Wherever Jesus went He was teaching. When He began His ministry He preached the same message as John, “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt 4:17 NKJV; cf. Mt. 3:1-2). He called disciples, who were fisherman, to become fishers of men (Mt. 4:18-19). Christianity is a taught religion, “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me” (Jn. 6:45 NKJV). Jesus commanded His apostles to “…Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mk. 16:15 NKJV). There are multiple ways in which the going can be done but one thing is certain the gospel must be taught!

Paul instructed Timothy, “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:1-2 NKJV). We see here the need to have the faithful propagate the spread of the gospel. It is not enough to know it ourselves; we must also teach others. At the least, we must support those who can teach (cf. Php. 1:1-7, 4:15-18).

The brotherhood has many great ways to spread the gospel (e.g., Bibles, books, tracts, magazines, cards, etc.). In this digital world of hyper connectivity, we have the Internet at our disposal to spread the gospel. Social media can be used for good, as can websites, and online meeting platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet. One Internet-based tool that is available is the Online Academy of Biblical Studies (oabs.org). It serves as a resource to expand our Bible knowledge, train preachers, and to share biblical content with others. We will be blessed to have the director, Russ Earl, with us on June 30th to tell us more about this good work. Let us utilize every tool we can to get the precious life-saving message of the gospel out to as many as we can!

There are so many kinds of flags in the world today. We can find national flags, state flags, military flags, club flags, and sadly even flags that promote wickedness such as the twenty plus of the LGBTQ+ movement. It seems everyone has a flag. Connected with the concept of a flag is that of a banner. A banner was used as a rallying point for a group (cf. Num. 2:2). It was also used as a standard to signal war (cf. Jer. 4:5-6, 21). After the defeat of the Amalekites, Moses built an altar and named it “The-LORD-Is-My-Banner” (Ex. 17:15-16). With so many banners in the world today, God has elevated one above all.

When the children of Israel complained in the wilderness, God sent fiery serpents to bite them (Num. 21:4-6). Once they acknowledged their sin, they requested that Moses pray to God to remove the snakes (Num. 21:7). Moses prayed and God instructed him to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole. The Hebrew word translated as “pole” is translated as “banner” in Ps. 60:4. When the people bitten by snakes looked upon the bronze snake they were healed (Num. 21:8-9). Jesus used this reference to refer to Him being lifted up in John 3:14 when He said to Nicodemus, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,” (Jn. 3:14 NKJV). Jesus was speaking of the cross when He said this (cf. Jn. 12:32-33). Thus, the cross serves as a rallying point to Jesus or a banner for salvation.

No wonder the apostle Paul sought to preach Christ and Him crucified (cf. 1 Cor. 1:18-25, 2:1-5). The banner we must be lifting up to all is the very One that God lifted up on the cross, the Lord Jesus Christ! The words of the hymn “There’s a Royal Banner” seem appropriate here:

There’s a royal banner given for display, To the soldiers of the King;
As an ensign fair we lift it up today, While as ransomed ones we sing.
Marching on! Marching on! For Christ count everything but loss,
For the King of kings toil and sing ‘Neath the banner of the cross.

Trent Thrasher

The last tenet in Calvinism is called “Perseverance of the Saints.” It teaches that God’s elect “can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.” This teaching is also known as “once saved always saved.” It depends upon the other four teachings already examined and proven to be false. The concept of “once saved always saved” lacks any biblical basis. Consider the first general epistle that Peter wrote as one of many Scriptures that prove this doctrine to be false.

Those Peter wrote to in 1 Peter had obeyed the truth and were born again (1 Pt. 1:22-23). They were part of the brotherhood which we all should love (1 Pt. 2:17). They were Christians (1 Pt. 4:16). They were in Christ (1 Pt. 5:14). In other words, they were in the place where God
placed salvation (cf. Eph. 1:3-7, 5:23).

Why then did Peter give the warning about the devil in 1 Peter 5:8 to these saved individuals? He told the Christians to be sober (self-controlled; circumspect) and vigilant (watchful; alert; awake). The devil, the adversary, is on the prowl as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour! Why be on alert for the devil if he cannot cause a child of God to be destroyed i.e., lose their soul? Consider Amos 3:4 as it relates to a lion roaring which states, “Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing? (Am. 3:4 NKJV)” A lion roars when he has prey and the prey the devil desires are God’s children. This teaches us that a Christian can sin so as to be lost, otherwise the devil is seeking an impossible target.

God has given us a complete defense and offense against our enemy which is the faith (1 Pt. 5:9; cf. Eph. 6:10-17). There is only one faith which has been once and for all time delivered (Eph. 4:5; Jd. 3). Resist the devil and he will flee (Jm. 4:7). We have a powerful adversary, but we have a far greater Advocate in the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Jn. 2:1)! Let us stay strong and faithful unto death and the crown of life will be ours (Rev. 2:10).

Trent Thrasher

In Amos 6:1, Amos recorded these words, “Woe to you who are at ease in Zion, And trust in Mount Samaria, Notable persons in the chief nation, To whom the house of Israel comes!” The children of Israel had become complacent and comfortable in their idolatry (Am. 6:4-6). Their comfort would soon be turned into severe punishment (Am. 6:7-14).

What about today? We live in a very complacent and comfortable society. How many times do we hear or read such statements as “if you are not comfortable with <insert just about anything here> then...?” This attitude can easily creep into the church. We must realize that some things will be uncomfortable, but that does not negate their necessity in the slightest!

Jesus said to visit the sick and not a word was spoken about whether it made us comfortable or not (Mt. 25:36). Jesus commanded to preach the gospel to every creature and not a word was spoken about whether it made us comfortable or not (Mk. 16:15; cf. Mt. 28:19-20). More examples could be given.

The truth is, we must be willing to always do the Lord’s will. If we allow the world to lull us into complacency, then we are living the “goat” life which, same as Israel of old, leads to destruction (Mt. 25:41-46). I am reminded of a certain rich man who was quite comfortable on earth but ended up in torments (Lk. 16:19, 22-24). I am also reminded of Lazarus who was not comfortable in this life, but he was faithful, who was comforted in Abraham’s bosom (Lk. 16:20-22, 25). Let us all resolve to guard against complacency and keep pressing forward (Php. 3:14).

Trent Thrasher