The Most Far Reaching Sin Ever Committed. How To Get Rich. God s Golden Chain of Grace. Broken on the Stone

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1 ow To Get Ric By Frank B. Beck ( ) (Proverbs 3: II Corintians 9) A lady wo refused to give anyting after earing a carity sermon ad er pocket picked as se was leaving curc. On making te discovery se said, Te parson could not find te way to my pocket, but te Devil did. Now I ope tis does not appen to you as you wend your way from tis Curc service, if I cannot touc your purse. Neverteless, I am going to speak to you about te least used book in By Paul Stepp of Indore, West Virginia te Curc, te pocketbook! I wis to sow you from God s Word ow you can get ric. ow your barns can be filled wit plenty, and your vats burst fort wit new wine. ow you can be prosperous. onour te LORD wit ty substance, and wit te firstfruits of all tine increase: So sall ty barns be filled wit (Continued on page 2) Broken on te Stone Jesus sait unto tem, Did ye never read in te scriptures, Te stone wic te builders rejected, te same is become te ead of te corner: tis is te Lord s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Terefore say I unto you, Te kingdom of God sall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing fort te fruits tereof. And wosoever sall fall on tis stone sall be broken: but on womsoever it sall fall, it will grind im to powder (Matt. 21:42-44). In our text passage, te Lord Jesus Crist is speaking to tose (Continued on page 8) Te Most Far Reacing Sin Ever Committed By Roy Mason ( ) Genesis 3:1-7 Some of you, peraps ave your Bible open to Genesis 3, and I will begin reading wit verse 1 and continue troug verse 7. Now te serpent was more subtle tan any beast of te field wic te Lord God ad made. And e said unto te woman, Yea, at God said, Ye sall not eat of every tree of te garden? And te woman By Milburn R. Cockrell ( ) said unto te serpent, We may eat of te fruit of te trees of te garden: But of te fruit of te tree wic is in te midst of te garden, God at said, Ye sall not eat of it, neiter sall ye touc it, lest ye die. And te serpent said unto te woman, Ye sall not surely die; For God dot know tat in (Continued on page 3) God s Golden Cain of Grace For wom e did foreknow, e also did predestinate to be conformed to te image of is Son, tat e migt be te firstborn among many bretren. Moreover wom e did predestinate, tem e also called: and wom e called, tem e also justified: and wom e justified, tem e also glorified (Rom. 8:29-30). A good number of people believe tat God sould ave left tese verses of Scripture out of te Bible. Many do not understand tem; oters just simply do not believe tem. Still oters seek to (Continued on page 11) e wo falls in te dirt, te longer e lies te dirtier e is. Quick repentance comes none too soon. Tis is te mark of a cild of God, tat e may fall into te mire, but e will not lie tere. Te seep slips, and is up again: te sow lies down and wallows tere in.

2 Page 2 Te Berea Baptist Banner July 5, 2016 July 5, 2016 Volume XXXVI, Number & Wole Number 444 Editor: Cristoper Cockrell Staff: Seron Cockrell, Marsa Kiser, Virginia Cockrell TE BEREA BAPTIST BANNER (UPS ) is publised montly for $6.00 per year by te autority of te Berea Baptist Curc, 3881 igway 363, Mantacie, Mississippi Periodical Publication postage paid at Mantacie, Mississippi. POSTMASTER: Send address canges to TE BEREA BAPTIST BANNER, P. O. Box 39, Mantacie, Mississippi PUBLICATION POLICIES: All matter for publication sould be sent to te editor. All manuscripts are to be typed and double spaced. All suc material becomes te property of BBB and will not be returned unless requested by te writer. We reserve te rigt to edit and condense all materials sent to us for publication. Te publication of an article does not necessarily mean te editor is in complete agreement wit te writer, nor does it mean e endorses all tis person may ave written on oter subjects. COPYING PRIVILEGES: Unless oterwise stated any article publised in tis paper may be copied by oter publications, provided tey give proper credit line stating tat suc was copied from tis publication, and te date of publication; provided tat suc materials are not publised for profit. If we are not on an excange list wit te publication copying, it is requested tat a copy of te issue containing te article be sent to our address. All copyrigted materials may not be copied witout written consent. PUBLISED MONTLY wit paid circulation in most states in te U.S.A. and some foreign countries. SUBSCRIPTION RATES - U.S. One year...$6.00 Two years...$10.00 Five years...$24.00 SUBSCRIPTION RATES - FOREIGN One Year $45 Tune in to te Berea Baptist Broadcast STATION TIME DIAL WATTS WCNA, Myrtle, MS...Sunday 9:00-9:30 a.m ,000 FM WCTT, Corbin, KY...Sunday 9:00-9:30 a.m ,000 AM WFTA, Tupelo, MS...Sunday 9:00-9:30 a.m ,000 FM KARI, Blaine, WA...Saturday 10:30-11:00 a.m ,000 AM KPRV, eavener, OK... Sunday 8:30-9:00 a.m ,000 FM WQRL, Benton, IL...Sunday 9:00-9:30 a.m ,500 FM Berea Baptist Banner PO Box 39 Mantacie, Mississippi (662) request@bereabaptistcurc.org bbcurc@nexband.com Planning a move? Please let us know your new address. Te post office carges us $.59 for eac returned wrong address. PLANNING TO MOVE? Notify us tree weeks in advance. Te post office will only forward periodical mail for 90 days. Tey carge us $.70 for eac cange of address tey ave to send us. Please save us tis expense and te post office time. BUNDLES TO ONE ADDRESS: Tese are sent for $4 per paper for a year. An example: 10 papers for one year at $40 or 20 papers for one year at $ LOCATION OF PUBLISING CURC: Our curc is located on state igway 363 about one mile sout of Mantacie, Mississippi. Readers are always welcome to visit our services. CURC PONE: A PAPER WITOUT SUBSCRIPTION: Some times people write to us and say tat tey did not subscribe for te BBB. Tey are receiving our paper because someone else as paid for teir subscription. We trust te BBB will be received as an outstretced and to you. Take wat you find elpful and discard wat you cannot use.if you do not want to receive suc a gift subscription, please write to us. We are appy to cancel suc a subscription. We do not want to go were we are not wanted. DISCLAIMER: Te Editor assumes tat te articles submitted for publication in te BBB are written by te person wose name tey bear, unless oterwise indicated by a quote from anoter writer. owever, te Editor cannot personally guarantee tat tis is te case in all articles wic appear in te BBB. Te purpose of te Berea Baptist Banner is as follows: 1.To onor God and to exalt te Lord Jesus Crist. 2. To preac te gospel to lost sinners. 3. To spread te wole counsel of God s Word. 4. To encourage God s preacers and to strengt-en is curces in te most oly fait. 5. To motivate God s cildren to a closer fellow-sip around is Word. 6. To inform people of world events in ligt of Bible propecy. 7. To condemn and expose error werever it may rear its ugly ead. 8. To stimulate Cristian growt in grace. 9. To make te Devil and is demons as mad as possible. PAPER GONE OUT TO SEA WIT TE TIDE? Look at your mailing label on te front page of tis mont s paper. If you see above your name Expires 7/2016 ten tis will be your last issue. So don t tink your paper as gone out wit te tide! Renew now so you won t miss next mont s Banner. ow To Get Ric (Continued from page 1) plenty, and ty presses sall burst out wit new wine (Prov. 3:9-10). RESPONSIBILITY Tere is, of course, responsibility attaced to tis. We are to...onour te LORD. Fear God, and give glory to im (Rev. 14:7). Weter terefore ye eat, or drink, or watsoever ye do, do all to te glory of God (I Cor. 10:31). Tis includes te exercising of our fingers of benevolence! In our giving we are to onor te Lord. onour te LORD wit ty substance, and wit te firstfruits of all tine increase... Tere is a form of giving tat is not onoring to God. On one occasion, a descendant of Nabal, aving put a crown piece in te collection plate instead of a penny, stared at its wite and precious face, asked to ave it back, and was refused by te old Scotc doorkeeper. In once, in for ever, said e. Aweel, aweel, grunted te vexed giver, I will get credit for it in eaven. Na, na, replied te pawky doorkeeper, ye ll get credit only for te penny! e did not onor Jeova in is giving. Te reason wy we sould onor Jeova, need it be asked? Consider is caracter....god is ligt... (I Jon 1:5). Ligt is always giving. Te LORD God is a sun... (Psalm 84:11). Te sun is always giving its ligt and warmt and vitality to te eart. God is love (I Jon 4:8). Love is always giving. For God so loved te world, tat e gave is only begotten Son... (Jon 3:16). And we could go on. God is full of grace to us (I Pet. 5:10). Is not grace always giving, expecting noting in return? God is full of mercy (II Cor. 1:3). Is not mercy always giving to te undeserving? Tose wo by regeneration and sanctification are made like God are also always giving. Consider God s conduct. Is e not always giving? e gave man tis eart to live on (Gen. 1-2). e gives us...rain from eaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our earts wit food and gladness (Acts 14:17). And above all, Tanks be unto God for is unspeakable gift (II Cor. 9:15)- --even is own dear Son! If tis same God lives in you e will make you a great giver....crist livet in me (Gal. 2:20) will also mean, Crist givet troug me! For tis reason we sould onor Jeova wit our giving. Te requirement of our text sould be studied. ow sall we onor Jeova in tis particular case? In giving. In giving to im by purse and by produce. Bot. Some time ago a preacer sent me a pamplet publised by imself in wic e seeks to prove tat titing is an Old Testament fixture and as noting to do wit us wo are under grace. One of is arguments is tat te tite was never money, but always produce, food, and was always eaten. But ere, at least, it appears to be bot! Tere was te purse. onour te LORD wit ty substance... According to Dr. Robert Young, te word (on) means wealt, substance, sufficiency. In te ligt of te principle of Scripture it would be disonorable to give God less tan one tent of our income, and certainly no onor if we merely stop at te tent!...e wic sowet bountifully sall reap also bountifully (II Cor. 9:6). Te gift of produce is also included....te firstfruits of all tine increase... God s preacers and te poor of te flock would ave no lack were we quick (in (Continued on page 3)

3 July 5, 2016 Te Berea Baptist Banner Page 3 ow To Get Ric (Continued from page 2) country sections) to give of our milk and meat and oter produce to tem, as well as tite our money. Tis is our responsibility, to so onor Jeova in our giving. RESULT Te result is tat you sall get ric! I am not afraid of God s promises. It is positive. So sall ty barns be filled wit plenty, and ty presses sall burst out wit new wine. It is no different tan Malaci 3:10, except tat te latter reference includes far more tan eartly blessing! So sall! But tis is in te Old Testament. Te blessing of te Old Testament is prosperity, te blessing of te New Testament is adversity. We are living in te New Testament period. Do we not know of Cristians wo gave and gave beyond teir means, like te noble Macedonian Cristians (II Cor. 8:1-3)? And tey died next to being paupers. ow explain? If you were to ask tem: Are you not poor? Tey would reply: Poor? Not at all! I am a King (Rev. 1:6). I ave te...unsearcable rices of Crist (Ep. 3:8) for I am an eir of God and a jointeir wit Crist (Rom. 8:17). But wat about te barns and winepresses te Scriptures speak about in Proverbs 3:9-10? Surely tis refers to provision. Barns filled. Wine-presses bursting. And te Cristian giver sakes is ead in agreement and says: Tere failed not ougt of any good ting wic te LORD ad spoken...all came to pass (Jos. 21:45). My God as supplied all my needs according to is rices in glory by Crist Jesus (Pil. 4:19). But it is true tat we are living now in te New Testament age, and muc of te carnality and materialism of te Old Testament age and promises now come to us in iger and greater blessing, distilled into spiritual blessings! So tat weter I eat or am ungry (as many Cristians must be tis very our in distant wartorn and tyrant-ruled lands), yet te promise is fulfilled to tem, not in material barns or pysical belly, but wit te food for te barn of te eart, te Word of God (is tat not better yet! Matt. 4:4) and wit te blessed wine of Pentecost, te fullness of te oly Spirit (Acts 2:4 and 13; Ep. 5:18). But te promise is of plentifulness! Abundance. Barns filled. Vats bursting. Let me point you to te fulfillment. Crist speaks:...if any man tirst, let im come unto me, and drink. e tat believet on me, as te scripture at said, out of is belly sall flow rivers of living water. (But tis spake e of te Spirit, wic tey tat believe on im sould receive...) (Jon 7:37-39). Wile giving is not mentioned ere, do not imagine tat a stingy, miserly, greedy, covetous person can ever get tis blessing. Now do not go away saying: I tougt e was going to tell us ow we could get ric and ave well-filled barns and bursting wine-presses, and bulging bank accounts. I ave given you someting far better. A eart filled wit te gladness of God (better tan corn and wine in abundance, Psalm 4:7), and bursting fort and overflowing wit te life-giving waters and rivers of te oly Spirit, te wine of eaven! wic cannot be taken away from you. Never! (Luke 10:42). And ten on te new eart wo can tell about even barns Little ills Te Most Far (Continued from page 1) By Nataniel ille of Caldwell, Kansas... and te little ills rejoice on every side (Psalms 65:12). Te New Birt #4 Wat is te New Birt? Except a man be born again, e cannot see te kingdom of God (Jon 3:3). Te new birt is exactly wat it sounds like... life created. Tis time, instead of a pysical birt, it is a spiritual birt. Wen Adam sinned in te garden of Eden e died, not pysically, but spiritually. And ever since, man as come into tis world spiritually dead. And you at e quickened, wo were dead in trespasses and in sins (Ep. 2:1). Te old sinful nature cannot be fixed. Te nature tat you and I were born wit is irreconcilable to God. Because te carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to te law of God, and wine-presses and ouses and land? Be assured, if Proverbs 3:9 and 10 is to receive a literal and pysical fulfillment as well, tat tere will be no better period nor place to receive it tan tere! Amen. te day ye eat tereof, ten your eyes sall be opened, and ye sall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And wen te woman saw tat te tree was good for food, and tat it was pleasant to te eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, se took of te fruit tereof, and did eat, and gave also unto er usband wit er; and e did eat. And te neiter indeed can be (Rom. 8:7). Tus, man must be born again. Te new birt is spiritual life granted from above, from God. It is to be alive unto God in Crist Jesus. Te new birt is te divine nature of Crist Jesus created in a person. Terefore if any man be in Crist, e is a new creature: old tings are passed away; beold, all tings are become new (II Cor. 5:17). Te new birt is not a set of morals, a conscience, a moral compass, religion, reformation or a confirmation. It is Crist in us, I am crucified wit Crist: neverteless I live; yet not I, but Crist livet in me (Gal. 2:20). ave you been born again? Does Jesus Crist live in you? eyes of tem bot were opened, and tey knew tat tey were naked; and tey sewed fig leaves togeter, and made temselves aprons. Now some people say, ow could tat sin, te eating of fruit, ave been so terrible, wen it was only te sin of just eating a certain ting? I am going to say tat te sin was not just nibbling some fruit, te sin was in teir disobeying Almigty God. Sin is doing wat God, our Maker, says do not do, or else refuse to do wat e says for us to do. Te best indication we ave of te origin of sin is te story of ow Lucifer became te Devil. Tat came about by is saying I will be like te most ig, I will exalt my trone above te stars of God. We need to get it straigt (Continued on page 4)

4 Page 4 Te Berea Baptist Banner July 5, 2016 Te Most Far (Continued from page 3) as to wat sin is. A lot of people leave teir relationsip to God out completely wen tey tink of sin. A lot of people do not feel tat tey are sinners---at least not bad sinners---because tey are not vilely mistreating teir fellow man. Tey will tell you, I pay my debts, I try to treat people rigt, I am a good citizen, but wat about teir duty to God? Wy, tey just leave im out. Suc commands as Tou salt ave no oter gods before me and Tou salt love te LORD ty God ave completely gone unnoticed. Sunday comes, and tey do not even tink of going to worsip. Te day begins and tey never even tink of asking te guidance of God troug te day. Tey bolt food witout tanksgiving, and live teir lives in te same identical way. God is left completely out. Suc a person migt treat is fellowman wit te utmost consideration, and, indeed, migt be voted te community s foremost and most elpful citizen, and at te same time, be utterly Godless, wit only is breat keeping im out of torment. Get tat notion out of your ead, if you ave suc a notion, tat you can be all rigt spiritually just because you treat your fellowman rigt. Te God tat made you, tat as given you eac breat tat you breate, is due some consideration and some recognition. Wen you leave im out, you are going to be left out if you die in tat condition. So I say Adam and Eve sinned not just because tey nibbled fruit, but because tey defied God and did wat e told tem not to do. But just wy do I say tat tis is te most far-reacing sin ever committed on te eart? I suggest some reasons for tis. In te first place, because it was te first sin. Tis sin was te start, te genesis, te beginning of sin in tis world, and everyting tat as been wrong since, and is wrong wit te world now, arks back to tat first sin. In te second place, because tis was te ting tat brougt deat. Werefore as by one man sin entered into te world..., te Bible says, And deat by sin; and so deat passed upon all men for tat all ave sinned (Rom. 5:12). Before tat time, tere was no deat, so far as we know, no deat in plant life, no deat in animal life, and certainly no deat in uman life. Every tree tat lies dead in te forest, every plant tat droops and dies, every deat of an animal, fis, or fowl, every deat of te uman race, stems back to tat first sin tat brougt te curse of deat into te world. Every tear tat as ever been sed around a deat bed, and every pang of grief tat as ever been experienced at any funeral, ad its origin back tere in tat first sin. In te tird place, because tis was te willful taking of te Devil s word in preference to God s Word. God ad said, Lest ye die. Te Devil said not so, and te first woman took is word, and rejected te Word of te One Wo ad made er. Yes, and te great mass of mankind is taking te Devil s word rigt now, rater tan te Word of God. In te fourt place, because it was tat sin tat put us in te condition tat we are in today. Adam and Eve fell, and tey came to possess fallen natures, tey passed tose fallen natures on to teir cildren, and tey to teirs, and so on until tis present day. Every person is born wit te nature tat as an affinity for sin. Tere is no denying tat. You ave to teac a cild to do rigt, you do not ave to teac it to do wrong. As te popular song as it, it does tat naturally. Sin springs up in te soil of unregenerate uman nature just like weeds spring up in te garden. In te fift place, because tis was te sin tat made necessary te deat of Crist, te Son of God. Calvary is te direct aftermat of tat fruit-eating episode in te garden and te first promise of a Redeemer appears in tis self-same capter tat tells of te fall of Adam and Eve into sin. But let us ask, wat was te fater of tis first and most farreacing sin? I answer, it was skepticism. Satan looked down into tis glorious little Paradise, and began to figure ow e could cause God some trouble. Now, Satan usually works troug stooges. Te Devil s metod is exactly te same as te Communist metod, and te Communist way is to bore from witin. Tey get traitors planted on te inside of a country, ten wen trouble is stirred up, tey get tose traitors to overtrow and take over. Wy does not our government and all oters declare Communism to be treason, and every Communist a traitor? Tat is exactly wat tey are. Now Satan, looking for a stooge to do is dirty work, cose te most beautiful and intelligent creature in te garden. e cose te serpent, wic at tat time, was a beast and not a reptile. Let us remember tat te serpent was made a snake as a curse from God. In te beginning, e was not a snake, but a beautiful creature tat ad a power of speec. We ave some creatures today tat can talk, but tey do not ave muc sense. A parrot is not particularly intelligent, but it can learn to talk. I ave eard a talking crow. I ad eard of suc but I did not believe it. I said, I will ave to see a talking crow before I will believe it, but I ave been torougly convinced. Some years ago, I was driving troug Bonito Springs, Florida, and saw a small zoo, and I said, Let us stop and take a look. Well, I was looking at some tings sut up in te cages, wen I eard a voice rigt beside me, and I almost jumped out of my skin, for tere was not anybody near. I looked down and a crow ad is ead stuck out of a cage, and e was looking at me wit te most miscievous look in is eyes. As I looked, e spoke again, and would you believe it, tat scoundrel of a crow stuck is ead out to be rubbed. e was perfectly tame and unafraid, and e could say a number of tings, and muc clearer tan te average parrot. Now te serpent tere in te garden could not only speak, but e was intelligent, and in im, Satan found te fift columnist, if I may put it tat way, tat e needed to undermine te peace and appiness of Eden. Satan, speaking troug te serpent, said to te woman, Yea, at God said ye sall not eat of every tree of te garden? at God said ---are you sure of it? is first weapon was skepticism. Te very first ting was to raise te question as to weter or not God ad spoken. And, listen, te same old Devil as is modern-day stooges, te modernists, using te same tactics. Te first ting tey do wen a young man goes to te Seminary today is to raise a doubt in is mind as to weter te Bible is really te Word of God, and tey water and nouris tis seed of doubt, until by te time te young man graduates, e as no autoritative Word of God, and e goes out to poison te minds of tose among wom e ministers. I am going to tell you, from now on, (Continued on page 5)

5 July 5, 2016 Te Berea Baptist Banner Page 5 Watering te Tulips By Todd Bryant of Nortport, Alabama Sining Ligts In A Dark World Ye are te ligt of te world. A city tat is set on an ill cannot be id. Neiter do men ligt a candle, and put it under a busel, but on a candlestick; and it givet ligt unto all tat are in te ouse. Let your ligt so sine before men, tat tey may see your good works, and glorify your Fater wic is in eaven (Matt. 5:14-16). Everyting you do is under te world s microscope. Like it or not, tis is true. Never as every move a person made been more viewable as today. From mobile pone cameras to social media, nobody is truly idden from te world s site anymore. Tere is no closet to retreat into. Certainly Te eyes of te LORD are in every place, beolding te evil and te good (Prov. 15:3). owever, tere is just about a camera and outlet to post on social media in every place today, as well. We must always keep in mind tat God is Judge and we must give an account to im. We must also keep in mind tat we are to sow good works before te world works tat onor and glorify our Fater in eaven. Te world as defined te seven deadly sins as lust, gluttony, greed, laziness, wrat, envy and pride. Certainly tose are sins and we often fall into teir trap. Yet, God as a list of seven abominations tat differs some from tis list. Tese six tings dot te LORD ate: yea, seven are an abomination unto im: A proud look, a lying tongue, and ands tat sed innocent blood, An eart tat deviset wicked imaginations, feet tat be swift in running to miscief, A false witness tat speaket lies, and e tat sowet discord among bretren (Prov. 6:16-19). Toug we all ave our pet peeve sins, tis is a list of sins tat God inspired to declare tat e ates. We would do well to memorize tis list and steer away from tese tendencies. Te world is watcing to see ow we act. We must wonder ow well we are truly doing at letting our ligt sine before te world. In tis day wen every tougt seems to make its way into a Tweet or Facebook post, I am not sure we consider ow we must look to te lost world amidst all of te drama tat tis world supplies us daily. Do we stand out as different? Or, do we seem to ave te same worldly tendencies as everybody else? Do we stand out as repentant? Or, do we continue daily to spew venom on social media only to bow our eads in prayer at curc on Sunday morning? Do we let our ligt sine before men? Or, do we continually add fuel to te fire in wat we say and do? Tese are legitimate questions tat need to be asked. Wen a believer supports a cause, te world views Cristianity troug te actions of tat believer. Like it or not, you may be te only contact your friends and family ave wit te cause of Crist. ow are you doing? Is your normal speec just like teirs? Or better yet, is it any different from wen te Lord saved you? Is your support of tose causes and leaders sowing your fait in God? Or are your causes and candidates just worldly and wicked like te world s causes and candidates? Cild of God, you are to be a ligt in tis world. Wile te world is dark, you are to sine. If we are wrapped up in te same figts as te world, te likeliood is tat we are not sining as we sould. May God lead us all to sine fort for im in tis dark day of te world s istory. Te Most Far (Continued from page 4) I am going to advise every student for te ministry tat I come in contact wit to stay away from any and every institution tat as even a suspicion of modernism. In te next place, note tat Satan s skepticism questioned God s goodness....at God said, ye sall not eat of every tree...? Te plain inference was tat God was olding out on tem, was keeping te best from tem. And te Devil still sows tat kind of stuff in uman earts. I ave ad people come to me and say, If I become a Cristian, will I ave to give up suc and suc pleasures? Tat comes because te Devil gets people to believing tat e offers a better time tan God, tat God is olding out on people, keeping tem from aving as good a time as tey ougt to ave. It is strange, but te uman race as not found out during all tese many centuries tat te Devil s good times are ruinous and destructive of all appiness and everyting tat is wort wile. Many a man can not see wy te Lord sould object to is smoking or is taking a drink or is gambling a little. Many a woman can not see wy te Lord sould object to er winning a good little prize at te bridge table, or wearing cloting tat renders er alf naked. Many a young person can not see wy te Lord sould object to teir doing tis, tat, or te oter. Wy does God want to take our pleasures from us? Wy does e want to put a edge around tose trees from wic we fain would eat. Well, maybe I can make you see wit some illustrations. My fater ad some cows on is farm up in Kentucky, and tose cows were allowed in a nice green meadow. Te grazing was splendid in te meadow, and te cows did not lack for food, for tey were sleek and fat. But rigt on te border of te meadow, in te center of te farm, e ad a fine field of corn. Round te field of corn e ad a fence, an old-fasioned rail fence. Te corn ad developed to te stage were tere were green ears of corn on te stalks. I can imagine one of tose cows standing by te fence looking over into te green field, and I can imagine er saying in cow language to te rest, Is it not awful tat te master keeps tat nice corn field away from us? e is olding out on us. e is keeping us from aving a good time. And all te cows come to resent te restriction, and tey begin to pus against te fence. Finally, it gives away in one place, and te wole bunc of tem go over into te corn field, and begin to feast on green corn. Now I am just imagining tat conversation in cow language, of course, but I am not imagining tat intence of te cows breaking into te corn field, for my fater s cows did tat very ting. Tey broke in during te nigt, and wen e went out in te morning, tose cows ad stuffed temselves on all te green corn tey could old. It ad (Continued on page 6)

6 Page 6 Te Berea Baptist Banner July 5, 2016 Te Most Far (Continued from page 5) tasted good, but in te language of te farm, tey ad foundered on green corn. Wat a fix tey were in! Tose animals puffed up and looked as if tey would burst. Despite everyting tat could be done, some died, and te rest were te sickest beasts I tink I ave ever seen. As I recall, part of te air came off of tem, tey could not eat, and tey came out of tat experience poor and emaciated, and looking like walking skeletons. If tey ad possessed intelligence, I fancy tey would ave admitted tat te restrictions of teir master were designed for teir good, and tat teir violation of tat restriction ad worked tem arm. I tink of a friend wo told of receiving quite a lot of candy at Cristmas time, and te small boys consumed a plentiful amount of it, but tey were not satisfied. Tey wanted more! And wen tey were finally sent upstairs to bed at nigt, tey went crying, feeling, no doubt, tat tey ad very unkind parents---parents wo ad pounds of candy and would not let tem eat anoter bite. Suppose tey ad let tose boys go unrestrained? Before morning, tey would ave been sick as tose cows tat broke into te corn field. Wy did tose parents old back tat candy from tose boys? Because tey did not want tose boys to ave a good time? No! No, because tey ad te welfare of tose boys at eart, and tat is exactly te wy of God s restrictions. God never keeps anyting from you, or never takes anyting away from you, but tat it is for your good. Te very fact tat you like someting does not prove tat it is good for you. It looks as if we uman beings could learn some sense from Eve s experience, and te experience of oters tat ave been violating te will of God down troug te centuries, but sad to say, we ave not learned very muc. I said tat skepticism followed tat first and most far-reacing of all sins back tere in te garden- --first, skepticism concerning weter God ad really spoken or not....yea, at God said...? And second, skepticism concerning te goodness of God. at God said tat you sall not eat of te fruit of every tree of te garden? e just wanted to keep someting deligtful from you. Go aead and enjoy it. Now, tird, we see skepticism concerning God s trutfulness. Te serpent said to te woman,... Ye sall not surely die... Listen, te same Devil puts te same sort of denial in te minds of people today. All over te country tere are people wo tell you tat tey do not believe te Bible, tey do not believe tat Jesus is te Son of God, and especially tey do not believe in ell. Most, if not all, tat say suc ave never read te Bible completely troug. Tink of it, will you? Tink of a man wo as been in te world just a few years, wo as only touced an infinitesimal part of te universe, wo as learned only a primer or two of all te works of wisdom--- tink of tat man setting imself up to dispute wit God, God Wo made te world, and witout Wom tere was not anyting made tat was made. I believe tat suc as only one explanation. Eve would never ave done tis on er own accord. Se knew too little to dare make suc an assertion, to dare to call God a liar. A man today would never of is own accord say tat tere was no ell, wen God says tere is. A man confined to tis little eart would never, on is own, say tat out in te vast universe tere is no place of punisment for sinners. I will tell you wy Eve believed as se did, wy men deny ell as tey do---it is te wispering of te arcenemy of God, Satan, as e opposes God and seeks te ruin of our souls. Back tere, God said to te first man and first woman,... Te day tat tou eatest tereof tou salt surely die. Satan said,...ye salt not surely die. Wo was rigt? Ask Adam, after e ad been cast out of te garden, ask im as e toils out tere amid te torns and tistles, and e will tell you tat God was rigt. Ask Eve as se views te angel wit te flaming sword, keeping er forever from going back into te garden, wo was rigt, and se will tell you tat God was rigt. Ask Adam and Eve as tey lie in teir last sickness ready to suffle off tis mortal coil, wo was rigt, God or Satan, and tey will tell you tat God is rigt. You say, But tey did not die wen tey ate te forbidden fruit. Tat is were you are wrong. Te most awful ting about deat is separation, te most awful ting about te second deat is eternal separation from God and appiness. Te every day tat tey ate te forbidden fruit, tey separated temselves from God, tey lost teir fellowsip wit im, and tey sowed it by iding from im in te garden, and tat very day, te process of disintegration and decay set in tat eventually put tem in te grave. Listen, te same God Wo said, Ye sall surely die as also said, Te wages of sin is deat, and by deat tere e does not primarily mean pysical deat, but spiritual, eternal deat. If we ave learned anyting from te experience of our first parents tere in te garden, we will believe tat God means wat e says, Te wages of sin is deat. A fellow gets wages for serving te Devil. Payday comes as surely as time goes on. But suppose somebody asks me, Wat can I do---i ave already served te Devil for years, and I ave enoug of te wages of sin laid up to take me to ell te minute I die? I am glad tat I ave te answer to tat question. Wen Eve ad disobeyed te Lord and ad been put out of te garden, was tere any remedy? Yes, God rigt tere made te first promise of a Redeemer, promising tat te seed of te woman sould bruise te serpent s ead. I believe tat Adam and Eve believed te promise of God. I believe tat tey looked forward and believed on te Redeemer to come and were saved. Wen I get to eaven, I am expecting to see bot Adam and Eve tere. But I ave someting more tan te promise of a Redeemer. I ave someting more tan tat, for I come to tell you tat tat Redeemer as actually come. e came to take te load of sin tat men ave piled up against temselves, and to give unto tose tat believe on im a priceless gift, te gift of everlasting life, for te Bible not only says,... Te wages of sin is deat, it also says tat...te (free) gift of God is eternal life troug Jesus Crist, our Lord (Rom. 6:23). Te old propet Isaia says, All we like seep ave gone astray; we ave turned everyone to is own way; and te LORD at laid on im te iniquity of us all (Isa. 53:6). Are you willing tat your sins sould be laid on im? Tat is wat fait in im is, an expression of willingness to receive im as your sin-bearer. It says ere in tis Scripture, To im gave all te propets witness, tat troug is name wosoever believet in im sall receive remission (Continued on page 7)

7 July 5, 2016 Te Berea Baptist Banner Page 7 Sela! Tink about it! by Mattew Stepp of Wayne, West Virginia For te Lord imself sall descend from eaven wit a sout, wit te voice of te arcangel, and wit te trump of God: and te dead in Crist sall rise first: Ten we wic are alive and remain sall be caugt up togeter wit tem in te clouds, to meet te Lord in te air: and so sall we ever be wit te Lord (I Tess. 4:16-17). During a recent revival service at Big Creek Baptist Curc, te LORD blessed te sermons and te singing and as pastor, I stood up at te end of te service and told te congregation tat I was really expecting te roof of te building to disappear in te glory of te coming of Jesus Crist. Wow! raptured to...ever be wit te LORD! Knowing tat it could appen at any moment means we are living in expectation tat it REALLY could appen during one of our worsip services. Getting caugt up in tat REALITY, I mentioned to te congregation tat I really did not know wat te Wayne County Seriff would do wit all tose cars left in te parking lot. Sela! Tink about it! Sure is a joyful tougt, e? But after te service, I got to tinking tat tere were more tan just empty automobiles being left in te parking lot. Wat about te 3-4 (8-10?) empty souls left in te Big Creek sanctuary? Tose witout te blessed ope tat comes troug te sed blood of Jesus Crist tat are left tere suddenly in te mostly emptied building? Life will go on. Wat would tey be tinking as tey turned out te ligts and wandered into te parking lot to get into teir cars? Sela! Tink about it! Te modern Arminian, tat writes te Left Beind series of propetic books, would see tose remaining souls saved by te evidence experienced by teir wondering eyes. But, beloved reader, I am afraid te Bible does not back tat teory up. In te context of te rapture, te Apostle Paul writes, And wit all deceivableness of unrigteousness in tem tat peris; because tey received not te love of te trut, tat tey migt be saved. And for tis cause God sall send tem strong delusion, tat tey sould believe a lie: Tat tey all migt be damned wo believed not te trut, but ad pleasure in unrigteousness (II Tess. 2:10-12). Beloved, te Bible is clear tat te Great Tribulation is Daniel s Seventiet Week, were God is going to deal virtually exclusively wit te nation of Israel and te time of te Gentiles is OVER, as te Rapture concludes te Curc Age. For I would not, bretren, tat ye sould be ignorant of tis mystery, lest ye sould be wise in your own conceits; tat blindness in part is appened to Israel, until te fulness of te Gentiles be come in (Rom. 11:25). And, now, as te roof literally comes off te Big Creek Baptist Curc, blindness will come upon tose souls left in te pews as te piano stops abruptly because te trumpet as sounded. Unbelievable you say? NO ONE in teir rigt mind could misinterpret te disappearance of all te Cristians in te world? Again, let me revisit te depts of te total depravity of te uman mind. Wat appened wen Jesus raised Lazarus from te DEAD? Ten many of te Jews wic came to Mary, and ad seen te tings wic Jesus did, believed on im. But some of tem went teir ways to te Parisees, and told tem wat tings Jesus ad done ( Jon 11:45-46). Some of tose witnesses to te UNBELIEVABLE event of calling a dead man out of is tomb, went to te Parisees and told tem, You are never gonna believe wat te Nazarene as done now. Never minding te miracle, te evident signs of deity tey did not believe. Just as Abraam answered te ric man s request to send te oter Lazarus back from te dead to warn is eartly, carnal broters of teir imminent fate, And e said unto im, If tey ear not Moses and te propets, neiter will tey be persuaded, toug one rose from te dead (Luke 16:31). Sela! Tink about it! Te power is in te preacing. Te foolisness of preacing is te ONLY ope tat tose few remaining souls in te sanctuary ad. ad? ow terrible to end up on te wrong side of te Rapture. But let me ask you someting, beloved reader. Do tose poor souls left beind ave ANY more evidence te moment AFTER te Rapture, tan tey did te moment BEFORE? Did te preacer not warn tem? Was tat not te wole purpose of te revival meeting? ad it not been laid out before tem in detail in te Word of God? Te evidence was just as sure wen te Apostles wrote te New Testament as it will be sure for all of eternity. And tey still won t believe, unless tey believe te Gospel. For I am not asamed of te gospel of Crist: for it is te power of God unto salvation to every one tat believet; to te Jew first, and also to te Greek. For terein is te rigteousness of God revealed from fait to fait: as it is written, Te just sall live by fait (Rom. 1:16-17). Beloved reader, tis is all written tat you migt see wat could ave appened. Te Rapture AS NOT occurred, as of yet. I am still able to type tese words of warning to lost sinners. Te Bible says tat NOW is te day of salvation. NOW is te time to believe. (For e sait, I ave eard tee in a time accepted, and in te day of salvation ave I succoured tee: beold, now is te accepted time; beold, now is te day of salvation) (II Cor. 6:2). Sela! Tink about it! Te Most Far (Continued from page 6) of sins (Act 10:43). ave you ever believed on im in tat way? Tat is te only way out, tat is te only solution to any person s sin problem. Wy do you not take it? Will you take it, and ten will you say so in open, public profession of your fait in Crist? Our eavenly Fater, we pray tat we may learn some lessons from tese ancestors of ours of te past, and we pray tat we may realize tat men apart from God s redemptive grace, are mere cildren of fallen Adam. Grant, our eavenly Fater, tat if we ave been speaking to some out of Crist, tat tey may realize God s remedy for sin---is Son--- and tat tey may turn unto im as tat remedy, receiving im as teir personal Savior, for we ask it earnestly in is name, and for is sake. Amen.

8 Page 8 Te Berea Baptist Banner July 5, 2016 Broken on te Stone (Continued from page 1) Jews wo ave rejected im and is ministry and wo, in doing so, ave rejected God te Fater Wo sent Jesus Crist into te world. In particular, Jesus Crist is speaking to te cief priests, te elders, and te Parisees, wo ave been questioning im and is autority. I want you to know, tat it is a dangerous ting to question Jesus Crist or is autority! In doing so, as men of tis world, we are in danger of bringing immediate judgment upon ourselves; and, if we do not repent, we are only pouring additional and terrible damnations upon us wic sall be poured out upon us by te justice of God in te eternal Lake of Fire. A portion of our text passage is a direct quote from a Psalm, wic is considered by most to be a Messianic Psalm: Te stone wic te builders refused is become te ead stone of te corner. Tis is te LORD S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes (Ps. 118:22-23). Te teacing of te Psalm informs us tat te Lord Jesus Crist never expected to be accepted and lauded by te builders wo would be te leaders and te rulers of te people tat e would come to minister unto. owever, is it not a marvelous ting tat men would reject teir own Creator wen e would take upon im fles, and would inabit te same place and time as te men wom e ad created? Is it not a furter marvelous ting, tat te very stone wic was te Crist and te Creator, toug e was rejected and refused by te educated and te elite of men, was still despite all of teir opposition, and despite all of teir eartly wisdom made te cief cornerstone of te work and te prosperity of te Lord God as e dealt wit all of mankind? It is marvelous to my eyes and to yours as well, if you are saved tat te Lord Jesus Crist, Wo was rejected by men during is first coming, is te only ope and te only salvation for all of mankind. Witout im, men cannot be saved. And yet, in is presence, nearly all would ignore im or even violently oppose im. Today, let us tank God for is mercy and for is longsuffering and for is salvation, wic is accomplised troug our blessed and persecuted and reviled yet beautiful and glorious, Saviour, Jesus Crist. TE STONE In our text verses, tere is a reference to a stone wic is rejected by te builders. Tis stone would become te ead of te corner. Tis is obviously a reference to Jesus Crist. Peter made tis fact plain wen e told te Jewis leaders, Be it known unto you all, and to all te people of Israel, tat by te name of Jesus Crist of Nazaret, wom ye crucified, wom God raised from te dead, even by im dot tis man stand ere before you wole. Tis is te stone wic was set at nougt of you builders, wic is become te ead of te corner. Neiter is tere salvation in any oter: for tere is none oter name under eaven given among men, wereby we must be saved (Acts 4:10-12). Jesus Crist is te ead of te corner. e is te cornerstone of te kingdom of God. Jesus Crist is te rock upon wic te Curc is built. And I say also unto tee, Tat tou art Peter, and upon tis rock I will build my curc; and te gates of ell sall not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18). Jesus Crist was not esitant or lax in taking te Old Testament propecies of imself and relating tem to te current conditions as e ministered to te people, and as e taugt te ones wo were (or would become) te cildren of God. Jon Gill said, Crist is often in Scripture compared to a stone, and is called te stone of Israel is said to be a stone of stumbling to some, and a precious tried stone to oters: is represented as a stone cut out of te mountain witout ands, and on wic are seven eyes: and is fitly compared to one, for is usefulness in te spiritual building te curc, were e is as bot te foundation and corner stone, and for is strengt and duration. Crist is te sure, firm, and everlasting foundation, wic God as laid in Zion, and te only one of any avail; nor can any oter be laid to any purpose; and if e is neglected, and laid aside in te ministration of te word, te building wic men endeavour to rear, or exort unto, will come to noting. Woever build on im are safe, and on noting else: Crist is te foundation on wic te curc and every believer are built, and terefore will abide; for te gates of ell cannot prevail against tem: te covenant of grace is immovable, being establised in im; its mercies are sure, and its promises yea and amen: te salvation of immortal souls is certain, resting upon im; te fait and ope of te saints fail not, being directed to, and settled on im: te ouse not made wit ands, wic is in eaven, is an eternal one; and te city wic as foundations is a continuing one because of te concern tat Crist as in it; and toug e is of suc eminent use and importance in te building, yet, as suc, te builders rejected im. Te Old Testament is full of propecies, wic picture Jesus Crist, te Messia, as a stone. Terefore tus sait te Lord GOD, Beold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: e tat believet sall not make aste (Isa. 28:16). In te book of Daniel, we read about a dream tat Nebucadnezzar ad, and Daniels interpretation of tat dream. In tat dream tere is a stone, wic is representative of Crist and is kingdom (See Daniel 2:31-45). We read in te book of Zecaria, ear now, O Josua te ig priest, tou, and ty fellows tat sit before tee: for tey are men wondered at: for, beold, I will bring fort my servant te BRANC. For beold te stone tat I ave laid before Josua; upon one stone sall be seven eyes: beold, I will engrave te graving tereof, sait te LORD of osts, and I will remove te iniquity of tat land in one day (Zec. 3:8-9). Te idea of Crist as a strong, immovable stone; te concept of Crist as a foundation upon wic a structure is built; te tougt of Crist as te center and te focus of our ope and our salvation a center and a ope tat cannot be moved is someting tat is key in representing te true caracteristics, and te eavenly and eternal nature of our God and Saviour. Tese Old Testament propecies do a good job of painting te picture; Jesus Crist came to fill in te details, and to embody te propecies in a full and perfect way. Tis is wy e, imself, makes reference to te passage from te Psalms; (Continued on page 9)

9 July 5, 2016 Te Berea Baptist Banner Page 9 Broken on te Stone (Continued from page 8) e understands tat e is te stone, and e intends tat te Jews, and oters, sould see im in te propecies. As we go furter in te sermon, I want you to notice tat tis stone as te ability and te autority to bot break te sinners, and to grind te sinners to powder. But, first, let us notice te builders wo are mentioned in reference to te stone. TE BUILDERS By te builders, te Jewis teacers and te Jewis leaders are intended. Tese are te ones wo, in te past, ad been leading te people to look for a pysical and mortal salvation obtained by a pysical and mortal Messia. Te Jews were te ones tat te Crist came to first. Te Jewis nation is te people, and tis generation tat e lived amongst were te generation, wo would first be te recipients of te ministry of te Crist Wo would save te world. owever, tese same leaders and rulers wic now were in carge of te Jewis people, were te ones wo were for te most part, even now, rejecting Jesus as te Crist, and refusing to submit to te autority wic e so obviously retained. Tey were only looking for a pysical salvation and a pysical kingdom. Teir worsip and teir religion was only a temporal worsip and religion. In te text passage, te Lord Jesus Crist told te Jews, Te kingdom of God sall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing fort te fruits tereof. And wosoever sall fall on tis stone sall be broken: but on womsoever it sall fall, it will grind im to powder. Te implication is tat te Jews were exposed to te Kingdom of God first, in te New Testament Age, troug te preacing of Jon te Baptist (see Mattew 3:1-2) and Jesus Crist (see Mattew 4:17). And yet, due to te response of te worldly Jews especially teir blind leaders te Kingdom of God, and te successes of tat Kingdom, would be given to oters. Now, tis could apply bot to te fact tat te igly esteemed Jewis leaders scribe, Parisees, lawyers, priests, and rulers would be omitted from te Kingdom of God, wile te poor and te ignorant and te sinners would be included in tat Kingdom; and te fact tat te Jewis nation as a wole, would be largely omitted from te Kingdom of God for centuries, and te benefits of tat Kingdom of God on eart would be mainly experienced by te Gentiles. Te Jewis leaders te scribes, te Parisees, te lawyers, and te cief priests were all about control. Tey wanted to teac and build te religious exercises of te Jews. Tey designed tese to empasize te importance of man, and, for te most part, tey focused on te works, te abilities, and te obedience of men, in order to accomplis salvation and effective service unto God. Te foundation tat tey built upon was only sand it was comprised of te works and te wort of men. Tese builders wo were in carge of te moral direction and te religious endeavors of an entire nation and religion, not only missed or ignored te coming of te Messia; but, tey even went so far as to seek to discredit im and to set im at nougt. And e answered and told tem, Elias verily comet first, and (Continued on page 10) Quotes from Broter Ritecus N. Dignation by Josep arris OW TO IRE A PREACER AT WAL-MART Wen it comes to iring a preacer, certain qualifications usually come to mind. Education, experience, and family status are just a few of te criteria often used to measure te candidate. Some people are concerned wit age: e may be too young or e may be too old. Still, oters don t want a boring, teacing preacer, but a dynamic, flamboyant pulpiteer. I ave decided tat a lot of curces miss te boat wen calling a pastor. Being Spirit led, wit a good dose of common sense, guided by Scripture is always te best rule of tumb in every situation. Curces could learn a ting or two about calling a pastor if tey would just put aside te resume, references, and education of te candidate and consider anoter avenue. Instead of sending a pulpit committee to ear te preacer in is own curc were e will always be on good beavior, let te committee instead follow im around town for a day and observe is sopping abits and people skills in everyday life situations. Tis is were te real man and is caracter (or lack of it) will be revealed. Consider te following wen at Wal-Mart: (1) Wen taking a buggy troug te ceck out, does e stick to te maximum item limit in te express lane, or try to bulldoze is way troug an express lane wit a buggy of 50 items, ignoring te 20 item limit? Caracter Trait - Obeys rules. If e ignores te sign, it means e doesn t obey rules and submit to autority. So ten does e follow God s rules and submit to is autority? (2) Wen taking groceries or oter items to is car in te parking lot, does e go out of te way to place is cart in te sopping cart return rack, or do wat everyone else does and leave it by is car? Caracter Trait - Goes te second mile. If so, ten e will probably work ard and not be slack in is ministry work as your pastor. (3) Wen walking down te aisle in te store, does e stop and pick up stray items on te floor and put tem back on te self or out of te way of traffic? Caracter Trait- Consideration and being a good steward. e is considering te safety of oter soppers and elping te store keep items from being destroyed and sop worn. (4) Is e courteous wit oter soppers and workers in te store, including te ceckout person? Caracter Traits-Grace and compassion. If e is rude, pusy, arrogant, and impatient, ten e lacks graciousness and compassion and will probably give is curc members te same treatment. (5) Does e park in te andicap spot because, after all, it s empty? Caracter Trait- Sensitivity. Tis one speaks for itself. If e is insensitive to te needs of oters, e is placing is needs first. Need I say more? Actually tese standards would apply wen calling a pastor, iring an employee in business, or looking for a usband or wife. Be careful. You never know wo may be watcing you in public.

10 Page 10 Te Berea Baptist Banner July 5, 2016 Broken on te Stone (Continued from page 9) restoret all tings; and ow it is written of te Son of man, tat e must suffer many tings, and be set at nougt (Mark 9:12). But I am a worm, and no man; a reproac of men, and despised of te people. All tey tat see me laug me to scorn: tey soot out te lip, tey sake te ead, saying, e trusted on te LORD tat e would deliver im: let im deliver im, seeing e deligted in im (Ps. 22:6-8). Sadly, tis is still te state of affairs in religion today. Truly, te unbelieving Jews of today ave continued in te pats and te pattern set by tese unbelieving Jews in te time of Crist. owever, even in te ranks of so-called Cristianity, tere are builders te leaders and te teacers in main-stream Cristianity wo are building teir religion and teir salvation upon a sandy foundation, and are concentrating on works and te wort of man, wen tey sould be proclaiming te works and te wort of Crist. In teir own ways, te leaders of religion today are, for te most part, rejecting te Stone wic is Jesus Crist. Jon Gill said, And so e is rejected by some wo bear te caracters of builders among Cristians: as wen is proper deity, and eternal sonsip are denied, and e is treated as a mere creature; wen is satisfaction and atoning sacrifice are eiter wolly rejected, or little regarded, lessened, and depreciated, and repentance and good works are put in te room of tem; wen is imputed rigteousness is opposed, and laid aside, and te rigteousness of men preferred unto it, and cried up as te matter of justification in te sigt of God; wen is efficacious grace is represented as unnecessary to regeneration, conversion, and sanctification, and to te performance of good works; and wen e is left out of public ministrations, as te way of life and salvation, as te fountain of all grace, and foundation of all appiness, and uman power, free will, and moral rigteousness are put in is room. TE BROKEN As we return to our text passage, it is interesting to note tat te stone breaks some, and reduces oters to powder. Very often we are inclined to break tese two classes of persons pictured ere, into te class of saved, and te class of te unsaved. owever, I believe tat te broken is a reference to tose wo are guilty of sin, and wo ave offended God and is Saviour, Jesus Crist. In a general way, we migt say tat te broken referred to in our text passage, could be inclusive of all men for all ave sinned and come sort of te glory of God. We ave all been an offense to God, and ave stumbled at tat stumbling stone wic is Jesus Crist. Werefore also it is contained in te scripture, Beold, I lay in Sion a cief corner stone, elect, precious: and e tat believet on im sall not be confounded. Unto you terefore wic believe e is precious: but unto tem wic be disobedient, te stone wic te builders disallowed, te same is made te ead of te corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to tem wic stumble at te word, being disobedient: wereunto also tey were appointed (I Pet. 2:6-8). We all are born sinners. We all ave been disobedient. We all ave transgressed te law of God. Tere is none of us wo are naturally pure, wo are naturally rigt and just. Tere are none of us wo are naturally wole and unblemised. We are all guilty and broken creatures in te sigt of a trice oly God. owever, tere is te grace of God intervening on bealf of miserable and broken mankind. Tere is salvation for tose wo are ordained unto eternal life. Tose of us wo are saved are made to know our broken and sinful condition, and we look to Jesus Crist as our Saviour and as te remedy for our broken condition. Once tis condition is seen and repentance is granted and belief in Jesus Crist is delivered to tem, tese formerly broken souls will be saved by God s grace. It must be tat tose wo will be saved will, at one time or anoter, as a preface to teir salvation, be reduced to suc a situation as tis: broken and condemned because of teir sinfulness and teir depravity. Tis broken condition of men wo ave transgressed against te Lord God of eaven and Eart, is te broken condition tat is likely being referred to by our Lord Jesus Crist. Jon Gill said, but wilst tere is life, te means of grace continue, te kingdom of God is not taken away; tere is ope tat suc may be recovered from teir impenitence and unbelief. Te sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite eart, O God, tou wilt not despise (Ps. 51:17). Te verses in te Psalms and tere are several wic refer to te broken eart or te broken spirit as being necessary in te cause and service of God, are really a condition tat one comes to, after aving been broken and condemned after aving been known and cast down as a terrible sinner, and an offender of te Law and Justice of God after aving trusted in God as te Saviour. Tese verses are not necessarily speaking of te initial salvation of a soul; but, rater, of te times of sin and te times of failure in our service unto God. At suc times we must confess our sins and turn unto im Wo as saved us. e ealet te broken in eart, and bindet up teir wounds (Ps. 147:3). We read in te book of Isaia, Sanctify te LORD of osts imself; and let im be your fear, and let im be your dread. And e sall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to bot te ouses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to te inabitants of Jerusalem. And many among tem sall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken (Isa. 8:13-15). Mattew enry said, Some, troug ignorance, stumble at Crist in is estate of umiliation; wen tis Stone lies on te eart, were te builders trew it, tey, troug teir blindness and carelessness, fall on it, fall over it, and tey sall be broken. Te offence tey take at Crist will not urt im, any more tan e tat stumbles, urts te stone e stumbles at; but it will urt temselves; tey will fall, and be broken, and snared, Isa 8:14; 1Pet 2:7; 1Pet 2:8. Te unbelief of sinners will be teir ruin. TE POWDER Finally, I want you to consider te condition of tose wo are ground to powder in our text passage. We migt say tat tose wo are broken, and wo never repent and believe in Jesus Crist as teir Saviour, are bound to be ground to powder. I suppose tat you could say tat tis powder (Continued on page 11)

11 July 5, 2016 Te Berea Baptist Banner Page 11 Broken on te Stone (Continued from page 10) represents tose persons wo are so actively opposed to Jesus Crist and to is ministry, tat tey are destroyed outrigt, and tey are exceedingly damned and destroyed by te Justice of God. Tese are tose persons wo will persistently, continuously, and vigorously attack te Lord Jesus Crist and is followers. Tese are tose persons wo will, despite all evidence to te contrary, refute and refuse Jesus Crist and is words and works, and wo will intentionally deceive and blind oters so tat tey may not follow after Jesus Crist. Tese are tose souls wo will do teir best after te powers of te fles and te evil spirit world to prevent and oppose tose wo are seeking to enter in at tat straigt gate and to travel te way to eaven. Te end of tese wicked persons is to be utterly ruined, and to be ground into powder. We read in te Psalms, Te Lord at ty rigt and sall strike troug kings in te day of is wrat. e sall judge among te eaten, e sall fill te places wit te dead bodies; e sall wound te eads over many countries (Ps. 110:5-6). I believe tat many of te builders wic are referred to in our text passage, will be amongst tese tat are ground to powder. Altoug, in a beautiful manifestation of God s mercy and grace, we do find tat quite a number of te priests and oters wo may ave persecuted Jesus Crist during is eartly ministry, were saved after tat te Lord was ascended into eaven: And te word of God increased; and te number of te disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of te priests were obedient to te fait (Acts 6:7). Te Apostle Paul is an example of anoter terrible persecutor of te fait, wo was also saved. Te Apostle Paul did not just reject Jesus as te Crist, e violently opposed im, and sougt to imprison and murder tose wo would follow Jesus Crist. And yet, te Lord saved im. And I tank Crist Jesus our Lord, wo at enabled me, for tat e counted me faitful, putting me into te ministry; Wo was before a blaspemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And te grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant wit fait and love wic is in Crist Jesus. Tis is a faitful saying, and worty of all acceptation, tat Crist Jesus came into te world to save sinners; of wom I am cief. owbeit for tis cause I obtained mercy, tat in me first Jesus Crist migt sew fort all longsuffering, for a pattern to tem wic sould ereafter believe on im to life everlasting (I Tim. 1:12-16). e was broken on te stone, in tat e was found a sinner. e was worty to be ground into powder, in tat e violently and veemently opposed te Kingdom of God. But, te Lord was gracious unto im, and e granted im repentance and belief in Jesus as te Crist. And, te Lord as been gracious to many more. owever, all of tose wo will violently and continually oppose te Kingdom of God, and wo will do so all of teir days witout repentance, tese will be utterly and terribly damned. Mattew enry said, None ever ardened is eart against God and prospered. I pray God tat you and I will resolve to follow after Jesus Crist. e is te Stone wic te builders rejected. owever, e is also te Stone wic is tried and true, and wic is set for te fall and te rising again of many. e is our ope and our salvation. Te world may revile im, and may even persecute us. But let us not forsake im or is Word. God s Golden (Continued from page 1) explain away teir plain sense in order to cling to teir religious dogma. Tese verses are in te Bible, and tey are profitable for doctrine. Tey contain five great words wic progressively reveal te footsteps of redeeming grace. FOREKNOWLEDGE Te first link in tis golden cain of grace is te foreknowledge of God te Fater: For wom e did foreknow... Te word foreknow is proginosko in te Greek, and it means pro or before, and ginosko or to know. ence te word means to know beforeand. Tis word is used in two ways in te New Testament. First, it means God s knowledge of all tings before tey come into existence. Tis cannot be te meaning ere in Romans 8:29, for foreknowledge concerns persons to be conformed to te image of Crist. Tese particular persons are to be called, justified, and glorified by God. Tis is not true of all men witout exception. Second, it points to an act of te Divine intelligence wic includes affection and coice. Tis is a voluntary act on te part of God. It means God cose and recognized as is own. For te Lord knowet te way of te rigteous... (Ps. 1:6). You only ave I known of all te families of te eart... (Amos 3:2)....I am te good seperd, and know my seep... (Jon 10:14). Te Lord knowet tem tat are is... (II Tim. 2:19). At te wite trone of judgment Crist will say to ypocrites:...i never knew you (Matt. 7:23). Crist certainly knew teir caracter and actions, but e did not ever love and coose tem as is people. Tus in Romans 8:29 foreknow is te act of knowing and fixing te mind upon a number of persons wom God would predestinate. It points to tose te apostle calls God s elect in verse 33 of tis same capter of Romans. Foreknowledge corresponds wit te coosing before te foundation of te world in Epesians 1:4. Te foreknowledge in my text prevents reprobation: God at not cast away is people wic e foreknew... (Rom. 11:2). In I Peter 1:2 foreknowledge and election are joined togeter. God te Fater ad a knowledge and deligt in certain persons, and tis is te ground and foundation of is electing tem in eternity past. eretics, past and present, add to tese words and make tem read: Wo God knew beforeand as certain to believe. Paul added no suc words, nor are suc words at all necessary. To add suc words would be to completely reverse te sense of Paul, and ascribe te coice to te clay instead of te Potter. Jesus said: Ye ave not cosen me, but I ave cosen you... (Jon 15:16). God foreknew man in unbelief (Rom. 11:32), not in belief. Fait cannot be te cause of foreknowledge because foreknowledge precedes predestination, and fait is te effect of predestination:...and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed (Acts 13:48). ence foreknowledge in Romans 8:29 (Continued on page 15)

12 Page 12 Te Berea Baptist Banner July 5, 2016 Te Berea Baptist Banner Forum Submit your questions on any Bible topic. 1. Are te Mennonites a true New Testament curc as described in Acts 2? - Idao Roger Reed 20 Ledgewood Dr. Mansfield, Oio Missionary of West Jefferson Missionary Baptist Mission 90 E. Main St. West Jefferson, Oio No, tey are not a true New Testament Baptist curc. Named after and influenced by te teacings and tradition of Menno Simons ( ) teir founder, not Jesus Crist. In my book tat is te first strike against tem. Tey believe one can be baptized by te act of immersion, sprinkling, or pouring water from a pitcer, second strike against tem. Tey believe all Cristians are te curc, te body of Crist, tird strike against tem. In oter words, tree strikes and tey are OUT! Tey believe in feet wasing wic was never given by Crist as an ordinance. And tey are not all in agreement in teir doctrinal belief, muc like te cult called te Amis. Below is a quote from an internet web site: Wo are te Mennonites and wat are teir beliefs? Tere is a wide scope of worsip, doctrine and traditions among Mennonites today. Old Order Mennonites use orse and buggy for transportation and speak Pennsylvania Dutc (similar to German). Tey refuse to participate in politics and oter so-called sins of te world. Most Old Order groups also scool teir cildren in curc-operated scools. Traditionally, tey used orses to pull te farm equipment, but witin te past ten years some are now using steel-weeled tractors for farm work. Conservative Mennonites maintain conservative dress but accept most oter tecnology. Tey are not a unified group and are divided into various independent conferences. Moderate Mennonites differ very little from oter conservative, evangelical Protestant congregations. Tere are no special form of dress and no restrictions on use of tecnology. Tey empasize peace, community and service. Anoter group of Mennonites ave establised teir own colleges and universities and ave taken a step away from strict Bible teacing. Tey ordain women pastors, embrace omosexual unions, and practice a liberal agenda, focusing on peace studies and social justice issues. Very little is mentioned in teir curc services regarding te fact we are all sinners and in need of a Savior as a sacrifice for our sins, rater focusing on maintaining good works and service to oters. Te word Mennonite today can mean so many tings; tere are almost as many varieties of Mennonites as tere are fast food cains. Some groups are more evangelical tan oters; some groups are focused on Bible study and prayer; oter groups are carefully maintaining te worksbased tradition set out by teir ancestors; and, sadly, some groups ave left te fait of teir faters and focus instead on current social issues. Mennonites are committed to nonviolence, nonresistance, and pacifism. u, sounds like some Baptist preacers I know. Not tat tere is anyting wrong wit tese traits but I believe te time for pacifism is over. Mennonites will not join te military and terefore tey, like many oter groups, enjoy te freedoms of America at te expense of oters wo gave and are giving teir life to ave suc freedom. I am sure, like many oter religious groups, tere are some tat are saved, but basically tey are rank Arminians. We could go on but I believe tis answers te question at and sufficiently enoug. God Bless! ROGER REED Mike DeWitt Sr. PO Box 950 Springfield, OR Pastor Parkway Landmark Baptist Curc PO Box 950 Springfield, OR My answer to te question is no tey are not. Acts 2:47 says, Praising God, and aving favour wit all te people. And te Lord added to te curc daily suc as sould be saved. You see, te first Curc believed in te sovereign grace of God in salvation. For te promise is unto you, and to your cildren, and to all tat are afar off, even as many as te Lord our God sall call (Acts 2:39). I ave looked over a few of te articles of fait and ave found Mennonites to believe in freewill, or everybody as a coice to be saved or not, tis belief is not Bible based. MIKE DEWITT Mattew Stepp 286 Big Creek Road Wayne, WV Pastor Big Creek Baptist Curc 286 Big Creek Road Wayne, WV A true New Testament curc in 2016 can only be found under te Baptist name. No oter curces can trace bot doctrine and lineage trougout te 2000 years since Jesus Crist started is curc tat te gates of ell would not prevail against (Matt. 16:18). Te Mennonites are one of te few denominations tat may sometimes try to claim tat noble lineage of te Anabaptists and Waldenses of early curc istory, but teir doctrine as departed from God s Word many years ago, and te modern denomination cannot be called a true New Testament curc as described in te Bible. Te istory of te Mennonites begins in Switzerland wit te Protestant Reformation, particularly troug te teacings of Ulric Zwingli ( ). Te triumvirate of Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz and George Blaurock were disciples of te famous Reformer, but due to Zwingli s esitance to completely renounce Infant Baptism, te tree started teir own congregation and affiliated temselves wit oter like-minded Anabaptists and became known as te Swiss Bretren (to distinguis tem from Moravian Bretren, and oter Bretren factions around Europe). Tese particular men cannot be called true Baptists, because tey never did seek autority for teir baptism, but proceeded to produce teir own curc troug self- (Continued on page 14)

13 July 5, 2016 Te Berea Baptist Banner Page Wat Scriptures can you give to confirm or deny te practice of people standing before te curc and giving a testimony? Te Berea Baptist Banner Forum Submit your questions on any Bible topic. Tom Ross 6339 County Rd. 15 Sout Point, O Pastor Mt. Pleasant Baptist Curc 6939 County Rd. 15 Cesapeake, O It is quite possible te practice came into use in curces in te form of exortation. I Timoty 6:12 states: Figt te good figt of fait, lay old on eternal life, wereunto tou art also called, and ast professed a good profession before many witnesses. Tis Scripture could also relate to te admonition regarding assembling wit te Lord s curc in ebrews 10:23-25: Let us old fast te profession of our fait witout wavering; (for e is faitful tat promised;) And let us consider one anoter to provoke unto love and good works: Not forsaking te assembling of ourselves togeter as te manner of some is; but exorting one anoter: and so muc te more, as ye see te day approacing. Jon Gill, te Baptist expositor gave te following comment on I Timoty 6:12:...bot before te bretren at Lystra, at is baptism and admission into te curc, before wom e gave an account of is fait, and made a profession of it; and wo, upon tis, and is agreeable life and conversation, gave a good report of im to te Apostle Paul, Acts 16:1-2, and before te apostle, and te rest of te elders, wen tey laid teir ands on im, wereby an extraordinary gift was conveyed unto im, I Timoty 4:14 (Vol. 9, p. 312). TOM ROSS Roger Reed 20 Ledgewood Dr. Mansfield, Oio Missionary of West Jefferson Missionary Baptist Mission 90 E. Main St. West Jefferson, Oio Tere are two Scriptures tat deny te practice of people standing before te curc and giving a testimony, but I believe Mattew capter 6 sould be read in view of tis question also. Te two Scriptures tat I believe discourage tis practice are found in Luke 18:9-14 and I Corintians capter 14. Luke 18 teaces umility before God and I Corintians 14 tells us tat our testimony sould be to te lost, not te saved (in tis case te curc). Wat little I know of testimonies from people I used to work wit is no more tan a blubbering display of folks tat are not serious about serving God and want attention for teir faitlessness and sin. I do not believe in displaying pictures of crosses, te so-called picture of Jesus, and/or wording on a t-sirt to sow tat one is a Cristian, or so called. We go to curc to worsip God in spirit and in trut. God is a Spirit: and tey tat worsip im must worsip im in spirit and in trut (Jon 4:24). It is not to work up some display of emotions by crying and blubbering to get people excited. Many times it is women (widows wo give testimonies). So, wat do we do wit tese two verses of Scripture if tis practice is allowed? And if tey will learn any ting, let tem ask teir usbands at ome: for it is a same for women to speak in te curc (I Cor. 14:35). Let te woman learn in silence wit all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teac, nor to usurp autority over te man, but to be in silence (I Tim. 2:11-12). Tis is someting tat many of our curces today are failing to practice. As muc as I esitate to say tis, I believe most men are afraid of teir wives/woman. Seems tere is more of a fear in losing curc members tan in keeping te Word of God. A word to wives/woman, you sould be asamed of yourself if you are one of tese women tat are doing tese tings, In like manner also, tat women adorn temselves in modest apparel, wit samefacedness and sobriety; not wit broided air, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (wic becomet women professing godliness) wit good works (I Tim. 2:9-10). Our testimony sould be our speec, actions, and our dress to a lost and dying world. Te preacer is tere to, Preac te word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exort wit all longsuffering and doctrine (II Tim. 4:2). Your preacer is ordained of God to preac is Word. Let te curc ear im. Te curc service is not for tose wo want sympaty for teir sins. God Bless! ROGER REED Mike DeWitt Sr. PO Box 950 Springfield, OR Pastor Parkway Landmark Baptist Curc PO Box 950 Springfield, OR I can give you a verse, but I can also tell you about Jon te Baptist wo preaced repentance before baptism. I ask, ow did Jon te Baptist know tey ad repented? Answer, tey ad to give a testimony and sow fruits. But Barnabas took im, and brougt im to te apostles, and declared unto tem ow e ad seen te Lord in te way, and tat e ad spoken to im, and ow e ad preaced boldly at Damascus in te name of Jesus (Acts 9:27). Looks like a Biblical testimony. MIKE DEWITT Mattew Stepp 286 Big Creek Road Wayne, WV Pastor Big Creek Baptist Curc 286 Big Creek Road Wayne, WV And all te people gatered temselves togeter as one man into te street tat was before te water gate; and tey spake unto Ezra te scribe to bring te book of te law of Moses, wic te LORD ad commanded to Israel. And Ezra te priest brougt te law before te congregation bot of men and women, and all tat could ear wit understanding, upon te first day of te sevent mont. And e read terein before te street tat was before te water gate from te morning until midday, before te men (Continued on page 15)

14 Page 14 Te Berea Baptist Banner July 5, 2016 Forum #1 (Continued from page 12) rebaptism. On January 21, 1525, Grebel baptized Blaurock and Blaurock ten baptized te entire congregation. Weter any of tis group ever sougt out a true New Testament curc for scriptural baptism cannot be determined by tis researcer. Te autority to baptize lies in no mere man, suc as Conrad Grebel, but must be obtained by te autority of an existing curc. Te Swiss Bretren were indeed Anabaptists, and among tem, tere likely existed many true New Testament curces tat would ave ad teir roots and autority from te ancient Waldensians, Petrobrusians, Catari, Paulicians and oter Anabaptist forefaters tat still eld true to te Bible doctrines of curc autority and curc discipline. Tese teacings infiltrated and substantiated many congregations and te consequential founding of te Mennonite denomination reveals muc doctrinal trut. In January of 1536, a young Frieslander (now olland or Neterlands) named Menno Simons rejected te Roman Catolic priestood and joined te Anabaptists. Obbe Pilips and is broter Dirk were instrumental in Menno Simons coming to recognize te need to leave te Catolic eresy and find te Lord s true curc, troug te clear teacings of is oly Bible. Baptized and ordained by Anabaptist autority, I ave no personal doubts tat Menno Simons was a true Baptist (by today s standards) and is personal doctrine is seen vividly in is writings. Witin monts of is defection, a gaudy price was put upon is ead and e spent te rest of is life ounded, persecuted, and on te run from te state curces. Te importance of Menno Simons to Baptists and Mennonites is mostly troug is prolific and effective writings. e did not found any curces or movements, but God brougt im along at a crucial time, wen many Anabaptists were being 1) deceived into violent demonstrations and 2) going along wit te loose morals of te conventional religious times. e wrote extensively, exorting oly living and peaceful remonstrations. Te common links between te Dutc Anabaptists and te Swiss Bretren were because of is influence in clarifying te Scriptures to is generation. Te naming of te Mennonites, like so many oter groups in istory, was given to tem by oters, well after te fact of teir organization and Menno Simons deat. Wit te similarity in doctrine wit te Dutc Anabaptists tat ad become known by te name of teir most visible leader, particular brances of te Swiss Bretren also became known as Menists, or Mennonites. Primarily because tey took earnestly to Menno Simons teacings on pacifism and curc discipline for purity. As to te modern Mennonites scattered troug te four corners of te Eart, tere are at least five modern brances tat vary from conservative, Amislike congregations to liberal, omosexual-embracing groups. All brances tat tis autor knows of ave long since departed from teacing te doctrines of grace or landmark curc trut, so tat none today would qualify as one of te Lord s New Testament curces. Sela! Tink about it! MATTEW STEPP Tom Ross 6339 County Rd. 15 Sout Point, O Pastor Mt. Pleasant Baptist Curc 6939 County Rd. 15 Cesapeake, O Te original Mennonites named after one of teir most famous leaders, Menno Simons, were in all probability wat we would today identify as Baptists in fait and practice. G.. Orcard, a Baptist istorian in te 1800 s wrote A Concise istory of te Baptists. Orcard came to te conclusion tat te original Mennonites were of te Baptist lineage but later departed from te fait once delivered (pp ). J. R. Graves wrote an introductory essay for te book in 1855 were e quotes from Moseim, te Luteran istorian and from Te Ecyclopedia of Religious Knowledge to support te idea tat te original Mennonites were Baptist in fait and practice. Graves quoting Moseim: Te true origin of tat sect wic acquired te name Anabaptists, by teir administering anew te rigt of baptism to tose wo came over to teir communion, and derived tat of Mennotists from tat famous man to wom tey owe te greatest part of teir present felicity, IS ID IN TE REMOTE DEPTS OF ANTIQUITY, and is consequently extremely difficult to be ascertained (Pp. xvi-xvii). Graves quoting Te Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge: Te Mennonites are descended from te tolerably pure evangelical Waldenses, wo were driven by persecution into various countries; and wo during te latter part of te twelft century, fled into Flanders and into te provinces of olland and Zealand, were tey lived simple and exemplary lives--in te villages as farmers, in te towns by trades, free from te carge of any gross immoralities, and professing te most pure and simple principles, wic tey exemplified in a oly conversation. Tey were, terefore, in existence long before te Reformed Curc of te Neterlands...Again, We ave now seen tat te Baptists, wo were formerly called Anabaptists, and in later times Mennonites, were te original Waldenses; and wo ave long in te istory of te Curc, received te onor of tat origin. ON TIS ACCOUNT TE BAPTISTS MAY BE CONSIDERED AS TE ONLY CRISTIAN COMMUNITY WIC AS STOOD SINCE TE APOSTLES; AND AS A CRISTIAN SOCIETY WIC AS PRESERVED PURE TE DOCTRINES OF TE GOSPEL TROUG ALL AGES. Jon T. Cristian also affirmed te idea tat te original Mennonites were indeed Baptists and e cites te work of Ypeij and Dermount in Volume One p. 138: Te Waldenses scattered in te Neterlands migt be called teir salt, so correct were teir views and devout teir lives. Te Mennonites sprang from tem. It is indubitable tat tey rejected infant baptism and used only adult baptism. owever, te Mennonites would later depart from te fait and began to substitute pouring for immersion. J. T. Cristian quotes Isaac Backus on pp to support tis: Te istorian Backus explains (Continued on page 15)

15 July 5, 2016 Te Berea Baptist Banner Page 15 Forum #1 (Continued from page 14) te cange of te Mennonites from immersion to affusion in te following manner: Te Mennonites are also from Germany and are of like beavior, but tey are not truly Baptists now. Teir faters were so in Luter s time, until confinement in prison brougt tem to pour water on te ead of te subject, instead of immersion; and wat was ten done out of necessity is now done out of coice, as oter corruptions are. Te very first article tat I wrote for Te Berea Baptist Banner was entitled Was Menno Simons a Baptist? I ave lost te manuscript. I tink it was publised in 1981 or 82. I quoted from te Works of Menno Simons extensively and came to te conclusion tat e and is followers appeared to be very Baptistic. owever, I also concluded tat te Mennonites would later depart from te fait once delivered. Tere is muc among te Mennonites tat is commendable. Teir simplicity of life, separation from te world, empasis on family, and practice of curc discipline are all worty of emulation. owever modern day Mennonites believe in te universal invisible curc myt. Tey are Arminian in doctrine, even believing you can lose your salvation. Some baptize by immersion, yet many in various places adopted sprinkling and pouring as a substitute for immersion. For tese reasons alone I would not regard tem as a curc of te Lord Jesus Crist in teir present fait and practice. TOM ROSS Forum #2 (Continued from page 13) and te women, and tose tat could understand; and te ears of all te people were attentive unto te book of te law. And Ezra te scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, wic tey ad made for te purpose; So tey read in te book in te law of God distinctly, and gave te sense, and caused tem to understand te reading. And on te second day were gatered togeter te cief of te faters of all te people, te priests, and te Levites, unto Ezra te scribe, even to understand te words of te law. Also day by day, from te first day unto te last day, e read in te book of te law of God (Ne. 8:1-4, 8, 13, 18). I give tis passage as a text, tat conclusively proves tat te purpose of a person standing before te congregation of God s people is to INSTRUCT, TEAC and GIVE te law of God distinctly. Sela! Tink about it! In te New Testament, we see te same purpose tat God meant for is curces. And e gave some, apostles; and some, propets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teacers; For te perfecting of te saints, for te work of te ministry, for te edifying of te body of Crist: Tat we encefort be no more cildren, tossed to and fro, and carried about wit every wind of doctrine, by te sleigt of men, and cunning craftiness, wereby tey lie in wait to deceive; But speaking te trut in love, may grow up into im in all tings, wic is te ead, even Crist (Ep. 4:11-15). Te pastors and teacers are to stand before te congregation for te purpose of: 1) perfecting of te saints; 2) te work of te ministry; 3) to edify te body of Crist. Sela! Tink about it! Noting else allowed tat migt bring in sleigt of men or cunning craftiness to deceive. It is to all be controlled by tose appointed to positions of autority by God te oly Spirit, troug te vote of te curc. ow is it ten, bretren? wen ye come togeter, every one of you at a psalm, at a doctrine, at a tongue, at a revelation, at an interpretation. Let all tings be done unto edifying (I Cor. 14:26). Te modern practice of aving various members stand up before teir assemblies and to testify of wat God as done in teir lives, as no precedent in Scripture. Te Apostle Paul was not loate to give is testimony, but it was done in personal evangelism and in te manner of preacing te Word. Personal testimonies occur during preacing, and tat is Biblical, but to devote a service, or portion tereof to non-autorized speaking and appenstance emotions is counterproductive to aving a worsip service tat is letting all tings be done decently and in order (I Cor. 14:40). Decently in tis verse means elegantly in te Greek and in order means a fixed succession. No apazard collection of testimonies would ever be described as elegant and to not know wat will appen next defies a fixed succession, suc as a line-up of invited preacers at a Bible Conference. For ye may all propesy one by one, tat all may learn, and all may be comforted. And te spirits of te propets are subject to te propets. For God is not te autor of confusion, but of peace, as in all curces of te saints (I Cor. 14:31-33). Again tis passage continues to teac tat propesy is for instruction and assurance, not sock and awe testimonies. God condemns confusion, disorder and caotic proceedings. Te next verse continues to limit te designs of open speaking in te curc, Let your women keep silence in te curces: for it is not permitted unto tem to speak; but tey are commanded to be under obedience, as also sait te law. And if tey will learn any ting, let tem ask teir usbands at ome: for it is a same for women to speak in te curc (I Cor. 14:34-35). Keep te order God as for te curc assembly. God receives te glory, not te speaker, wen it is done according to is will. Sela! Tink about it! MATTEW STEPP God s Golden (Continued from page 11) means te coice and love of God toward tose e predestinated to be saved troug Crist. Tis fits well wit Epesians 1:4-5 wic says tat God...in love... predestinated us... PREDESTINATED Te second link of tis cain is predestination: For wom e did foreknow, e also did predestinate to be conformed to te image of is Son... Te word predestinate means tat God determines one s destiny beforeand ( pre --- before and destination ---te place someone is going to be). Note ere ow foreknowledge (proginosko) is distinguised from predestination (proorizo). Foreknowledge is te coice of persons loved and deligted in by God. Predestination as reference (Continued on page 16)

16 Page 16 Te Berea Baptist Banner July 5, 2016 God s Golden (Continued from page 15) to te blessings to wic te subject of is foreknowledge are designed. Predestination denotes God s determination beforeand of certain persons to conformity to Crist and to eternal glory. It is God s everlasting and uncangeable decree concerning certain persons to be made like Crist in caracter and destiny (Ep. 1:4; I Cor. 15:49; Pil. 3:21; I Jon 3:2). Wat Crist is, te elect are going to be. Predestination in my text is traced solely to God. In Epesians 1:5 it is written tat God...predestinated us unto te adoption of cildren by Jesus Crist..., and ten Paul adds: to imself, sowing tat predestination is owing wolly and solely to God. Ten to make is case even stronger, Paul adds:...according to te good pleasure of is will, To te praise of te glory of is grace... So predestination is owing to God s good will and pleasure, and its fixed end is te glory of is grace. CALLING Tis tird great link in te golden cain of grace is calling: Moreover, wom e did predestinate, tem e also called... aving already spoken of God s foreknowledge and predestination of a people, Paul now goes on to sow ow tis is accomplised by God. All tat God elected in eternity past will in due time be called. Calling is te consequence and effect of election and predestination. God called tose e knew beforeand and predestinated to be conformed to te image of Crist. Tese, and tese only, are effectually called, justified, and glorified. Some are troubled because calling is in te past tense ere. Tis is because we are seeing wat God did in eternity past. Tis is te language of te trone of God, te voice of te Eternal One. In God s eternal purpose calling is as good as done. Tis is not true in our experience, but it is so in te mind of God to wic all tings are one eternal now. e...callet tose tings wic be not as toug tey were (Rom. 4:17). Calling is election and predestination in action. In Romans 8:30 te word call signifies more tan te external call of te gospel. It is te external call of te gospel made effectual by te oly Spirit of God: For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in te oly Gost, and in muc assurance; as ye know wat manner of men we were among you for your sake (I Tess. 1:5). Te call is effectual wen we come at te call, and we come at te call wen te Spirit makes us willing in te day of God s power. We are called to tat to wic we were cosen. Te only way to make our election sure is to make our calling sure (II Pet. 1:10). Tis call is from God....Even as many as te Lord our God sall call (Acts 2:39). Even us, wom e at called... (Rom. 9:24). Faitful is e tat callet you... (I Tes. 5:24). Wo at saved us, and called us wit an oly calling, not according to our works, but according to is own purpose and grace, wic was given us in Crist Jesus before te world began (II Tim. 1:9)...Even as ye are called in one ope of your calling (Ep. 4:4). Tis call flows from te grace of God: But wen it pleased God, wo separated me from my moter s womb, and called me by is grace (Gal. 1:15). Tis call is wit reference to God s purpose: And we know tat all tings work togeter for good to tem tat love God, to tem wo are te called according to is purpose (Rom. 8:28). Tis effectual call makes te purpose of God according to election stand: (For te cildren being not yet born, neiter aving done any good or evil, tat te purpose of God according to election migt stand, not of works, but of im tat callet) (Rom. 9:11). Tat tis call is aways effectual can be seen from te fact it always issues in justification and glorification. Oter Scriptures make tis abundantly clear. It ends in union wit Crist: Is any man called being circumcised? let im not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let im not be circumcised (I Cor. 7:18). It leads to an everlasting ineritance:...tey wic are called migt receive te promise of eternal ineritance (eb. 9:15). Tis call actually brings one out of darkness into ligt:...tat ye sould sew fort te praises of im wo called you out of darkness into is marvellous ligt (I Pet. 2:9). Tose wo receive it are faitful to Crist:...And tey tat are wit im are called, and cosen, and faitful (Rev. 17:14). Tis call is uncangeable and irreversible: For te gifts and calling of God are witout repentance (Rom. 11:29). Of te elect wic are called witout te gospel te Bible knows noting. Tis effectual call is te call of te gospel made effectual by te oly Spirit, as I ave already stated. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of te city of Tyatira, wic worsipped God, eard us: wose eart te Lord opened, tat se attended unto te tings wic were spoken of Paul (Acts 16:14). Paul imself makes it plain tat te gospel is te means God uses to call is elect: But we are bound to give tanks alway to God for you, bretren beloved of te Lord, because God at from te beginning cosen you to salvation troug sanctification of te Spirit and belief of te trut: Wereunto e called you by our gospel, to te obtaining of te glory of our Lord Jesus Crist (II Tess. 2:13-14). Mark te words: e (God) called you by our gospel. Te sanctification of te Spirit and belief of te trut is te means of election. All te elect will be brougt to belief of te trut and called by te gospel. Fait is peculiar to God s elect, and tat is wy we read of...te fait of God s elect... (Tit. 1:1). Fait comes by te oly Spirit making te gospel effectual (Rom. 10:16-17; Jon 17:20). Tere are some wo would like to omit tis link in te golden cain of grace. Tis is unscriptural. Tis is a vain attempt to break te golden cain of grace and to rob it of one of its links. All te links of tis great cain old togeter, and wat God as joined togeter let no man put asunder. JUSTIFICATION Te fourt link in te cain is justification: Wom e called, tem e also justified. Paul is speaking ere of God wo sees te end from te beginning. At te same time wen God foreknew us and predestinated us e also called and justified us. Tis is not true in our expeience, but it is true in te sense of God s eternal purpose. To God, te pilgrim is already in te clestial City. e sees is eternal purpose as an accomplised fact. Tose wom God calls are ungodly before tey are called: (Continued on page 17)

17 July 5, 2016 Te Berea Baptist Banner Page 17 God s Golden (Continued from page 16) But to im tat worket not, but believet on im tat justifiet te ungodly... (Rom. 4:5). But from te moment tey obey te call tey are justified in te court of teir own conscience (Rom. 5:1). As being in Crist, tey are perfectly rigteous before God. Justification declares one rigteous in a legal sense, and puts a person in rigt relationsip wit God. It does not deal wit caracter or conduct, but wit relationsip to God. Justification consists of te forgiveness of sins and te restoration to te Divine favor. Te source of justification is free grace: Being justified freely by is grace troug te redemption tat is in Crist Jesus (Rom. 3:24). Te ground of it is te suffering and deat of Crist. Muc more ten, being now justified by is blood, we sall be saved from wrat troug im....terefore as by te offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by te rigteousness of one te free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man s disobedience many were made sinners, so by te obedience of one sall many be made rigteous (Rom. 5:9, 18-19). Our knowledge of our justification before God comes at te point of fait in te gospel: Terefore being justified by fait we ave peace wit God troug our Lord Jesus Crist (Rom. 5:1; cf. 3:26). GLORIFICATION Te fift and final link is glorification: Wom e justified, tem e also did glorify. Like te oter four words already discussed, glorification is spoken of as if it ad already taken place, for wat God as determined to be done sall surely be done. We see ere te certainity of te counsel of God. Glorification is as certain as predestination and calling. Te glorifying of believers awaits te coming of Crist and te resurrection of te dead saints and te translation of living saints (I Tess. 4:13-18). Ten our bodies of umiliation sall be made like unto te glorious body of Crist. Ten we sall possess spiritual bodies in incorruption, in glory, and in power. At te coming of Crist all te predestinated sall be completely conformed to te image of Crist. Tis is te consumation of te great salvation. Te spirit in man is at regeneration conformed to te image of Crist (Ep. 4:24). Te soul is being conformed progressively by te Spirit and Word (II Cor. 3:18). Te body sall be redeemed at te coming of Crist. CONCLUSION 1. Te golden cain of grace reaces from eternity past to eternity future, or from everlasting in predestination to everlasting beautification. All te links of te cain are inseparable. In its wole tere is noting but grace from foreknowledge to glorification. All tese five tings are done by God. In te covenant God took te redemptive process upon imself. Noting is left to cance or cange. 2. Arminians would attempt to break tis golden cain of grace. Jon Albert Bengel wrongly writes: Paul does not make te number of tose, wo are called, justified, glorified, to be absolutely equal; e does not deny tat te believer may fail between te special call, and te glorification... (New Testament Word Studies, Vol. II, pp ). Bengel could not be more wrong in tis statement, for ere e denies te indissoluble connection between te successive steps of God s grace in salvation. Noting is plainer in my text tan tat tese different expressions relate to te same individuals. To imagine God predestinated some individuals to be conformed to te image of Crist wo never experience it, is to make God a failure. To say suc contradicts te expressed language of te passage in Romans 8: All successive steps taken by God in te salvation of te elect are indissolubly connected, and a single link is never wanting. e wo ordained te ends as ordained te means to tat end. Te same number foreknown and predestinated are also called, justified, and glorified. Tis number is so certain it can neiter be increased nor diminised. Arminian eretics fail to see tat it is God tat undertook to do all tese five tings. ad tese tings been contingent upon man s feeble power and frail will, Crist migt ave been te firstborn among but very few bretren. Arminians would ave Crist bring few sons to glory instead of many as te Bible says (eb. 2:10). Arminians would ave but very few made rigteous instead of te many Crist actually made rigteous (Rom. 5:19). According to tem, Crist would ave seen but very few of is seed, for most, if not all, would burn in ell. But te Bible says tat Crist...sall see is seed... (Isa. 53:10) and tat te promise of salvation is...sure to all te seed... (Rom. 4:16). Arminian eretics would ave God making a covenant in time ordered in a very few tings and most uncertain, but te Bible says God made...an everlasting covenant, ordered in all tings, and sure... (II Sam. 23:5). If foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, and glorification was dependent upon free will, ten Crist would be a King witout any subjects, and a Captain witout any soldiers! Te trut is tat God set is eart upon a remnant to be conformed to te image of Crist, and is decree is absolutely certain to come to pass. In spite of te opposition of te powers of darkness, Crist will be te firstborn among very many bretren. 3. Do you feel sad tat you ave offended God by breaking is commandments? Do you struggle against indwelling sin? Do you unger and tirst for rigteousness? If so you may conclude you are called and justified by God and sall one day be glorified.

18 Page 18 Te Berea Baptist Banner July 5, 2016 Readers of te BBB are urged to submit religious news items wic tey may read in teir local paper or some oter publication. In sending tese please give te name of te publication as well as te date it was printed. We will not be able to print all wic are submitted, but we welcome any item you may feel we sould read. Send tem to Te Berea Baptist Banner, PO Box 39, Mantacie, MS Justice Department sues Nort Carolina to strike down B2 (WNS)--Attorney General Loretta Lync announced te Justice Department will file a federal civil rigts lawsuit to declare Nort Carolina s so-called batroom bill discriminatory and bar its implementation. Lync accused legislators of creating state-sponsored discrimination against transgender individuals. Tis law provides no benefit to society, and all it does is arm vulnerable Americans, se said in an afternoon press conference to announce te suit. Tis action is about a great deal more tan batrooms. Tis is about te dignity and te respect tat we accord our fellow citizens and te laws tat we as a people and as a country enacted to protect tem indeed to protect all of us. ****** Feds: All public scools must redefine gender (WNS)--Te Obama administration officially took te so-called batroom debate to te national stage May 13 by issuing a directive requiring all public scools to allow transgender students to use te restroom or locker room facilities of teir coice. Scools tat refuse, risk losing federal funding. In a joint letter, te U.S. departments of Justice and Education told every scool district in te country tat sex under Title IX is not defined by a student s birt certificate but rater is or er gender identity. Under new scool standards outlined in te letter, as soon as a parent or legal guardian claims a cild s gender identity differs from previous records, te scool must treat te student accordingly. Tat means if a male student claims to be a girl, te scool must allow im to use te girl s restroom and locker room facilities witout te need to produce a medical diagnosis or birt certificate. ****** Sout Carolina legislature passes 20- week abortion ban (WNS)--Sout Carolina on May 17 became te 17t state to acknowledge an unborn baby s capacity for pain and pass a bill to ban abortions at 20 weeks of gestation or later. It is a great day in Sout Carolina, said Faye ill, executive director of te Lowcountry Crisis Pregnancy Center. I believe tat more babies will be saved from abortion in our state. After a sixyear battle in te state between legislators, te Pain-Capable Unborn Cild Protection Act passed te state Senate in Marc. On Tuesday nigt, Sout Carolina s General Assembly approved it Sout Carolina Gov. Nikki aley, a Republican, said earlier tis year se could not see a scenario in wic se would not sign te bill into law. ****** Same-sex marriage advocates work to oust small-town judge (WNS)--In wat could be te nation s first religious litmus test for olding a judicial post, te Wyoming Supreme Court is being asked to dismiss a small-town municipal court judge because of er Biblical views about marriage. Attorneys for Judge Rut Neely, along wit a growing list of supporters, argue te efforts of an unelected state commission to remove er from office are rooted in religious bias and misinterpretation of te law. In 2014, a judge overturned Wyoming s marriage statute, allowing same-sex couples to get marriage licenses. A reporter asked Neely, te Pinedale municipal court judge and a part-time circuit court magistrate, if se was excited about performing gay weddings. In te opinion of te Wyoming Commission on Judicial Conduct and Etics, Neely gave te wrong answer: er Biblical convictions about marriage precluded er from solemnizing suc a union. ****** Oklaoma governor vetoes bill making abortion a felony (WNS)--Oklaoma Gov. Mary Fallin on May 20 vetoed a bill tat would ave criminalized abortion in te state, saying te proposed law was too vague and would not survive an inevitable test in court. Te Oklaoma Senate passed te measure to make performing abortion unprofessional conduct and a felony. Any pysician convicted of assisting in an abortion would face one to tree years in prison and te revocation of is or er medical license. Te bill included an exception to allow an abortion to save te moter s life. Te bill is so ambiguous and so vague tat doctors cannot be certain wat medical circumstances would be considered necessary to preserve te life of te moter, Fallin said. Wile I consistently ave and continue to support a re-examination of te United States Supreme Court s decision in Roe v. Wade, tis legislation cannot accomplis tat reexamination. ****** Artists sue to protect religious, artistic freedoms from Poenix ordinance (WNS)--Te owners of a stationery art studio in Poenix are suing te city over an ordinance tey say could force tem to create art tat violates teir religious beliefs. Te Cristian law firm Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) represents Breanna Koski and Joanna Duka of Brus & Nib in te lawsuit, wic tey filed May 12 in state court. According to Jonatan Scruggs, one of te ADF attorneys on te case, te artists sougt legal advice after seeing lawsuits in oter states against Cristian bakers and florists wose religious beliefs prevented tem from providing services for same-sex weddings. Duka and Koski, wo produce and-painted wedding invitations and oter stationery, wanted to know teir risks and rigts. Te Poenix City Council passed te ordinance in Toug no couple ad callenged a business in te city, ADF looked into te ordinance and found Brus & Nib could face fines of up to $2,500 a day for eac day tey declined to produce stationery for a same-sex wedding. Te women could also face jail time of up to six monts. ****** States sue Obama administration over rules redefining gender (WNS)--Eleven states filed suit against te Obama administration May 25 over its demand tat public scools allow students to use te restroom and locker room facilities of teir coice, rater tan teir biological gender. Earlier tis mont, te federal departments of justice and education issued te directive, saying Title IX of te Civil Rigts Act applies to gender identity as well as sex. Attorneys general in Oklaoma, Alabama, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Tennessee, Maine, Arizona, Louisiana, Uta, and Georgia disagree. State officials say te Obama (Continued on page 19)

19 July 5, 2016 Te Berea Baptist Banner Page 19 Bible & te Newspaper (Continued from page 18) administration as conspired to turn workplace and educational settings across te country into laboratories for a massive social experiment, flouting te democratic process, and running rougsod over commonsense policies protecting cildren and basic privacy rigts, according to te lawsuit. ****** Few Syrian Cristians get asylum in U.S., despite genocide declaration (WNS)--Two monts after te Obama administration called out militant terror group Islamic State (ISIS) for committing genocide against Cristians in Iraq and Syria, refugee data sow tose finding a safe aven in te United States are not te ones suffering te most persecution. Last year, President Barack Obama set te goal of bringing 10,000 Syrian refugees to te United States in fiscal year So far, te State Department is on track to fall well sort of tat number, wit only about 2,700 successfully resettled. State Department figures sow 499 Syrian refugees ave resettled in America tis mont, but not a single one was a Cristian or member of anoter religious minority group targeted for genocide, according to CNSNews reports. For me, tat as got to cange, said Rep. Cris Smit, R-N.J., at a ouse Foreign Affairs subcommittee earing on May 26. I mean tat is unconscionable. Of te 2,705 Syrian refugees wo came to te United States tis fiscal year, 97 percent are Sunni Muslims. Only 12 identified wit a form of Cristianity, eiter Catolic, Greek Ortodox, or Protestant, along wit 10 Yazidi refugees. ****** Texas says, Come and take it, to feds over transgender directive (WNS)--Te federal government and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are locked in a game of cicken. On Friday, May 13, President Barack Obama sent a letter ordering public scools to allow transgender students to use te restrooms and canging facilities of teir coice or else scools will lose federal education funding. Te same day, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick suggested Texas would be willing to forfeit its federal education funding rater tan follow te president s directive. Te federal directive came amid dueling lawsuits between Nort Carolina and te Justice Department over a state law tat protects businesses tat base access to restrooms and locker rooms on biology, rater tan gender identity. Texas currently receives $10 billion in federal education funding. Millions of students and programs would be affected by tis potential loss of funding, but Patrick said Obama can keep is 30 pieces of silver. We will not yield to blackmail. ****** Oklaoma adopts law designed to create an abortion-free society (WNS)--Tis November, Oklaoma residents will start seeing state-sponsored, pro-life messages. Gov. Mary Fallin signed Te umanity of te Unborn Cild Act on June 6, wit te goal of moving te state toward an abortion-free society, according to te bill. Te new law requires te State Department of ealt to develop and distribute educational material about babies developing in te womb and maintain on its website a compreensive list of agencies and services tat elp women troug pregnancy and cildbirt. Te material must be geared toward elping women troug pregnancy and promoting adoption instead of abortion. Prevalent Prayer By Francis Wayland ( ) If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye sall ask wat ye will, and it sall be done unto you (Jon 15:7). You must all ave observed, my bretren, te importance wic te Scriptures attac to te subject of prayer. We are exorted to pray always, lifting up oly ands witout wrat or doubting. We are encouraged in all tings, by prayer and supplication wit tanksgiving, to make our wants known unto God. It is te intention of our Fater in eaven tat our lives sould be a continual prayer, tat in all our concerns, weter great or small, we sould ask is direction, expecting is blessing, and return to im witout ceasing our tribute of grateful adoration. It is our privilege to live ever in intimate communion wit God; so tat te spiritual intercourse between us and te Creator sould be as unlimited and as incessant as our dependence upon im. In te New Testament tis subject assumes a new and even more interesting aspect. Sinners migt well srink back from approacing a God of infinite oliness. From te abyss of our moral degradation, it migt seem presumptuous to lift up our eyes to te place were is onor dwellet. But te gospel reveals to us an atoning sacrifice, an all-prevailing intercessor, wo as purcased our pardon, troug wose merits we are invited to draw near unto God. Approacing te mercyseat in is name, we may cast beind us our own unwortiness; and pleading te atoning sacrifice of God manifest in te fles, ask for all tat we need, in te full assurance tat God will ear us for te sake of te Beloved. We tus ave boldness to enter into te oliest by te blood of Jesus, by a new and living way wic e at consecrated for us. Suc is te new relation in wic we stand to God, te Judge of all, in consequence of te deat and sacrifice of is well-beloved Son. But more tan tis: God as, in te most explicit manner, assured us tat e will answer our prayers. It is not needful for me ere to pause and inquire about te manner in wic te fulfillment of tis promise may be reconciled wit te doctrine of te divine decrees; or wit te trut tat God governs te universe by general laws. God as declared tat e never disregards te feeblest supplication of te least of is cildren. Fait asks for no firmer reliance tan te Word of te uncanging God. Our Lord as said to us, And I say unto you, Ask, and it sall be given you; seek, and ye sall find; knock, and it sall be opened unto you. If ye ten, being evil, know ow to give good gifts unto your cildren: ow muc more sall your eavenly Fater... (Luke 11:9,13) in eaven give good tings to tem tat ask im? Watsoever ye sall ask te Fater in my name, e will give it you... (Jon 16:23). Te Scriptures clearly teac, tat watsoever we ask for, under te conditions wic God as revealed, will be granted to us, not indeed according to te measure of our unwise desires, but te (Continued on page 20)

20 Page 20 Te Berea Baptist Banner July 5, 2016 Prevalent Prayer (Continued from page 19) measure dictated by omniscient knowledge and infinite love. I need not remind you, tat te Word of God is filled wit examples of answers to prayer, for every conceivable blessing. Our great ig Priest imself offered up prayers and supplications wit strong crying and tears. Te prayers of nations ave often prevailed to avert a national calamity. Te prayers of individuals, suc as Moses and Samuel and David, ave been answered in te salvation of a wole people from pestilence and utter destruction. Te prayers of saints for temporal as well as spiritual mercies, for temselves, for eac oter, and for te people of God, ave been abundantly answered in time past, and tey will be answered in time to come, unless te Spirit of inspiration as taugt us to believe a lie. Our Lord places tis subject in te strongest ligt wen e says,...if ye ad fait as a grain of mustard seed, ye sall say unto tis mountain, Remove ence to yonder place; and it sall remove; and noting sall be impossible unto you (Matt. 17:20). It may be said, and said truly, tat tis language is figurative. But toug it be figurative, it must mean someting; and it can mean noting, if it does not teac, tat tings utterly beyond te power of natural causes, are possible to te prayer of umble, earnest, confiding fait. Suc is te teacing of te Word of God, and we believe it all to be true; but ow does it correspond wit te facts wic are everywere transpiring around us. We believe it to be true, but we most commonly act as if it were false. We generally pray wit but little expectation tat our prayers will really be answered, and too frequently justify our unbelief by te supposition tat some cange must ave occurred in te manner of te divine dispensations. We take if for granted tat we can not expect God to do at tis time as e did on te day of Pentecost, and in te time of te apostles. We ave been praying for centuries for te conversion of te world, yet te world is not converted. We pray for a revival in our curces, but our curces are not revived. We pray for an increase of piety in our own souls, but we continue immersed and steeped in worldliness. We pray for te conversion of our cildren, but tey grow up witout God in te world. ow sall we account for all tis? as God ceased to be te uncangeable God? Is not Crist Jesus te same yesterday, today, and forever? Are not is promises, as of old, yea and amen? at e said and will e not do it, at e spoken and will e not make it good? Suc questions as tese may peraps find te elements of a solution in te words of te text. We ere find an explicit and universal assurance, tat te prayers of te people of God will be answered. Wit tis is connected te condition by wic tis assurance is limited. Te promise is,...ye sall ask wat ye will, and it sall be done... Te condition is, If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you... Let us consider first te promise, and secondly, te condition. I. Te promise is, Ye sall ask wat ye will, and it sall be done unto you. Te first ting wic strikes us in reading tese words is teir universality. Te grant wic tey contain is as absolute as language can make. Ask wat ye will..., tere is no limit as to te objects of prayer. It is like te saying of Crist to te Syropenician woman,... Be it unto tee even as tou wilt (Matt. 15:28)....It sall be done... Te promise is witout a peradventure. It is fixed as te ordinances of God. It is as definite as te promise to Noa, Wile te eart remainet, seed time and arvest, and cold and eat, and summer and winter, and day and nigt sall not cease (Gen. 8:22). I do not see ow we can escape from te plain and literal meaning of te words even if we desired it. But if tis be te case, we naturally ask, is tere no restriction in te application of tis promise. It was addressed originally to te apostles. Were not tey te only persons to wom tis assurance was given? Tis is evidently an important inquiry, for on te answer to it depends our personal interest in te wole matter. We must seek for te trut ere, not by attempting to armonize te words wit any teory of our own, but simply by examining te context for ourselves. We ask ten, was our Lord addressing is earers as apostles, or merely as disciples wo stood in te same relation to im as we do at tis moment? Observe te preceding verses. I am te vine, ye are te brances... ( Jon 15:5). Were te apostles te only brances of te vine? Were tey te only members of te body of wic Crist is te ead? e tat abidet in me, and I in im, te same bringet fort muc fruit: for witout me ye can do noting (Jon 15:5). Is tis true of te apostles alone, or of every believer? In te verse immediately preceding te text, it is said, If a man, (not an apostle) abide not in me, e is cast fort as a branc,...and men gater tem and cast tem into te fire ( Jon 15:6). Tis is certainly a general sentiment. It is as true of you and me, as it was of te eleven apostles. Ten follow te words of te text. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye sall ask wat ye will, and it sall be done unto you (Jon 15:7). Our Lord proceeds, in te next verse, to say, erein is my Fater glorified, tat ye bear muc fruit; so sall ye be my disciples, not, my apostles. We can not terefore give to tese words a restricted meaning, witout doing violence to te wole spirit of te passage, and setting at defiance te plainest principles of interpretation. We must admit tat tey announce, not a special but a general law of te divine dispensation. But in te laws of God s moral government, we and te apostles, and all oter men stand precisely on a level. We are autorized terefore in taking tis promise just as it stands, and receiving it as our own, just as muc as te apostles to wom it was originally given. II. Let us now, in te second place, examine te conditions of tis wonderful promise. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you... Wat is meant by abiding in Crist? I tink it as precisely te force of te prase abide in my love, used in te tent verse of tis capter. It is to ave te love of Crist witin us, as an all controlling motive. It is analogous to te words of te apostle, For te love of Crist constrainet us... (II Cor. 5:14). It is tat oly, tender, grateful affection to Jesus, wic is ever moving us to do watsoever will please im, and wic renders is approval te igest object of our existence. Tis is wat is meant by being in Crist, or being in is love. But our Lord goes furter, e says...abide in me... abide in My love. e speaks not of a temporary emotion, present (Continued on page 21)

21 July 5, 2016 Te Berea Baptist Banner Page 21 Prevalent Prayer (Continued from page 20) today and forgotten tomorrow. If we abide in Crist, e will take up is abode wit us. Love to im will be te atmospere wic we breate, wic sustains us in life and from wic we derive all our spiritual ealt and vigor. It is te permanent and steadfast condition of te soul. Tus sait te Apostle Paul, I am crucified wit Crist: neverteless I live; yet not I, but Crist livet in me: and te life wic I now live in te fles I live by te fait of te Son of God, wo loved me, and gave imself for me (Gal. 2:20). Suc is it to abide in Crist. Te immediate result of suc a life is, tat is words abide in us. is precepts will be written on our earts, and will control all our affections. We sall not only do is will, but we sall do it from love. It will be te spontaneous acting of te soul renewed and transformed into te image of Crist. Tese two ideas, love and obedience, are so intimately connected tat our Lord in tis capter frequently uses tem intercangeably. If ye keep my commandments, ye sall abide in my love... (Jon 15:10); e tat at My commandments and keepet tem, e it is tat lovet Me. And ten again, if a man love Me e will keep My words and te Fater will love im. Tis is te law of God, tat we keep is commandments. To abide in Crist ten, is to ave our affections supremely fixed on im as te uncanging condition of te soul; and to ave is words abiding in us, is to carry out tis affection in universal obedience to is commandments. If tis be te meaning of te words, te promise of te Saviour is briefly tis, if we, wit te wole eart, perfectly love and perfectly obey Crist, we may ask wat we will, and it sall be done unto us. ere again you will ask, does Crist intend to declare tat every cild of God receives all tat e asks for? If tis be te promise, it certainly is not fulfilled. No, my bretren, tis is not quite te promise. Many of tose wo are, as we ope, is cildren, pray muc and receive but little answer. Te Apostle James declares, Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss... (James 4:3). Te question ten returns, wat is te limitation wit wic tis passage is to be understood? We said, in te beginning, tat te promise in te text is to be taken absolutely, and witout restriction. Te words will bear no oter signification. Ask wat ye will, and it sall be done unto you. In like manner is te condition annexed to it to be taken. If te promise speaks of perfect prevalence in prayer, te condition in like manner speaks of perfect love and perfect obedience. Tat is to say, if a man love and serve God perfectly, is prayers will infallibly prevail. And tis, you see at once, is a general principle in te government of God. We believe tat in eaven, every desire being oly, every desire will be fully gratified. Ten...I sall be satisfied, sait te Psalmist, wen I awake, wit ty likeness (Ps. 17:15). Tus sait te Revelator, Tey sall unger no more, neiter tirst any more; neiter sall te sun ligt on tem, nor any eat. For te Lamb...sall feed tem, and sall lead tem unto living fountains of waters... (Rev. 7:16). Te meaning of tese two passages, toug tey differ in form, is precisely te same. Tey teac us tat te desires of a oly soul, being perfectly in armony wit te will of a oly God, must be fully gratified. But you will say, tese illustrations are taken from te condition of saints and angels in eaven. Wat as tis to do wit us wo are encompassed wit infirmity, wo bear about wit us tis body of sin, and wo are daily bemoaning its power over us? Te words were spoken not to angels and glorified spirits, but to men like ourselves, wo can plead no perfect rigteousness, and can boast no sinless obedience. We answer, tey are intended to express a general law of te divine dispensation. Tey announce te general rule by wic prevalence of prayer is graduated, te condition under wic God pledges is veracity to grant our petitions. Tat is to say, if te prayer of te perfectly loving and obedient will infallibly prevail, so, in any inferior degree will prayer prevail, in proportion to te perfection of our love and obedience. Te words are intended to unfold te relation wic exists between te moral temper of our earts and te prevalence of our prayers. It is as toug e ad said, your love and obedience is te measure of te guaranty tat your prayer sall be answered. I do not say, by any means, tat our Fater in eaven does not, in compassion to our infirmity, frequently do muc more tan e as ere promised. Tis is all of is superabundant love to us in Crist Jesus. It is, owever, only as we obey and love im, tat we can plead is promise; and, looking up to im wit confidence, in lowly umility, urge im to do even as e as said. Te reason of tis rule is obvious. Just in proportion as we abide in te love of Crist, and is Words abide in us, is Spirit dwells witin us, teacing us ow to pray, and wat to pray for. Te desires wic te Spirit of God kindles in te soul, must be according to te will of God. Te Spirit also elpet our infirmities: for we know not wat we sould pray for as we ougt: but te Spirit itself maket intercession for us... (8:26). Te desires of a soul pervaded by te indwelling of te oly Spirit must be oly, and tey can not but be gratified by a oly God. Our prayers are ten noting else tan te perfections of God reflected from te soul of te believer, and e must act in armony wit tem, unless e deny imself. Te desires of a oly soul in eaven must be gratified, for tey are emanations of te divine will. Te desires of a soul in ell must be ever unsatisfied, for tey are, of necessity, perfectly at enmity wit God. And so, between tese two statements, werever prayer proceeds from a loving and obedient spirit it will be answered; and te abundance of te answer, will, according to te condition in te text, be measured by our attainments in oliness. It is... Te effectual fervent prayer of a rigteous man availet muc (James 5:16). But we need ardly appeal to te Scriptures to confirm a trut wic is, in fact, legibly written on te conscience of man. Wicked men on teir deatbeds, or in any imminent peril, feel te need of elp from on ig, but ave no confidence watever in te prevalence of teir own prayers; tey terefore call upon te most pious man tey know of to pray for tem. No matter toug e be a man wom tey ave injured and scoffed at, and scorned, tey come to im in lowly umiliation, and beseec im to intercede for tem before te mercy-seat. Wat is tis but a practical version of te text, If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye sall ask wat (Continued on page 22)

22 Page 22 Te Berea Baptist Banner July 5, 2016 Prevalent Prayer (Continued from page 21) ye will, and it sall be done unto you (Jon 15:7)? Wile, owever, we tus speak, it is to be remembered tat God does not pledge imself to answer our prayers literally in te manner, and at te time we may desire. e answers according to infinite love, guided by omniscient wisdom, and not according to our finite knowledge. e may not give us precisely wat we ask for, because e desires to give us someting incomparably better. e may not answer us at te instant, but e reserves for us someting in te future, tenfold more valuable. e tus, in fulfilling is promises, gives us all te advantage of is omniscient wisdom and infinite love. If we expect an answer to our prayers for any particular blessing, te Word of Crist tat as respect to tat particular ting, must specially abide in us. If we pray tat te kingdom of Crist may come, we must obey tose Words of Crist wic concern te coming of is kingdom. We must seek first te kingdom of God. We must make te progress of te religion of Crist te real object for wic we live. We must labor and suffer reproac, and endure ceerfully te scorn of men, and old our property and all tat we call our own, subject every moment to te will of te Master, tat so we may glorify is name in te conversion of souls. Tis was te type of primitive piety, and ence it was tat te prayers of te saints ten prevailed migtily to te pulling down of strongolds. Our prayers will never in like manner prevail until we follow teir example. Te Lord s arm is not sortened tat e can not save, nor is ear eavy tat e can not ear. Our God is a living God, as truly as e was in te days of te apostles. Te oly Spirit is as powerful to bow te eart of man in penitence as it was ever of old. Tis subject may also teac us wy so many of our prayers on our own bealf remain unanswered. You ave been a professor of religion for many years, and looking back upon your Cristian life, perceive tat you ave made but small progress in oliness. It may be tat your evidences of piety grow dimmer as you grow older. Religion as become wit you a matter of form, rater tan an earnest and ever present reality. You are dissatisfied wit yourself. At times you are alarmed at your condition. You tell us tat you pray daily for deliverance and for te ligt of God s countenance, but your prayers are not answered. You sink deeper and deeper in despondency, and you can find no access to te trone of te eavenly grace. My broter, is tere not a cause? You pray, but does te Word of Crist abide in you? Are you onestly and earnestly laboring to keep all of Crist s commandments? ave you broken off from everyting in word, and tougt, and action, tat you know is displeasing to im; and are you doing is will at all azards and at all sacrifices? Wen you tink of submitting your actual, practical, every day life to Crist, do you not know tat before you can do tis, a great cange must pass over you. Te world, its wealt, its pleasures, its ambitions, and its society are engrossing tose affections tat belong only to God, and encroacing sadly upon tose ours wic sould be given to prayer, meditation, doing good, and te social worsip of te saints. Wat self-denials are you enduring for Crist, wat crosses are you taking up and bearing after Jesus? So long as you live tus, it is all in vain to talk about praying for oliness and communion wit God. Te Words of Crist must abide in you if you would ave prevalence in prayer. If you love Crist you must keep is commandments, toug in so doing you break loose from every oter association, and stand perfectly alone. You never will ave te witness in yourself until you make sacrifices for Crist. Until you do your first works, and strengten te tings tat are ready to die, your prayers for te indwelling of te Spirit will be as te idle wind. Yea, toug you cry aloud and sout, God will not ear your prayer. Awake, tou tat sleepest, arise from te dead, and Crist sall give tee ligt. Tese same remarks apply empatically to our prayers for our relatives and friends. You are a parent. You are anxious, and justly so, about te eternal welfare of your cildren. You tell us you pray for tem daily, and you ask your friends to pray for tem. Tey are neverteless growing up to be worldly and tougtless, and are evidently wandering farter and farter from God. Your prayers are unanswered, and it seems as if te promises of God, in your case ad utterly failed. It may be, Cristian parent, tat God is making trial of your fait. But before you accuse God of unfaitfulness, it may be well to ask, ave te Words of Crist respecting tis particular ting abode in me. ave you brougt tese cildren up in te nurture and admonition of te Lord? ave you on every suitable occasion, set before tem teir danger, and pointed tem to te Lamb of God tat taket away te sin of te world? ave you never, for te sake of worldly advantage, placed tem in circumstances under wic every serious reflection would naturally be dissipated? Wen ambition for social position leads in one direction, and te will of God in anoter, wic do you really desire your cildren to follow? Parents ave sometimes desired me to converse wit teir cildren on te subject of personal religion, wile I knew tat tey were exposing tem to all tose influences wic must render every effort for teir salvation utterly opeless. Bretren, if we desire tat our prayers sould be answered, our lives and our prayers must be in armony. It is mocking God to ask im to do someting for us, and ten place every obstacle in our power in te way of is doing it. Unless te Word of Crist abide in us, we can never ask in fait tat God will ear us. And lastly, we may learn from tis subject tat answers to prayer for te conversion of souls is te sure test of te piety of a saint. In all our curces, prayer is made witout ceasing for te outpouring of te oly Spirit. If our prayers are not answered, it must be because we do not abide in Crist, and is Words do not abide in us. Wen, terefore, additions are not continually made to a curc, it is a cause for alarm and self-examination. Tere must be wrong somewere, and tat wrong must be repented of before a blessing can be expected. We sould searc and try our ways, and turn again to te Lord. We must abide in Crist, and is Words must abide in us, and ten we may ask wat we will, and it sall be done unto us. Te mountain of te Lord s ouse must be establised in te top of te mountains, and exalted above te ills, before all nations sall flow unto it.

23 July 5, 2016 Te Berea Baptist Banner Page 23 Te Sort Pews Brief Articles by Curtis Pug TE LAW AND CRIST Signs and stickers proclaim God s Ten Commandments. Probably everyone knows tat te ten commandments are a part of te Old Testament law of God. Paul wrote, But we know tat te law is good, if a man use it lawfully (I Tim. 1:8). Tere is a rigt use of te Old Testament law and tere is a wrong use of it. One is lawful wile te oter is not. Paul explains te law s purpose, saying: Now we know tat wat tings soever te law sait, it sait to tem wo are under te law: tat every mout may be stopped, and all te world may become guilty before God. Terefore by te deeds of te law tere sall no fles be justified in is sigt (Rom. 3:19-20). Te purpose of te law is not to enable men to be rigteous in God s eyes by teir good works. Just te opposite is true. Te law was given to sut men s mouts and stop tem from boasting in teir own good works. Tat is, to prove to individuals tat tey are...guilty before God. Te law does tis since no person as ever nor can ever keep te law of God. Te Lord s broter, James, wrote: For wosoever sall keep te wole law, and yet offend in one point, e is guilty of all (James 2:10). Peter called te law a yoke saying, Now terefore wy tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon te neck of te disciples, wic neiter our faters nor we were able to bear (Acts 15:10)? Saved or lost, no man can keep te law! Farter along in Romans 3 (quoted above) we read tese words: To declare, I say, at tis time is [God s] rigteousness: tat e migt be just, and te justifier of im wic believet in Jesus. Were is boasting ten? It is excluded. By wat law? of works? Nay: but by te law of fait (Rom. 3:26-27). Because of te sacrifice of Crist in te place of is seep, God can now be just (fair) and at te same time te justifier of tose wo believe in Jesus. Tis is te law of fait. Tis metod of justification (God s declaring men rigteous) does away wit bragging! If God declared men rigteous based upon teir good works (lawkeeping) tey would ave a rigt to boast. But te law of fait is tis: God declares sinners rigteous at te point of fait in Crist and so excludes boasting! Sinners saved by Crist ave noting in wic tey can boast! Even teir fait...is te gift of God (Ep. 2:8). Tey can only glorify Crist for teir salvation. After all, it is God s purpose, Tat no fles sould glory in is presence (I Cor. 1:29). And so God s preacers proclaim tis great trut: And by im [Crist] all tat believe are justified from all tings, from wic ye could not be justified by te law of Moses (Acts 13:39). SMELLING A FRAGRANT BRANC AND KISSING YOUR AND Ezekiel spoke against te idol worsiping Jews of is day saying, Ten e said unto me, ast tou seen tis, O son of man? Is it a ligt ting to te ouse of Juda tat tey commit te abominations wic tey commit ere? for tey ave filled te land wit violence, and ave returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, tey put te branc to teir nose. Terefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye sall not spare, neiter will I ave pity: and toug tey cry in mine ears wit a loud voice, yet will I not ear tem (Ezek. 8:17-18). Job declared imself free from idolatry by saying, If I beeld te sun wen it sined, or te moon walking in brigtness; And my eart at been secretly enticed, or my mout at kissed my and: Tis also were an iniquity to be punised by te judge: for I sould ave denied te God tat is above (Job 31:26-28). Somebody objects to tese texts saying tat we do not know te precise meaning of tem. Wat does it mean to put te branc to teir nose? And wat does it mean wen Job mentions te kissing of is and by is mout? Our answer is tat wile we do not know all te details of tese matters, we can discern from te context as well as te statements tat Ezekiel and Job were bot speaking of idolatrous practices. Seemingly little tings, to be sure, but serious tings as seen by te judgment of wic Ezekiel speaks. Ezekiel was condemning idolatrous sin. Job, on te oter and, was testifying to is cleanness from idolatry. Te ting tat ties tese two passages togeter is tat tey bot ave to do wit idolatry among te ancients. Troug Jeremia, God instructed is people Israel, saying,...learn not te way of te eaten, and be not dismayed at te signs of eaven; for te eaten are dismayed at tem (Jer. 10:2). Weter ten or now, te cild of God does not need to (Continued on page 24) BEREA BAPTIST BANNER Financial Report to Beginning Balance... $1, RECEIPTS: (In memory of Deana Smit) B. C. of Brimfield, Brimfield, IL Berea B. C., Mantacie, MS Berea B. C., Stonington, IL Betel B. C., Pasadena, TX Big Creek B. C., Wayne, WV Briar Creek B. C., Williamsburg, KY Carol Willett, Edgewater, FL Citrus M. B. C., Inverness, FL Emmanuel B. C., Oldtown, KY Fait B. C., Lynn, AR Gail Knowles, Scarboroug, ME Grace B. C., Corbin, KY Grace B. C., Winston-Salem, NC Grace M. B. C., Marion, IL Grace M B. C., Tulsa, OK Indore B. C., Indore, WV Te Lord s Curc, Goose Creek, SC Micael Serman, Asland, KY Mt. Pleasant B. C., Cesapeake, O New Testament B. C., Gosen, IN Parkway L. B. C., Springfield, OR Piladelpia B. C., Decatur, AL Portland B. C., Plumerville, AR Soutside B. C., Fulton, MS Sovereign Grace B. C., Galena, O... 2, Sovereign Grace B. C., Nortport, AL Sovereign Grace B. C., Silsbee, TX Victory B. C., Courtland, VA Subscriptions Anonymous Dividing cecks Sub Total... $5, TOTAL... $6, EXPENDITURES: Printing Postage Wages... 2, FICA Dividing cecks Total Expenditures... $3, ENDING BALANCE... $2, BEREA BAPTIST BROADCAST Financial Report to Beginning Balance... $6, RECEIPTS: Berea B. C., Mantacie, MS Briar Creek B. C., Williamsburg, KY Calvary I. B. C., Sumas, WA Grace B. C., Corbin, KY TOTAL...7, EXPENDITURES: Radio Time TOTAL EXPENDITURES , Interest ENDING BALANCE... $6, Postage & Sipping Cart Order Value... Add Minimum...$5.00 $ $6.00 $ $7.00 $ $8.00 $ and Up...FREE

24 Page 24 Te Berea Baptist Banner July 5, 2016 Te Sort Pews (Continued from page 23) understand all te meaning beind pagan practices. Rater e needs to escew tem to stay away from anyting related to te worsip of idols. Te pagan worsip involved in teir custom of putting an aromatic branc to teir mout or nose as part of idolatrous worsip may be unknown to us, but te custom of bringing aromatic (evergreen) brances into omes and businesses is no doubt connected wit tis same ancient idolatry. And te onoring of te sun by bringing one s rigt and to te mout as if kissing it wen viewing te sun s brigtness is of similar pagan origin. All paganism is tied to te sun and is ultimately worsip of te fertility gods. Fater sun, moter eart, observations of solstices, sunrise worsip services, Cristmas observance, Easter celebrations all tese tings and oters are connected to and originated from pure paganism. But some professing Cristians NEW BOOK Wat About te Curc? by Paul Stepp - Retail $13.00 Te Curc is important. It as always been important, since te time of Crist. But, as te days grow more evil, and as te wickedness of man grows more rampant, te Curc is te last Bastion of te Trut. Sadly, Cristianity as largely forsaken a proper worsip of God in te Curc of Jesus Crist. In tis book are compiled (17) sermons on te importance of te Curc in today s society, and in today s Cristianity. (See postage cart on page 23) object: tese are nice and lovely tings to do; our family and our curc as always done tese tings; wat will our Cristian friends tink about us if we stop observing tese olidays; we do not mean to worsip idols; will God not excuse us; can we not Cristianize pagan customs so tat tey are acceptable to God? Space and time forbids dealing wit all te different objections. Tey all fall into te same category: tey are objections to just simply being pure from idolatry. For tat is wat folk are objecting to. Tey are objecting to purity. Tey are objecting to carefulness. Tey are, in effect, saying, is it not OK for me to go to te roof of a tall building and walk as close to te edge of tat roof as possible? Te question is not ow close to sin can I get witout sinning, but rater, ow far away can I stay from sin. Te ancient people of our two texts quoted in te first paragrap above knew tese tings for wat tey are. Te Jews involved in committing te abominations mentioned by Ezekiel ad not given up te worsip of Jeova in teir own minds, tat is. Tey ad merely added to is worsip some of te ways of te Gentiles. So it is wit many professing Cristians today. (We cannot say weter or not tey are true sons). But we can say wit Bible autority tat suc worsip is a mixture of trut and lies. And te Lord Jesus said, But te our comet, and now is, wen te true worsippers sall worsip te Fater in spirit and in trut: for te Fater seeket suc to worsip im. God is a Spirit: and tey tat worsip im must worsip im in spirit and in trut (Jon 4:23-24). Te Samaritan religion in Jesus day was a mixture of trut and lies. Te Samaritans ad a temple and a service like tat in Jerusalem. Tey ad a priestood. Tey ad te Old Testament Scriptures. Teir worsip ad existed for generations wen Jesus spoke to te Samaritan woman at te well in Jon capter four. Because of te mixture of lies and trut in tis man-made religion of teirs, te Lord Jesus told te Samaritan woman, Ye worsip ye know not wat... (Jon 4:22). So it is wenever people innovate in te worsip of God: wenever tey bring in customs and practices of te pagan people round about, tey do not know wat tey are worsiping. We must be careful to worsip te Fater in spirit and in trut (Job 4:23). Job mentioned being secretly enticed (Job 31:27) wen seeing te glory of te sun. Tere is a constant danger of falling into paganism wic is defined for us by Paul. e said Professing temselves to be wise, tey ARTICLE INDEX Te Bible and te Newspaper... p. 18 Broken on te Stone by Paul Stepp... p. 1 Forum... pp God s Golden Cain of Grace by Milburn Cockrell... p. 1 ow To Get Ric by Frank B. Beck... p. 1 Little ills by Nataniel ille... p. 3 Te Most Far Reacing Sin Ever Committed by Roy Mason...p. 1 Prevalent Prayer by Francis Wayland... p. 19 Sela! Tink about it! by Mattew Stepp... p. 7 Te Sort Pews by Curtis Pug... p. 23 Watering te Tulips by Todd Bryant... p. 5 became fools (Rom. 1:22). Rater tan worsiping God tey worsiped creation. Paganism is popular. It is accepted by tose in te camp of religion. Most professing Cristians are pagans. To tose wose religious experience is only an imagination of teir earts, paganism is as acceptable as Bible trut. But let tose wo ave been born from above by te Spirit of God mind te Bible: Let us go fort terefore unto im witout te camp [of popular religion], bearing is reproac (eb. 13:13). ANNOUNCEMENTS Te Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Curc of Cesapeake, O, and Pastor Tom Ross would like to announce tey will be osting teir annual Fellowsip Missions Conference on Saturday morning August 6t. Services start at 9:30 am. Preacers wo will be preacing are Elders Jeff Sort, Justin Meier, and Brent Spears. Services will include God onoring preacing, earnest prayer, worsip, and godly singing! Afterwards a mout watering Baptist feast fit for kings and priests will be served (Rev. 5:9-10). Y all Come! ****** Te Sovereign Grace Baptist Curc of Nortport, AL and Pastor Todd Bryant would like to announce teir Annual Summer Bible Meeting for July 29t - 31st. Service times are Friday nigt at 7:00, Saturday morning at 10:00 followed by lunc, and Sunday at 10:00 followed by lunc. Seculed speakers are Elders Cad Beck and Jon Fry.

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