleep. Watch against temptations, and resist them in a moment -- steadfast in the faith. "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."

6. You must be faithful to the teachings and drawings of the Holy Spirit.

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." We must follow the Spirit of God, let consequences be what they may. The Holy Spirit will remind you of duty; you must instantly obey. The Spirit is very easily grieved, and you must promptly attend to all his teachings, or you may in a moment forfeit full redemption. His chosen emblem is the tender dove, and it will take its flight if its gentle monitions be not heeded.

The Spirit teaches and guides mainly by illumination, and little by impressions. He throws light upon nature and providence, but especially upon the Scriptures and our minds, illuminating the sacred page and our path, leading us to truth and duty. His teaching always accords with the word, hence we are not to look for dreams, visions, or impressions; these may have served their purpose in the earlier and darker dispensation. We have now, the voice of the Spirit -- the Bible. No measure of the Spirit can supersede the written word. We should never assume "wisdom above what is written."

7. You must read the Holy Scriptures daily.

The word of God is the voice of the Spirit. It is grieved when the truth is neglected or disobeyed. The Bible is soul-food. Perfect love will require nourishment daily. If you do not feed it with Bible truth it will die. Holiness furnishes a strong appetite for spiritual aliment. Those who have been the clearest in perfect love are those who have paid the greatest attention and deference to the word of God. The Bible is a well of living water. You will need to draw water daily out of this well of salvation; you can never drink it dry. The Bible is your chart and compass, and you will have occasion to examine it daily.

8. To retain the blessing of perfect love, you must constantly aim at growing in grace.

There is no standing still in religion. If we are not advancing we are retrograding. Many people have lost the witness of the Spirit by not pressing after a greater fullness. Christian holiness secures the best possible preparation for growth in grace; and there are heights and depths, and lengths, and breadths of the love of God, to which we must be constantly aspiring. If we do not press after them, we shall be likely to go backward and lose what we have before attained.

John Wesley wrote to Adam Clarke: "Last week I had an excellent letter from Mrs. Pawson, a glorious WITNESS of full salvation, showing how impossible it is to retain pure love without growing therein."

Halloween A Covenant with Death and Hell Part 2

When you hear the word "halloween" what images appear? What "spirit" is invoked at the whisper of Halloween? Halloween openly promotes death, devils, witches and flagrant "appearances of evil" (1 Thess. 5:22). Halloween leaves most people scratching their heads questioning, "How and where did Halloween come from"? This article unearths the hellish tomb of Halloween to exhume its sinister "covenant with death and hell." Halloween began over 2,000 years ago among the Celts and their pagan priests called the Druids. The Druids are, without question, history’s king of the occult. Witchcraft, Satanism, paganism and virtually all facets of the occult acquire instruction from the Druids. From the popular jack-o’-lantern, trick-or-treat, costumes, to the pranks, ghoulish ghosts, demons, goblins and witches – Halloween owes its morbid birth to the Druids. Halloween—the day itself is of Druidic origin. (Myers, Robert J. Celebrations: The Complete Book of American Holidays, p. 258) The mystic rites and ceremonies with which Hallow’en was originally observed had their origin among the Druids. . . (Douglas, George William. The American Book of Days, p. 566)  The Druids celebrated two special nights of the year: Beltane and Samhain. Beltane took place on May 1 and marked the birth of summer. Samhain occurred on November 1 and signified the death of summer. Samhain, a night celebrating death and hell, was the Druids most important ritual. It was a terrifying night of human sacrifices. And it was the original Halloween. The Druids believed, during Samhain, the mystic veil separating the dead from the living opened. The Druids taught these roaming spirits loosed on Samhain went searching for a body to possess. The frightened Celts would masquerade as demons, evil spirits and ghosts, hoping to convince the roaming evil spirits, they were another evil spirit, and leave them alone. The Celts also prepared meals as "treats" to appease the evil spirits from "tricks" or malicious acts; hence our custom of "trick or treat." The Druids performed horrifying human sacrifices and other vile rituals during Samhain. Let there be no doubt—Samhain night was a terrifying "covenant with death, and with hell." And let there be no doubt – Samhain was the original Halloween night.  All histories of Halloween inevitably wind back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. . . (Skal, David J. Death Makes a Holiday: The Cultural History of Halloween, p. 20) Halloween had its origins in the festival of Samhain among the Celts of ancient Britain and Ireland. (Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 "Halloween") Halloween can be traced directly back to Samhain, the ancient Celtic harvest festival honoring the Lord of the Dead. (Thompson, Sue Ellen. Holiday Symbols and Customs, p. 251) The rituals of the Druids reek from the deepest hell. Their most repulsive activities involve their human sacrifices of children on the night of Samhain or Halloween. First-born sacrifices are mentioned in a poem in the Dindshenchas, which records that children were sacrificed each Samhain . . . (Rogers, Nicholas. Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night, p. 17) Halloween. That was the eve of Samhain . . . firstborn children were sacrificed. . . Samhain eve was a night of dread and danger. (National Geographic. May 1977, pp. 625-626) The Druids would drink their victim’s blood and eat their flesh. They [Druids] sacrificed victims by shooting them with arrows, impaling them on stakes, stabbing them, slitting their throats over cauldrons (and then drinking the blood). . . (Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. Harper’s Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience, p. 167) Therefore we cannot too highly appreciate our debt to the Romans for having put an end to this monstrous cult, whereby to murder a man was an act of the greatest devoutness, and to eat his flesh most beneficial. (Pliny, Natural History, xxx, 13) The Druids "counted it an honourable thing" to eat their father’s flesh and perform incest with their mothers and sisters. . . . since they are man-eaters as well as heavy eaters, and since, further, they count it an honourable thing, when their fathers die, to devour them, and openly to have intercourse, not only with the other women, but also with their mothers and sisters;. . . (Strabo, Geography) May I remind you, this is what occurred on the original Halloween night! Today, Halloween lives and breathes with the foul stench of the diabolical Druids. The Druids also celebrated the festival of Beltane. The word Beltane (Beltaine, Beltinne, Beltain, Beiltein) literally means the "fires of Bel." Bel is the same god called Baal, found over 80 times in the King James Bible. The Lord condemns Baal worship probably more than any other false "god." . . . then the Druids lit the Baal-Tinne, the holy, goodly fire of Baal. (Wilde, Lady Francesca Speranza. Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland) The god whom the Druids worshipped was Baal, as the blazing Baal-fires show, and . . . children were offered in sacrifice to Baal. (Hislop, Alexander. The Two Babylons, p. 232)

How may a state of entire sanctification be retained? Part 1

 How may a state of entire sanctification be retained?

There are many who once enjoyed the blessing of perfect love who have now lost it. Some have received it several times, and, after all, are now without it. The conditions of retaining perfect love, like the conditions of retaining justification, are the same as those by which it was obtained; namely, a complete submission of the soul to God, and simple faith in Christ for present salvation. This submission and faith, graduated by increasing light and grace, must continue through life if perfect love be retained. To retain this grace; --

1. You must maintain a continuous, entire consecration -- a complete self-abandonment to God. "The altar sanctifieth the gift;" and it is only when our all is upon the altar of consecration that we can be in a state of sanctification. No part of the price can ever be taken back if we would retain the witness of perfect love. Your consecration must continue complete, corresponding with increasing light, through all your life; and you will have occasion to watch yourself, and guard this point thoroughly. Keep yourself, your all, submitted to God.

2. To retain full salvation, you must continue to believe. "The just shall live by faith." We are "kept by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation." As soon as people cease to believe, they lose the blessing; for "we stand by faith." Sanctified Paul said: "The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God." Faith is the vital bond between the renovated soul and God; and by it we are to abide in Christ, as the branch abides in the vine.

3. To retain the witness of the Spirit, and continue in the light of purity, you must confess it.

"For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." The fear of man often hinders people from this duty. This fear, which brings a snare, must be overcome. Many have resisted the Holy Spirit when they ought to have confessed the blessing; and in this way have lost it. Confessing entire sanctification does not exalt self; it humbles the soul, and gives glory to God. The call for clear witnesses and specific testimony for holiness, is more imperative in some places than in others, as in many places the witnesses for perfect love are very scarce and greatly needed. (See Section X.)

4. You must live constantly in the spirit of self-denial.

We must deny ourselves of everything sinful, and also of everything doubtful. "And he that doubteth is damned [condemned] if he eat, because he eateth not of faith; for whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Thousands have fallen by lawful things. It is not expedient for a sanctified soul to indulge in every gratification which is no

Halloween A Covenant with Death and Hell

The below information comes from a tract entitled, "Halloween A Covenant with Death and Hell:

While Halloween masquerades as childish fun and frolic, it’s serious business in the occult world. Witchcraft, Wicca, Satanism and paganism believe, on the night of Halloween, devils and spirits are unleashed. They perform their most hideous and potent rituals on the night of Halloween.

Samhain: This is the "Witch’s New Year" and the primary Sabbat from which all others flow. (RavenWolf, Silver. Teen Witch, p. 42)
Halloween is one of the four major Sabbats celebrated by the modern Witch, and it is by far the most popular and important of the eight that are observed. . . Witches regard Halloween as their New Year’s Eve, celebrating it with sacred rituals. . . (Dunwich, Gerina. The Pagan Book of Halloween, p. 120)

Halloween is also among Satanism’s most cherished days. Anton LaVey, founder of The Church of Satan and author of The Satanic Bible writes:

After one's own birthday, the two major Satanic holidays are Walpurgisnacht (May 1st) and Halloween. (LaVey, Anton Szandor. The Satanic Bible, p. 96)

Satanic High Priestess Blanche Barton, on The Church of Satan web site, praises Halloween:

It [Halloween] gives even the most mundane people the opportunity to taste wickedness for one night. They have a chance to dance with the Devil . . . I see Satanists all over the world meeting in small groups this night and Hallowe’ens 500 years hence, to raise a glass to the Infernal Hosts. . .

The Satanic Calendar decrees for Halloween: "One of the two most important nights of the year. . . Blood and sexual rituals. Sexual association with demons. Animal and human sacrifice—male or female." (www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/hardtruth/satanic_calendar.htm)

Former occultist Johanna Michaelsen reveals, "Halloween is also a prime recruiting season for Satanists." (Michaelsen, Johanna. Like Lambs to the Slaughter, p. 192)

The ornaments decorating Halloween came directly from the Druids and the occult. 

The popular associations of Halloween are derived from ancient Celtic and Druid pagan religious customs. (Mather, George A. and Larry A. Nichols. Dictionary of Cults, Sects, Religions and the Occult, p. 237)
Samhain was a vital part of Celtic culture, its rituals were passed from generation to generation through the oral tradition of the Druids. The genesis of many of America’s Halloween traditions can be found in these ancient celebrations . . . (Bannatyne, Lesley Pratt, Halloween: An American Holiday, an American History, Facts on File, Inc., New York, 1990 p. 6)

WITCHES are the reigning Queen of Halloween. If you’ve been lullabied by the gospel of Halloween that witches are harmless folks, wake up, witches worship the devil: 

In many instances, according to the confessions of the witches, besides their direct worship of the devil, they were obliged to show their abhorrence of the faith they had deserted by trampling on the cross, and blaspheming the saints, and by other profanations. (Spence, Lewis. An Encyclopedia of Occultism, p. 433)
The witches held a party at Hallowe’en and the women . . . sold their soul to the devil, would put a stick in their beds anointed with the fat of murdered babies. . .(Douglas, George William. The American Book of Days, p. 569)

Although witches vigorously protest they have no dealings with the devil, under the heading, "A Witch’s God," the popular witch’s training manual, Witchcraft: Theory and Practice, plainly states: 

A Witch’s God. . . He is . . . Lord of the Underworld [Hell] . . . He is named . . . Baphomet . . . Lucifer . . . Baal. . . (Angeles, Ly de. Witchcraft: Theory and Practice, p. 60)

The Lord God’s judgment upon witches should not be taken lightly. 

Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. Exodus 22:18

JACK-O’-LANTERN: If Witches are the Queen of Halloween, the smiling jack-o’-lantern is the King. The demonic jack-o’-lantern leaves most historians baffled tracing its spooky origin. One popular tale, tells of Jack who tricked the devil in a deal for his soul. But the origin of the jack-o’-lantern is much more sinister. It arrives from the Druid’s ghastly reverence of the severed human head! They proudly decorated their houses and temples with bloody severed heads. The Druids believed the head housed the soul, hence the light or candle in the skull. The original jack-o’-lantern was not a pumpkin or turnip, but a severed human head! 

Trophy, charm, or ornament, the human head figured prominently in Celtic life. Warriors hung enemy heads on their houses as a show of prowess, and Druids, believing that the head harbored the soul, placed skulls in sanctuaries to ward off evil. (National Geographic, May 1977, p. 603)
. . . they hang the heads of their enemies from the necks of their horses, and, when they have brought them home, nail the spectacle to the entrances of their homes. . .(Strabo, Geography)
It is believed that faces, rather than other images or symbols, were originally carved onto the pumpkin because they gave the jack-o’-lantern the look of a head. The Celts of ancient times believed that the head was the most sacred part of the human body, for it housed a person’s immortal soul. (Dunwich, Gerina. The Pagan Book of Halloween, p. 32)
. . . the jack-o’-lantern is generally presented in its traditional form as a festive euphemism for the death’s-head, the triangular nose hole and rictus grin being the "dead" giveaways. (Skal, David J. Death Makes a Holiday: The Cultural History of Halloween, p. 38)
Carved and illuminated by a candle, they are symbolic of death and the spirit world. (Thompson, Sue Ellen. Holiday Symbols and Customs, p. 256)

TRICK OR TREAT is another Druid inspired custom. 

Every year on Halloween, many children throughout the world dress up in costumes and go door to door in a ritual known as trick or treating . . . unaware that their innocent masquerade is actually the remnants of a Druidic religious practice from times most ancient. (Dunwich, Gerina. The Pagan Book of Halloween, p. 11)
Whatever the wrinkles, the root assumption is the same: trick or treat had its beginning in the Celtic dawn. (Santino, Jack. Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life, p. 82)

MASKS & COSTUMES: Masks and costumes carry a long history in the occult and demon possession. Masks are contacts to the spirit world to invite the spirit to "possess" them. 

In rituals, a person wearing a mask of a god or spirit often feels possessed by the supernatural being. . . (World Book 2005, p. 263)
The person wearing the mask feels internally transformed and takes on temporarily the qualities of the god or demon represented by the mask. (Biedermann, Hans. Dictionary of Symbolism, p. 218)

BAT: "One of the animal shapes commonly used by these demons (or "familiars," as they were often called) was the bat. Bats and their blood were also used in the casting of spells (especially those of black magick), the brewing of potions. . ." (Dunwich, Gerina. The Pagan Book of Halloween, p. 29)

OWL: "On Halloween night, demons in the form of owls were said to have traveled with Witches and their cats . . . some were even believed to be Witches in disguise. . . (Interestingly, the owl was called a strix by the Romans—a word that means "Witch.")" (Dunwich, Gerina. The Pagan Book of Halloween, p. 43) 

"BLACK CATS were associated with darkness and death . . .  they embodied demons who performed the witches’ task of maleficia against their neighbors. . . Black cats are said to be the devil himself." (Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft, p. 49)

APPLES: "The practice of bobbing for apples at a Halloween party comes form our Pagan ancestors, who highly valued apple magick." (RavenWolf, Silver. Teen Witch, p. 42)

SKULL: "An interesting symbol, the skull . . . It is prominent in Witchcraft and Demon worship as a celebration of death." (Burns, Cathy. Masonic and Occult Symbols Illustrated, p. 388)

What are the best helps to growth in grace?

"The best helps to growth in grace are the ill usage, the affronts, and the crosses which befall us." -- Wesley.

A greater than Wesley says: "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and ETERNAL WEIGHT OF GLORY." Therefore, "If any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf."

Man may trouble and distress me,

'Twill but drive me to Thy breast;

Life with trials hard may press me,

Heaven will bring me sweeter rest.

Oh! 'tis not in grief to harm me

While Thy love is left to me

Oh! 'twere not in joy to charm me,

Were that joy unmixed with Thee.

--H. F. Lyte

BLJ: Thinking this way about troubles brought to us by others would really change your life. When others insult you, gossip about you, or try to injure you, you look upon their actions as your opportunity to grow in grace. It provides you the opportunity to be more Christ-like. 

What trials are peculiar to those entirely sanctified?

         1. They are frequently tempted to withhold a confession of the blessing. Messrs. Bramwell, Stoner, Carvosso, Mrs. Hester Ann Rogers, Rev. Asa Kent, and a multitude of others, have been severely tempted in this regard.

2. Their faith will be subject to severe trials. Faith is the direct point of union between the sanctified soul and Christ. This vital point will be early and artfully assailed. They are tempted to doubt whether they are sanctified wholly. Mr. Wesley says: "We find there is very frequently a kind of wilderness state, not only after justification, but even after deliverance from sin. The most frequent cause of this second darkness or distress, I believe, is evil reasoning. If this be the cause, is there any way to regain that deliverance but by resuming your confidence?

3. Their charity will be tried. Charity is one of the chief fruits of perfect love, which fill the Christian heart in entire sanctification, yet this very charity is subject to severe trials. Indifference, ignorance, and opposition to holiness in professors of religion will try their Christian charity. Bishop Peck says, "There is opposition to holiness of which its professors must become the direct objects."

4. Their patience will be tried. In this world of sin this Christian grace must be severely tried. The rashness of friends and the violence of foes will attack it. Enfeebled and irritable nerves will try it. Unreasonable provocations from friends or enemies will try it. A thousand nameless ills will put it to a thorough test. Oh, how needful the inspired direction, "In your patience possess ye your souls!"

5. Their Christian firmness will be tried. The world is no friend to holiness; and multitudes, even in the church, through ignorance and prejudice, or the want of salvation, are unfriendly to holiness as a blessing distinct from regeneration, and will oppose any who preach or profess it. The wholly sanctified will have their firmness tried by neglect, indifference, opposition, and persecution. How many have entered the path of holiness, and, for the want of firmness, have finally abandoned it! There is a powerful opposition to holiness in the world, and to some extent in the church; and this opposition the friends of holiness must encounter. Just in proportion as Christians dissent from the fashionable sins of the world, and lifeless formalism in the church, they will provoke opposition. "Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried."

6. Their fidelity to God and man will be tried. They are in danger of compromising with the world, and of loosing their aversion to sin. Christians are to bear a decided and unflinching testimony against all sin, wherever it may be found, either in or out of the church.

Bishop Peck says: "To give even an implied approval or consent to the indifference or opposition of the church or individual, to the experience and spread of holiness, would bring evil upon your own conscience which you would be unable to bear." -- Central Idea, p. 308.

Every trial of the Christian tests his character, and helps him to ascertain how much moral integrity, or real solid worth he has.

Some Truths from God's Word Part 4

GAINING A SPIRITUAL LOSS

"Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss." Acts 27:21

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GAINING A LOSS IS PARADOXICAL

"Nine-year-old Henry struck upon the idea of hiring his little brother as his servant. "I'll give you ten cents a week," he said. Little Tom agreed. Henry then felt he'd offered too much money. "I can only pay you five cents a week, after all," he said. Little Tom agreed, just as cheerfully. Thinking he could get the child for even less, Henry said, "All I can pay is a penny a week." Hesitantly, his little brother agreed, but protested: "Don't raise it any lower." (from Humorous Stories)

Yes, as contradictory as it may seem, there are "raises" which actually "lower" one's profit and "gains" which bring us "loss". It is a paradox, but true, not only in the financial realm but also in the spiritual realm as well. More than one forlorn wage earner has discovered that the "raise" which his crafty employer gave him in reality "lowered" his pay when increased hours work was laid upon him or some fringe benefit was therewith taken away. Laborers in today's fields of employment whose just wages are thus "kept back by fraud" might well protest such practices in the words of the little boy: "Don't raise it any lower!" Likewise, in the spiritual realm, one should not only protest, also shun, the gains which the crafty old devil offers which are actually great losses.

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GAINING A LOSS IS OFTEN CONSEQUENTIAL

Frequently it is the consequence of sin, as when Adam and Eve gained the knowledge of evil resulting in the loss of good, God's smile and fellowship, and eternal life. Many times it is the consequence of placing a higher value on the material and temporal than one places on the spiritual and eternal:

"The Swedish Nightingale, Jenny Lind, made a great success as an operatic singer, and money poured into her purse. Yet she left the stage when singing her best and never went back to it. Once an English friend found her sitting on the steps of a bathing machine on the sea sands, with a Lutheran Bible on her knee, looking out into the glory of a sunset, and asked her: 'How is it that you ever came to abandon the stage at the very height of your success?' Jenny Lind's quiet answer was: 'When, every day, it made me think less and less of this (laying a finger on the Bible) and nothing at all of that (pointing to the sunset), what else could I do?'" (adapted, author unknown)

The sunset of life for us all is approaching faster than we may realize. How vital it is that we value the spiritual and eternal above the material and temporal. Sad indeed are the consequential losses that come from some earthly gains. Sometimes, as in the case of the incident recorded in Acts 27:21, the gaining of a loss is the result of human impatience and a determination to "sail on" in spite of a timely, Divine admonition spoken through a faithful messenger.

*     *     *

GAINING OF A LOSS CAN BE PROVIDENTIAL AND VERY BENEFICIAL

One morning a Christian farmer in Rhode Island put two bushels of rye in his wagon and started to the mill to get it ground. On his way to the mill he had to drive over a bridge that had no railings to the side of it. When he reached the middle of this bridge his horse, a quiet, gentle creature, began all at once to back. In spite of all the farmer could do, the horse kept backing till the hinder wheels of the wagon went over the side of the bridge, and the bag of grain was dumped out and fell into the stream. Then the horse stood still.

Some men came to help the farmer. The wagon was lifted back up to a safe position on the bridge, and the bag of grain was fished up from the water. Of course, the grain could not be taken to the mill in that state. So, the farmer had to take it home and to dry it. He had prayed that morning that God would protect and help him through the day, and he wondered why this accident had happened.

He found out, however, before long. Upon spreading out the grain to dry, he noticed a great many small pieces of glass mixed up with it. If this had been ground up with the grain into the flour, it might have caused the death of himself and his family. Jehovah-Jireh was on that bridge. He made the horse back and throw the grain into the water in order to save the farmer and his family from the danger that threatened them. (adapted from Dictionary of Illus.) Romans 8:28--Selah

Some Truths from God's Word Part 3

 BLJ: This article was published by one of my mentors, Rev. Duane Maxey.

GUY FORRESTER -- HE MEANT WHAT HE SAID

TEXTS:

"The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits" (2 Timothy 2:6).

"For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: BUT AS OF SINCERITY . . . SPEAK WE IN CHRIST." (2 Corinthians 2:17).

*     *     *     *     *     *     *

THE MESSAGE

It was Friday, or Saturday evening, June 2, or June 3, 1972 when I reached the home Guy and Jennie Forrester in Gresham, Oregon, a northern suburb of Portland, Oregon.  The dear old retired holiness preacher and his wife were hosting me for supper.  They were the first members of my "new" pastorate in Portland, Oregon that I met, and during their kind and gracious hospitality, I quickly realized that they were two of God's precious, sanctified saints.

As I recall, they allowed me to spend a night or two at their place, and then on Sunday morning, June 4, 1972, which was my 35th birthday, I preached my first message to the members and visitors of the Portland, Oregon, Bible Missionary Church, located at 5309 S. E. 115th Avenue.  As a single pastor, soon the church supplied me with a nice apartment on S. E. 122nd Ave., just a few blocks away from the church building -- the place which became my home for the more than five years of my pastorate in that city.

Dear Sis. Jennie Forrester was there during all of the time I pastored there, but Bro. Forrester went home to be with Jesus, two years or so later, perhaps in about 1974.  A neighbor who lived directly across the street from the church was a professional builder, and we hired him to build, in memory of Rev. Guy Forrester, the altar, part of which you can see pictured above in front of the pulpit, behind which you see me standing.

Never once during the time in which I pastored Bro. Guy, and Sis. Jennie Forrester, did either one of them ever fail to graciously receive the truths God gave me to preach.  They had been gracious in RECEIVING ME when I arrived, and they continually RECEIVED God's Truth as well!

Dear Bro. Forrester had been a Holiness Evangelist for years before he retired, and one day, not all that long before God called him Home, I asked him what it was to which he attributed his success as an evangelist.  His reply was brief, but poignant, and I have not forgotten it to this very day!  He said,

"I didn't have much to say, but I meant it." I don't recall him raising his voice when he spoke the last three words of his reply, but THEIR GREAT IMPORTANCE lodged unforgettably in my mind, and I recall them as clearly today as I did shortly after he spoke them, many years ago: -- "I MEANT IT"!

In relationship to what Bro. Forrester said that day, I shall expound very briefly on my two texts above:

01 -- "The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits" (2 Timothy 2:6).  In his reply, I believe that Guy Forrester was telling me, I HAD WHAT I PREACHED! -- and brethren, this is another ABSOLUTE IMPERATIVE!  One may be a gifted orator and have a theological DD., but he will not be truly effective as a preacher unless HE HAS WHAT HE PREACHES!  For this reason, in order to be fruitful preachers we must have received true Salvation, both works of grace, and STILL HAVE THAT GRACE!

02 -- "For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: BUT AS OF SINCERITY . . . SPEAK WE IN CHRIST." (2 Corinthians 2:17).  In his reply, I also believe that dear old Bro. Guy Forrester was telling me, "I WAS SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE PEOPLE COULD TELL THAT I SINCERELY MEANT WHAT SAID!"

No matter how well-arranged a preacher's messages may be, nor how loud his warnings, or how lovely his wooings, people will not be deeply moved by the Holy Ghost, unless they sense that the preachers SINCERELY MEANS WHAT HE SAYS!

My brothers, when we pass on, may God help every one of us as preachers to have had the same true success as that dear old Holiness Evangelist!  NO GODLY MINISTER OF CHRIST COULD HAVE A BETTER EPITAPH on his tombstone, if it could be truly engraved there: -- "I didn't have much to say, but I MEANT IT!"

Fourth Bible Study of the Quarter: Bless the Lord, O My Soul

 Today’s lesson is from Psalm 103: 1-14. We should begin this study by remembering all the things we are thankful, and for which we praise the Lord. Charles Spurgeon said of this Psalm: “As in the lofty Alps some peaks rise above all others, so even among the inspired psalms there are heights of song which overtop the rest. The one hundred and third Psalm has ever seemed to us to be the Monte Rosa of the divine chain of mountains of praise, glowing with a ruddier light than any of the rest. There is too much in this Psalm for a thousand pens to write; it is one of those all-comprehending Scriptures which is a little Bible in itself.” Let us study this Psalm with hearts that seek to bless and praise our Lord.

The first section is “Personal Benefits.” vv. 1-5 many people think God exists to take care of their problems. He is seen as a heavenly butler there to wait on their every beckon call. However, the opposite is true. We were created for His pleasure (Revelation 4:11). David said, we are to bless the Lord with all that is within us. Only a heart made perfect in love can truly do this. A carnal heart is at war with God. If you have hatred, anger, greed or other carnal traits in your heart, how can you bless the Lord with all that is within you? The soul of man was made to praise and bless God. We need pure hearts to do so.

Have you recently stopped and “counted your blessings one by one?” The psalmist admonished himself to remember all the good things which God had blessed him with. One problem carnal Christians have is that they soon forget His works in their lives. In verses 3-5, David begins a list of the personal benefits he has received from God. Verses 3 and 4a speak of deliverance from evil. Verses 4b and 5 recount positive blessings. First, he is grateful that God has forgiven “all Thine inequities.” God has healed his diseases. God has redeemed your life from Satan. He has shown us loving kindness and tender mercies. He has satisfied us with good things. Spiritual renewal invigorates the entire being, giving fresh strength and vitality. “Thy youth is renewed like the eagles.” This does not mean that you will never experience the aches and pains that occasionally accompany getting older. It does mean that you will have sustained spiritual strength to accomplish much even in your old age. 

The second section is “God’s Manifest Ways.” vv. 6-9  Considering what God is like should cause us to respond with praise and adoration. We serve a wonderful God! "The LORD executeth righteousness", i.e. works righteous acts. God always shows concern for the poor, the widow, and the fatherless. But someday, all wrongs will be righted and all the oppressed avenged. God does not want man to be ignorant regarding His character and His will. (read verse 7) Throughout history God has communicated with man, giving us His word. Today, we have the complete canon of Scripture found in 66 books of the Bible. Revelation has ended, however illumination has not. God still speaks to us through His word. He can provide us insight and understanding through the Holy Spirit to enable us to manuever through difficult times. 

The word "merciful" in verse 8 can also be translated as "compassionate" which is being aware of the distress of others, and having a desire to alleviate the distress. Because of sin, we are deserving of God's wrath, but because He is slow to anger, giving time to repent, we can know His mercy and steadfast love. God will convict the sinner. First, He shows His severe judgment, then upon repentance, mercy is extended. Verse 9 makes clear that God will not nurse His anger for all time. His mercy ever rejoices over His judgment. "But thou, O Lord, art a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth." (Psalm 86:15) As we meditate on God's manifest ways to us, we will seek to praise and worship Him with all our being.

The third section is "A Merciful Father." vv. 10-14 This last portion of the psalm reveals how God deals with sinful man. First, we see the holding back of His wrath that mercy might be extended.Jesus Christ is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, and has borne the punishment which we deserved. As high as the heavens are above us, so great is His mercy toward those that fear Him. This is not fear of dread, but rather an attitude of reverence and honor which an obedient child would show his parent. God has removed our sins "As far as east is from west." (verse 12) This is the farthest imaginable extent of the heavens. By providing Christ as the atoning sacrifice for our sins, our sins may now be forgiven and blotted out. Our sins which once separated us from God have been removed.

A good parent "pitieth" (has compassion for) his children. In the same way, God has compassion for His children (verse 13) and He shows love, concern, and care daily. He daily provides for us. Verse 14 tells us that God knows our "frame" and that "we are dust." (frail and perishable). It still amazes me that God could care so much for us. He provides for our every need, and most importantly, has through His Son Jesus Christ, made a way for us to be reconciled to Him. Truly, we have every reason to bless the Lord!

The Golden Text is: "While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being." (Psalm 146: 2) The idea here is that the psalmist will praise the LORD not just during his life on earth, but as long as he had an existence--in the future world--forever he would praise Him. Our God deserves eternal praise from us as long as we have the ability to do so. Regardless of what may come our way, we are to praise our LORD and God.

My summary points:

1. We are to seek purity of heart so we can praise Him with our entire being.

2. Our Lord is merciful and gracious and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.

3. God's grace exceeds the mountain of our sins.

Next week: "They Cried Unto the Lord." (Psalm 107: 1-16)

Don't forget to read the Sunday School Beacon for inspiration and encouragement.

Some Truths from God's Word Part 2

THE BEST IS STILL IN STORE!

Written December 18, 2015

Great Love for you and me, brought Christ to Calvary!

Nailed to that cru-el wood, He did what none else could:

Redeem lost Adam's race, Give us in Heav'n a place!

To Beth-le-hem He came, E-mman-u-el, His Name;

He lay in sweet repose God, wrapped in swadd'ling clothes!

Angels announced His birth, three wise men knew His worth:

Gifts for The King, they brought, but, vainly Herod sought,

To find and slay Christ then, but God warned those wise men:

Return a dif-f'rent way, don't re-veal where Christ lay!

In lowly Gal-li-lee, In-carn-nate Royalty

Grew up from Child to Man, then showed us that God Can

Do what no Man can do, and proved His Word is TRUE!

The Way, The Truth, The Life, He dwelt midst human strife;

The humble He did heal, and showed His God-Head REAL!

But jealous rulers balked! and all His claims they mocked!

They tried God's Son to kill, but it was not until

God's time for this arrived, with Judas they connived,

With a deceitful KISS! he betrayed Christ with THIS!

All forsook Christ and fled; betrayed, DENIED, He bled,

Died on the Cross, ALONE! for OUR SINS to atone!

All can have PEACE WITH GOD! He rose up from the sod!

Blood from His hands, side, feet, sprinkle God's Mercy Seat.

O, hear His tender call: "Come, O, come one and all:

"Thy ransom I have paid: Peace with Thy God is made!

Though scarlet your sins show, they can be white as snow;

Like crimson though they be, now bring them all to Me:

I'll wash them white as wool, and give you joy that's full!

Repent, forsake all sin: I'll cleanse without, within;

Live purely till you die: I'll meet you in the sky!

Then take you unto Me, to dwell E-TER-NAL-LY!

Yes, celebrate my birth, but KNOW MY DEEPEST WORTH!

I came your soul to save, from you all sin to lave.

THE BEST IS STILL IN STORE: A HOME ON HEAVEN'S SHORE!

Some Truths from God's Word Part 1

BLJ: These were written by one of my mentors, Rev. Duane Maxey.

THE GOOD WILL OF HIM WHO DIED ON THE TREE!

  "The Word Of The Lord Was Precious In Those Days" (1 Samuel 3:1).

  "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, CURSED IS EVERY ONE THAT HANGETH ON A TREE" (Gal. 3:13).

 *     *     *     *     *     *     *

THE GOOD WILL OF HIM WHO DIED ON THE TREE!

  In Deuteronomy 33:1 we read: -- "This is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death."  Then, in Deuteronomy 33:13-16, Moses lists the "the precious things" of heaven, "the precious fruits" of the sun and moon, "the precious things" of the lasting hills, and "the precious things" of the earth and fulness thereof--, but . . . Moses goes on to mention in Verse 16 "THE MOST PRECIOUS THING" he could possibly have mentioned: -- "THE GOOD WILL OF HIM THAT DWELT IN THE BUSH!"

  In his Commentary, Dr. Adam Clarke thus explains the meaning of this portion of Deuteronomy 33:16 -- "THE GOOD WILL OF HIM THAT DWELT IN THE BUSH]  The favour of Him Who appeared in the burning bush on Mount Sinai, Who there, in His good will -- mere love and compassion, took Israel to be His people; and Who has preserved and will preserve, in tribulation and distress, all those who trust in Him, so that they shall as surely escape unhurt, as the bush, though enveloped with fire, was unburnt."

  Obviously, when Moses mentioned "HIM THAT DWELT IN THE BUSH," he referred to his encounter with THE PRE-INCARNATE CHRIST mentioned in Exodus 3:1-6.

Him that dwelt in the bush was about to use Moses to create the nation of Israel, first by freeing them from their Egyptian bondage.  Jacob and his 12 sons of the Israeli nation would typify Christ and his 12 original disciples -- in the formation of Spiritual Israel, The Church of Christ.

The "Good Will" of "Him That Dwelt In The Bush" -- in freeing Israel from Egyptian bondage would typify the "Good Will" of "Him That Died On The Tree" at Calvary to free every lost son of Adam from bondage to Satan and Sin, and Eternal Punishment in Outer Darkness.

On the night that Jesus was born, "a multitude of the heavenly host" appeared to humble shepherds watching over their flocks by night, and praised God, "Saying, Glory To God In The Highest, And On Earth Peace, GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN" (Luke 2:13)!

The fulfillment of "THE GOOD WILL OF HIM THAT DWELT IN THE BUSH" had begun with the birth in a Bethlehem stable of THAT SAME JESUS, as the Firstborn son of Mary.

"Thanks be unto God for the "UNSPEAKABLE GIFT" (2 Cor. 9:15) OF SALVATION brought unto us by both "THE GOOD WILL OF HIM THAT DWELT IN THE BUSH" and "THE GOOD WILL OF THAT SAME LOVING SAVIOR WHO DIED FOR US ON THE TREE AT CALVARY! -- Duane V. Maxey, December 17, 2015

Why Terror Has Struck America?

BLJ: This article was written in 2001 by one of my mentors, Rev. Duane Maxey. It has some good advice for today.

WHY TERROR HAS STRUCK AMERICA

By Duane V. Maxey

Psalms 9:20 KJV -- "Put them in fear, O Lord: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah." 

Psalms 9:20 NIV -- "Strike them with terror, O Lord; let the nations know they are but men. Selah."

"Our Great Nation" is a phrase often used regarding the USA, and when this term is used we often think of America in materialistic terms, picturing in our minds its great expanse of land, its impressive buildings and monuments, and its formidable array of military arms and power. Seldom, if ever, do we think of America as being nothing more than men, and probably most of the time when we do think of the human element of our nation we picture it collectively, seeing in our minds our aggregate millions, and envisioning our great mass of citizens in conjunction with all of our material, monetary, and military trappings. Even thus, we often think of ourselves as a great nation.

Then suddenly, God allows some huge tragedy or terror to strike us! We feel our vulnerability; we realize our humanity, and we are brought face to face with our mortality! We become painfully conscious of our frailty and of our peril as individuals! The tragedy and/or terror has taught us that we are "but men" after all -- frail, human individuals. Stripped of our imagined trappings we are nothing more than feeble flesh and blood -- men, women, boys, and girls, mercifully endowed by our Creator with the breath of life, which breath itself could also be snatched from us at any moment!

It is just such realizations as this that struck us on September 11, 2001, when the 110-story, twin-towers of the World Trade Center were suddenly destroyed, and with them over 6,000 human beings ushered into eternity, in New York City, in Washington, DC, and in Pennsylvania.

Stripped of all of our imagined, collective might as a nation, we are "but men" -- very individual, very vulnerable, very frail, very mortal, and very much in need of God's help! Through the terrors and horrors of September 11, 2001, millions of Americans painfully realize this as never before! No wonder that since that hour "Amazing Grace" and "God Bless America" are now being sung by many who just a few days ago were outspoken advocates of the strict separation of the Church and the State! Prayers, and songs of prayer, invoking God's blessing on our land, are now voiced without shame and without fear of reprisal, and why? -- Because God made us see that we are "but men" upon whom even more and greater tragedies may fall, unless HE helps us!

Our proud "Humpty-Dumpty sat on a wall," but on September 11th he "had a great fall," and the truth is that "all the king's horses and all the king's men" won't be able to "put [that] Humpty together again" unless God helps them to do so. President George W. Bush, along with all of America's military men, technology, and power, will never succeed in removing the world-wide threat of terrorism and in restoring the confidence and security of Americans, apart from God's help!

This is doubtless one of the main lessons intended by God on September 11th. An ancient prayer was answered upon our nation: "Strike them with terror, O Lord; let the [Americans] know they are but men." Terrorists plotted the heinous acts, but The Almighty allowed them -- else He is not Almighty. Therefore, in a very true sense, we are compelled to accept the fact that "He [God] hath done this!" (Psa. 22:31).

It was the devil and Joseph's jealous brothers who performed the cruelties upon him, but it was God who allowed them to occur. The former intended them for evil, but God intended them for good. Joseph finally perceived that fact, and related the same to his guilty brethren: Genesis 50:20 "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive."

Through the cruelties and terrors of Black Tuesday, salvation could also come to millions in our Nation. Our enemies intended it for evil, but God intended it for good. Will that intended good be received? or, will our nation overlook God's purpose in it all? More than America needs Revenge and Justice around the globe, she needs Revival and Justification here at home, and more than she needs the Rebuilding of her towers, she needs the Regeneration of her heart. Unless this too is seen, I think that we may be in store for even more terrors. Unless God prevents it, the day "when the towers fell" may be only the prelude to more crashes, both financial and material.

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come," wrote the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 3:1. Quite apparently, those times have begun, and we might be stunned and amazed to realize just how great and how near our perils are -- and we "be but men": -- not our Great Numbers, not our Goods, not our Gold, not our Guns, and not our Garrisons, but, "God [alone] is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Psalms 46:1).

God's Children, though weak and frail in themselves, can sweetly repose in that fact, and can add the next two verses of the Psalm as their testimony: "Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah" (Psalms 46:2-3).

Results of Not Seeking Holiness Part 3

4. Many good men think the church is sadly backslidden on account of this neglect.

1. Bishop Peck asks: "Is it not true that the large majority of real Christians are yet without it? -- that, in consequence of its neglect, the church is loaded with a body of death filled with backsliders, and comparatively powerless for the great purpose to which she is ordained of Heaven? ...

"How many thousands have been slain by harbored inward foes, which have seemed to be harmless! What a mass of backsliders there are now in the Church, for the very reason that they have been satisfied without going on unto perfection." -- Central Idea, p. 315.

2. President Mahan says: "We see the reason of the aspect of living death which the church now presents to the world. It is simply this: she is in a state of unbelief in respect to the nature and extent of the provisions and promises of divine grace. Christian Perfection, p. 51.

3. Bishop Foster says: "To say that the church is now living, and from the time of the beginning has been living, beneath her privilege, below her mission, would certainly be but a mild and moderate, though humiliating, utterance of the conviction of Christendom." -- Christian Purity, p. 25.

5. A neglect to seek holiness causes a spirit of opposition to holiness.

It is usually the case that persons who have been repeatedly convicted of their need of holiness, and of their duty to seek it, and have refused to do it, or have put forth at times some slight efforts to obtain it, and then relapsed into indifference upon the subject, become its worst enemies. They become displeased with those who faithfully preach it, and dislike to hear it personally professed. This is the natural result of neglected duty, and of grieving the Holy Spirit. They become opposed to holiness because holiness is opposed to them. Sinners who pursue a similar course in regard to regeneration, experience similar results.

Results of Not Seeking Holiness Part 2

3. It is the origin of those grievous apostasies which have dishonored the church and ruined souls.

1. "Can there be any question of this? Who, that believes in the possibility of either temporary or final apostasy, could suggest a mode of backsliding more effectual, more inevitable, than to allow the sinful propensities of our nature to remain undisturbed -- to disobey the great law of progress, which is revealed as sacredly binding upon every converted man?" Central Idea, p. 124.

2. Dr. George Peck says: "Leaving 'first principles,' and going on to perfection, is the only way to be secure against final and total apostasy. ... If, then, we do not wish to end in the flesh, to fall from grace, to lose our first love, to be deprived of the talent committed to us, to have the candlestick removed out of its place, and finally to be cast into outer darkness, we must leave the things which are behind, and go forward to those which are before. ... It is our only security against utter apostasy, the dismal gulf of infidelity, and the pit of hell.

"If we resist or neglect it, we are guilty of disobedience; we contract guilt, and come into condemnation. What, then, is the condition of those Christians who do not seek at all the entire sanctification which God requires? Are they doing the will of God? Let all concerned lay their hand upon their heart, and decide this question according to truth and evidence."

"But what I do mean is, that those Christians who do not seek, and seek CONSTANTLY, for an entirely sanctified nature, FALL INTO CONDEMNATION. And I may add that this condemnation must be removed by pardon, upon repentance, or it will finally 'drown the soul it destruction and perdition.' " -- Christian Perfection, pp. 16, 23, 419.

3. Rev. Timothy Merritt says: "If Christians would not backslide, and bring a reproach upon the cause of Christ, they must go on to perfection. There is no medium between going forward and drawing back. As soon as any one ceases to press forward, he declines in spiritual life." -- Christian Manual.

4. Professor Finney says: "No man can be a Christian who does not sincerely desire it, and who does not constantly aim at it. No man is a friend of God who can acquiesce in a state of sin, and who is satisfied and contented that he is not holy as God is holy."

5. Mr. Wesley's views are presented by Dr. Peck as follows:

"We must either be in possession of this high state of grace, or be pressing after it, if we would retain the favor of God, and be certain of heaven."

6. Dr. Doddridge says: "To allow yourself deliberately to sit down satisfied with any imperfect attainments in religion, and to look upon a more confirmed and improved state of it as what you do not desire, nay, as what you secretly resolve that you will not pursue, is one of the most fatal signs we can well imagine that you are an entire stranger to the first principles of it." -- Rise and Progress, chap. 20.

7. President Mahan gives you his views on this subject, in his work on Christian Perfection, thus: "We are also prepared to account for a melancholy fact which characterizes different stages of the experience of the great mass of Christians. From the evangelical simplicity of their first love they pass into a state of legal bondage and, after a fruitless struggle of vain resolutions with 'the world, the flesh, and the devil,' they appear to descend into a kind of Antinomian death. " -- Christian Perfection, p. 100.

8. Here backsliding often commences. He who fights against sin, and overcomes it, will soon be convicted that it is his duty and his privilege to seek a clean heart. Let him hesitate to do it, and he does not remain where he was before. He has taken back part of the consecration which he made. His power is gone. He is under condemnation." -- Rev. B. T. Roberts: Editorial in Earnest Christian.

We are fully convinced that a neglect on the part of regenerated souls to seek entire sanctification, is a more fruitful occasion of losing the witness of justification, and of backsliding, than all other causes combined. Indeed, it includes, virtually, all other causes. The witness of a justified state can no more be retained without seeking holiness, than a witness of entire sanctification or holiness can be retained without a further and constant growth in grace and knowledge of the truth.

The very conditions upon which a state of justification is retained inevitably lead to Christian purity. The same is true of the conditions of retaining a state of perfect love -- they are those by which the soul is to grow and mature in holiness. A violation of the conditions of increase and growth in holiness forfeits the state of holiness itself. The way for a regenerated soul to obtain the blessing of perfect love, is to abide closely by the conditions of retaining his justification. If he does, he will soon, very soon, bathe in the fountain, and come out pure through the blood of the Lamb.

The converted soul cannot retain the clear light of justification long without a knowledge of its need of being cleansed from heartfelt impurity, of unreserved submission to God, and trust in the blood of Christ for full redempt

Results of Not Seeking Holiness Part 1

What are the results of neglecting to seek holiness?

1. It affords fearful advantage to Satan, our great enemy.

He comes to enslave the soul with fear, to inflate it with pride, to inspire it with the love of the world, to inflame its lusts, to excite anger, to obscure the path of duty, and induce rebellion against God. In the soul but partially sanctified Satan finds some tendency, more or less, to unbelief, to fear, to pride, to covetousness, to lust, and, indeed, to every sin. The seed of all sin is yet in the heart. What a fearful advantage is thus allowed to the enemy!

"But of all the foes we meet,

None so oft mislead our feet

None betray us into sin,

Like the foes that dwell within."

2. It is the occasion of frequent defeat in spiritual conflicts.

Sinning and repenting, rising and falling, are prominent characteristics of those who refuse to seek the blessing of holiness. How truthfully does this familiar stanza describe the lives of multitudes of converted men!

"Here I repent and sin again;

Slain with that same unhappy dart

Now I revive, and now am slain

Which, oh, too often wounds my heart."

"We are compelled to declare," says Bishop Peck, "in our honest judgment, there are few cases of only partial sanctification in which every single day does not make bitter work for repentance... How many, through the influence of remaining depravity, have been betrayed into angry passions, into vanity, pride, and unbridled lusts! How many have gradually yielded to the suggestions of an evil heart, and found at length that their strength was lost, their confidence gone, their Saviour grieved, and their souls brought into bitter condemnation!" -- Central Idea, p 122

Third Bible Study of the Quarter: Sing Unto the Lord

 Today’s lesson comes from Psalm 96:1-13. This study can focus both on the good news of salvation and the return of Jesus Christ. Some have called the 96th Psalm “A Great Missionary Hymn.” Other authors call attention to the universal Sovereignty of God or to the advent of Christ.

The words are very similar to those found in 1 Chronicles 16: 23-33, where the Psalm is ascribed to David. This Psalm was sung when the ark was brought to Jerusalem. Both Jews and Gentiles were called upon to worship the LORD. This Psalm shows a time of great rejoicing in the earth and among its inhabitants. What is the reason for the rejoicing? As the symbol of God’s presence (the ark) entered the city, even so the Messiah will come and reign on earth, and that will be a reason to be rejoicing!

The first section is “Sing Unto the Lord.” vv. 1-6 This portion can be divided up into two sections of three verses each. The first division contains the directives, and the second division the reasons for the directives. Verse 1 tells us to sing; verse two says to show forth; verse three commands us to declare. Verse four gives a reason, “For the LORD is great.” Verse five makes clear that our God is real as opposed to the idols worshipped by the unbelievers. Verse six tells us that in His presence are “honor and majesty...strength and beauty.” We are to sing, show forth and declare our God because He is great, a true God, and He is majestic and beautiful. There are many false religions and fake Christianity’s, but when you have a relationship with the true God of all creation, you cannot help but sing and shout His praises! You are thankful that He saved you by His grace through faith. You are thankful that you didn’t have to earn your salvation. In addition, you are anticipating His return to judge the world and make all things right. That is a reason to sing unto the Lord!

The second section is “Worship the Lord.” vv. 7-9 This section also contains directives. Verse seven states we are to give; verse 9 tells us to worship; verse 9 informs us that we are to fear. Giving is an integral part of worship. We are to give to God even though He is need of nothing. It is an expression of gratitude and loving submission. This includes giving tithes and offerings. We are to worship in the beauty of holiness. Purity was required. The God who is holy will not countenance any defilement, impurity, or sin. We are to fear, that is tremble, in solemn awe produced by the divine presence of our God. Worship of the Almighty includes a recognition of our insignificance and His infinite majesty.

The third section is "The Lord Reigneth." vv. 10-13 This last section describes the sovereign rule of our Lord. There is a steadfast assurance that He will come and will set things aright. The result will be stablility and joy. We are to make a universal proclamation. We are to "say among the heathen," the LORD reigneth. the eternal, omnipotent God will ultimately triumph, and He shall "judge the people righteously."  As a result, "Let the heavens rejoice...let the earth be glad...let the sea roar...Let the field be joyful...all the trees of the wood rejoice Before the LORD." We can rejoice that our LORD is coming to judge the earth. That is, provided we are ready. Are we walking in holiness that becometh the house of the LORD? God will govern by the standard of His holy nature, and He will judge "the people with His truth." He will execute judgment on the wicked and reward the righteous. He has made a way for us through the blood of Jesus Christ to look forward to that day. Do you look with anticipation to that day? If not, you can!

The Golden Text is: "Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee." (Psalm 67:3) We are to have hearts of praise. We that want to praise God should want others to do so also. Our prayer should be: (1) that the gospel might be preached to the lost; (2) that they might be converted and brought into the body of Christ; and (3) that they might be incorporated into solemn assemblies, and might praise God in a local body, and that they might all together praise Him with one mind and one voice. 

My summary points:

1. We are to sing, show forth and declare our praises to God.

2. We are to give, worship and fear the LORD.

3. Jesus is coming again and we are to be ready. Until He does come, we are to be a people singing praise to Him!

Next week's lesson, "Bless the Lord, O My Soul." (Psalm. 103: 1-14). 

Don't forget to read the Sunday School Beacon for inspiration and encouragement!

The Nature of Christian Perfection Part 4

This is the final portion of this reading of the nature of Christian Perfection according to the Rev. John Wesley. Please read the first 3 parts before reading this conclusion. 

"Well, but what more than this can be implied in entire sanctification? It does not imply any new kind of holiness: let no man imagine this. From the moment we are justified till we give up our spirits to God, love is the fulfilling of the law, of the whole evangelical law, which took place of the Adamic law when the first promise of 'the seed of the woman' was made. Love is the sum of Christian sancti­fication; it is the one kind of holiness which is found only in various degrees, in the believers who are distinguished by St John into 'little children, young men, and fathers.' The difference between one and the other properly lies in the degree of love. And herein there is as great a differ­ence in the spiritual, as in the natural sense, between fathers, young men, and babes."—

Sermons, vol. ii. p. 221.

 

"And all this, with abundantly more than this, is con­tained in that single expression, 'the loving God with all our heart, and serving Him with all our strength.' Nor did I ever say or mean any more by perfection, than thus loving and serving God. But I dare not say less than this; for it might be attended with worse consequences than you seem to be aware of. If there be a mistake, it is far more dan­gerous on the one side than on the other. If I set the mark too high, I drive men into needless fears; if you set it too low, you drive them into hell fire."—

Works, vol. vi. p. 535.

 

"Thus you experience, that He whose name is called jesus, does not bear that name in vain; that He does, in fact, 'save His people from their sins;' the root, as well as the branches. And this salvation from sin, from all sin, is another description of perfection, though indeed it expresses only the least, the lowest branch of it, only the negative part of the great salvation."—

Sermons, vol. ii. p. 170.

 

"But surely we cannot be saved from sin, while we dwell in a sinful body" A sinful body? I pray observe, how deeply ambiguous, how equivocal, this expression is! But there is no authority for it in Scripture: the word, sinful body, is never found there. And as it is totally unscriptural, so it is palpably absurd. For no body, or matter of any kind, can be sinful; spirits alone are capable of sin. Pray in what part of the body should sin lodge? It cannot lodge in the skin, nor in the muscles, or nerves, or veins, or arteries; it cannot be in the bones any more than in the hair or nails. Only the soul can be the seat of sin."—Sermons, vol. ii. p. 172.

 

It will be noticed in these expositions and statements of Mr. Wesley, given during forty years of his ministry, that he used the terms "perfection," "Christian perfec­tion," "sanctification," "entire sanctification," "perfect love," and "holiness," interchangeably, and as synonymous; implying the same gracious state of deliverance from all sin, and love to God with all the heart.

 

The Nature of Christian Perfection Part 3

Please read parts 1 and 2 before reading this part.

Soon after the Bell and Maxwell fanaticism of 1762-3, which somewhat changed Charles Wesley's views on the subject for a time, Mr. Wesley wrote to him the follow­ing: —

 

"1. By perfection, I mean the humble, gentle, patient love of God and man, ruling all the tempers, words, and actions, the whole heart, and the whole life.

 

I do not include an impossibility of falling from it, either in part, or in whole. Therefore, I retract several expressions in our hymns, which partly express, partly imply, such an impossibility. And I do not contend, for the term sinless, though I do not object against it. Do we agree or differ here? If we differ, wherein?

 

"2. As to manner, I believe this perfection is always wrought in the soul by faith, by a simple act of faith; con­sequently, in an instant. But I believe a gradual work, both preceding and following that instant. Do we agree or differ here?

 

"3. As to the time, I believe this instant generally is the instant of death, the moment before the soul leaves the body. But I believe it may be ten, twenty, or forty years before death. Do we agree or differ here?

 

"I believe it is usually many years after justification, but that it may be within five years, or five months after it I know no conclusive argument to the contrary. Do you?

 

"If it must be many years after justification, I would be glad to know how many. And how many days, or months, or even years, can you allow to be between perfection and death? How far from justification must it be? and how near to death?"—

Jackson's Life of Charles Wesley, vol. ii. p. 210.

 

"But what is the perfection here spoken of? It is not only a deliverance from doubts and fears, but from sin; from all inward, as well as outward sin; from evil desires, and evil tempers, as well as from evil words and works. Yea, and it is not only a negative blessing, a deliverance from all evil dispositions, implied in that expression, 'I will circumcise thy heart'; but a positive one likewise; even the planting all good dispositions in their place; clearly implied in that expression, 'To love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,’ "—

Sermons, vol. ii. p. 410.

 

"The pure in heart,' are those whose hearts God hath purified even as He is pure'; who are purified through faith in the blood of Jesus, from every unholy affection; who, being cleansed from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfect holiness in the (loving) fear of God.' They are, through the power of His grace, purified from pride, by the deepest poverty of spirit; from anger, from every unkind or turbu­lent passion, by meekness and gentleness; from every desire but to please and enjoy God, to know and love Him more and more, by that hunger and thirst after righteousness, which now engrosses their whole soul; so that now they love the Lord their God with all their heart, and with all their soul, and mind, and strength,'—

Sermons, vol. i. p. 199.

 

To the Countess of Huntingdon, in 1763: —

 

"The loving God with all our heart, soul, and strength, and the loving all men as Christ loved us, is, and ever was, for these thirty years, the sum of what I deliver, as pure religion and undefiled."—

Life of Countess of Huntingdon, vol. i. p. 329.

 

To the Rev. Mr. Venn, in 1765: —

 

"What I want is, holiness of heart and life. They who have this are my brother, sister, and mother.

 

"'But you hold perfection.' True; that is, loving God with all our heart, and serving Him with all our strength. I teach nothing more, nothing less, than this. And what­ever infirmity, defect, anomia, is consistent with this, any man may teach, and I shall not contradict him."—

Works, vol. vii. p. 304.

 

"But what is it you are angry at? What is it you object to? Let us understand the question before we dispute about it.

 

"By Christian perfection, I mean, 1. Loving God with all our heart. Do you object to this? I mean, 2. A heart and life all devoted to God. Do you desire less? I mean, 3. Regaining the whole image of God. What objection to this? I mean, 4. Having all the mind that was in Christ Is this going too far? I mean, 5. Walking uniformly as Christ walked. And this surely no Christian will object to If any one means anything more, or anything else, by per­fection, I have no concern with it."—

Journal, June, 1769.

 

To Mr. S., in 1770: —

 

"I had once the opportunity of speaking a few minutes to you on the head of Christian perfection; and I believe you had not much objection to anything which was then spoken. When I spoke nearly to the same effect to one of the late bishops of London, Bishop Gibson, he said earnestly, 'Why, Mr. Wesley, if this is what you mean by perfection, who can be against it?' I believe verily, there would need no more than a single hour, spent in free and open conver­sation, to convince you that none can rationally or Scripturally say anything against the perfection I have preached for thirty years."—

Works, vol. vi. p. 747.

 

To Mr. W. Churchey, in 1771: —

 

"Entire sanctification, or Christian perfection, is neither more nor less than pure love; love expelling sin, and govern­ing both the heart and life of a child of God."—

Works, vol. vii. p. 82.

 

"Christian perfection does not imply (as some men seem to have imagined) an exemption either from ignorance, or mistake, or infirmities, or temptations. Indeed, it is only another term for holiness. They are two names for the same thing. Thus, every one that is holy, is in the Scrip­ture sense, perfect. Yet we may observe, that neither in this respect is there any absolute perfection on earth. There is no perfection of degrees, as it is termed; none which does not admit of a continual increase. So that how much soever any man has attained, or how high a degree, soever he is perfect, he hath still need 'to grow in grace,' and daily to advance in the knowledge and love of God his Savior."— 

Sermons, vol. i. p. 358.

The Nature of Christian Perfection Part 2

If you have not read part 1, please read that section first.

To Dr. Dodd, in 1756: —

 

"When I began to make the Scriptures my study (about seven and twenty years ago), I began to see that Christians are called to love God with all their heart, and to serve Him with all their strength, which is precisely what I apprehend to be meant by the Scriptural term 'perfection.' After weighing this for some years, I openly declared my senti­ments before the University, in the sermon on 'The circum­cision of the heart.' About six years after, in consequence of an advice I received from Bishop Gibson, 'Tell all the world what you mean by perfection,' I published my coolest and latest thoughts in the sermon on that subject. I therein build on no authority, ancient or modern, but the Scripture." —Methodist Magazine, 1779, p. 434.

 

To Miss Hain, in 1758: —

 

"The doctrine of perfection, you say, has perplexed you much, since some of our preachers have placed it in so dreadful a light; one of them affirming, 'A believer, till per­fect, is under the curse of God, and in a state of damnation.' Another, 'If you die before you have attained it, you will surely perish.'

 

"By perfection, I mean perfect love, or the loving God with all our heart, so as to rejoice evermore, to pray with­out ceasing, and in everything to give thanks. I am convinced every believer may attain this; yet I do not say he is in a state of damnation, or under the curse of God, till he does attain. No; he is in a state of grace, and in favor with God, as long as he believes. Neither would I say, 'If you die without it, you will perish;' but rather, till you are saved from unholy tempers, you are not ripe for glory. There will, therefore, more promises be fulfilled in your soul before God takes you to himself.'

 

"'But none can attain perfection unless they first believe it attainable.' Neither do I affirm this. I knew a Calvinist In London, who never believed it attainable, till the moment she did attain it; and then lay declaring it aloud for many days, till her spirit returned to God."—

Works, vol. vi. p. 732.

 

To Miss Furly, in 1762: —

 

"Certainly sanctification (in the proper sense) is 'an in­stantaneous deliverance from all sin'; and includes 'an instantaneous power then given, always to cleave to God.' Yet this sanctification (at least, in the lower degrees) does not include a power never to think a useless thought, nor ever speak a useless word. I, myself, believe that such a perfection is inconsistent with living in a corruptible body: for this makes it impossible 'always to think right.' While we breathe, we shall, more or less, mistake. If, therefore, Christian perfection implies this, we must not expect it till after death.

 

"I want you to be all love. This is the perfection I believe and teach. And this perfection is consistent with a thou-sand nervous disorders, which that high-strained perfection is not. Indeed, my judgment is, that (in this case particu­larly) to overdo is to undo; and that to set perfection too high (so high as no man that we ever heard or read of at­tained) is the most effectual (because unsuspected) way of driving it out of the world."—

Works, vol. vi. p. 718.

 

To Mrs. Maitland: —

 

"As to the word perfection, it is Scriptural; therefore, neither you nor I can in conscience object to it, unless we would send the Holy Ghost to school, and teach Him to speak who made the tongue.

 

"By Christian perfection, I mean (as I have said again and again) the so loving God and our neighbor as to 'rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks.' He that experiences this is Scripturally perfect. And if you do not, yet you may experience it; you surely will, if you follow hard after it, for the Scripture cannot be broken.

 

"What then does their arguing reprove, who object against Christian perfection? Absolute or infallible perfection I never contended for. Sinless perfection I do not contend for, seeing it is not Scriptural. A perfection, such as en­ables a person to fulfill the whole law, and so needs not the merits of Christ, —I acknowledge no such perfection; I do, now, and always did, protest against it.

 

"'But is there no sin in those who are perfect in love?' I believe not; but be that as it may, they feel none, —no temper contrary to pure love, —while they rejoice, pray, and give thanks continually. And whether sin is suspended, or extinguished, I will not dispute; it is enough that they feel nothing but love. This, you allow, we should daily press after. And this is all I contend for."—

Works, vol. vi. p. 752.

 

To Miss H., in 1758: —

 

"Were you to ask, 'What if I should die this moment?' I should answer, 'I believe you would be saved; because I am persuaded, none that has faith can die before he is made ripe for glory.' This is the doctrine which I continually teach, which has nothing to do with justification by works. Nor can it discourage any who have faith, neither weaken their peace, nor damp their joy in the Lord. True believers are not distressed hereby, either in life or in death; unless in some rare instance, wherein the temptation of the devil is joined with a melancholy temper.

 

"Upon the whole, I observe your great argument turns all along on a mistake of the doctrine. Whatever warm expres­sions may drop from young men, we do not teach that any believer is under condemnation. So that all the inferences drawn from this supposition fall to the ground at once."— 

Works, vol. vi. p. 733.