HOW GOD SPEAKS TO US TODAY: The Almighty God has spoken in the Bible to mankind in a language that is simple, clear and firm. However, the sins and iniquities of mankind had brought separations between man and God (Isa. 59:1-2; Eph 2:1-2). Groping under the servitude of sin, man has failed to recognize the gentle and loving voice of God. Instead of loving and obeying Gods word as contained in the Bible, man has ignored it, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons (II Cor. 11:13-15; II Thess. 2:9-12; I Tim. 4:1; Rev. 16:13-14). Ignore Deceiving Spirits and Doctrines of Demons. The result of following the deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons is the religious confusion we see in the world today. Roman Catholicism, Islam, Judaism, Jehovahs Witnesses, various other denominations, Rosicrucian and Grail Message mysticism, Hinduism and other tribal or regional paganism and superstitions are all expression of religious chaos, caused by those who have given heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. God is not the Author of Confusion! The one, true God is not the author of confusion but of peace (I Cor. 14:33). Or, how can you correctly explain the scenario in which God is presented as speaking to different religious founders to contradict themselves? The God of Christianity says, Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, but the God of Islam says, No, Jesus is not, and cannot be the Son of the living God! Is the God of Christianity the same as the God of Islam on this or other fundamentals? If you say yes, you have made God a god of confusion! Think also of many different denominational founders who are contradicting themselves with their various conflicting creeds, each claiming to have been commissioned by the same Christ. Is this scenario not the same as saying that Christ is divided against Himself? What do you make of a situation in which Christ is presented as speaking to one denominational founder to deny or contradict what HE had earlier told another founder to affirm and propagate? Religious people who are honest and sincere need to ponder on this question: Is God the author of religious confusion? Christ is not Divided Denominationalists who are sincerely seeking for the truth must also ponder the question, Is Christ divided? Please, meditate as you read these passages: Matthew 12:25, I Corinthians 1:10-13; 14:33. God Speaks to Us Today Only by His Son Now, let us earnestly reslove to find how the one, true living God speaks to mankind today. I want to assure you of the verity that only in the Bible, the Word of God, gives us the true answer. First, let us read the book of Hebrews, chapter 1, verses 1-2: God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in this last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds. According to this passage, God spoke to the fathers in time past through the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to man by his Son. These last days refer to the period identified in the scriptures to have begun on the Pentecost of AD 33 in the city of Jerusalem (Acts 2:1-17; 11:15), when the New Covenant of our Lord Jesus Christ began to be operative, the law of Moses having been abolished at the cross of Christ (Col. 2:14-17, Heb. 7:11-19; 8:6-13; 9:1-10, 15-17; 10:9, Gal. 3:10, 16-25; 5:1-4; etc.) God Speaks to Mankind Today in the Bible, Particularly in the New Testament The law of Moses with its ordinances of divine worship has accomplished its purpose of preparing the ground for the Christ and His kingdom, the church (Galatians 3:10-25). God has given all authority to Jesus Christ (John 3:34-35; 12:49-50, Matt. 28:18), and He commanded that we must hear Him (Matt. 17:5; Acts 3:22-26). Jesus Appointed and Taught the Twelve Apostles Jesus in turn appointed some men whom He named Apostles (Luke 6:12-13), and gave them the Word of God, commanding them to deliver this to the world (John 17:8,18; Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16). He sent the Holy Spirit to guide them to ensure the infallibility of the message (John 14:26; 16:13; Luke 24:46-49). Jesus warned that anyone who will not hear the Apostles has rejected Him and God (John 13:20; Luke 10:16). He who knows God hears the apostle of Christ; he who is not of God does not hear them (I John 4:6). The Apostles Wrote the New Testament with the Guidance of the Holy Spirit After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit was sent as promised to reveal the word to the Apostles (Acts 2:1-4). The apostles confessed that they spoke and wrote only that which the Holy Spirit revealed to them (I Cor. 2:7-14; Eph. 3:1-5; II Tim. 3:16-17; II Peter 1:3, 20-21). This is the New Testament in our possession. Jesus Christ sanctified this Testament with His own blood (Matthew 26:28), through which all men are to be drawn near to God. We are warned not to go beyond it (I Cor. 4:6; 14:37; Gal. 1:8-9; II John 9-11; Rev. 22:18-19). The New Testament: The Will of God through Christ Today To conclude this article, I want to draw our attention to some features of the New Testament to ease our understanding. The book of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were written to show us mainly the unique birth, the sinless life, the sacrificial and miraculous ministry of Jesus the Christ. In these records, we read of how Jesus suffered and died and shed His blood on the cross to sanctify the New Testament for the day, God raised Him from the dead to confirm His victory over death, and demonstrate there will be a resurrection of the dead. Thus, Jesus laid the groundwork for Christianity. Before He ascended to heaven, He commissioned His apostles to go and preach the gospel to every creature... (Mark 16:15-16; Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 24:46-49; Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit Guides the Apostles to Preach the Gospel to Establish the Church The book of Acts, from the second chapter was written to show us the coming of the Holy Spirit to guide the apostles. From this record we learn of the beginning and growth of the church that Jesus in Matthew 16:18, promised to build. The Perfect Law of Liberty The other books, from Romans to Revelation have been written to guide the church in different localities and the Christian individuals in all things that pertain to life and godliness (II Peter 1:3). Thus, from Acts 2 to Revelation 22, we have the perfect law of liberty (James 1:25), the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude: 3). Therefore, any religion or teaching that is not in harmony with the teaching of the Apostles, as written in the New Testament is a product of the spirits of error and doctrine of demons (II Thess. 2:9-12, I Tim. 4:1-3, I John 4:1-6). God Has Spoken to Mankind: Let Us Listen to Him Only No one has ever seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him (John 1:18). Therefore, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him. God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? (Hebrews 2:3-4). The only way God speaks to you and me today, that is sure and steadfast, is in the Bible, particularly the New Testament in which all things that pertain to life and godliness (II Peter 1:3) have been revealed. Any religion or doctrine not taught in the New Testament is not from God. Do not listen to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, which lead to perdition. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. — Phil 4:23.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 20:11:43 +0000
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