Preface
Today the masses of people want freedom to sin ... to be free to do whatever they choose to do as a matter of "personal preference" ... to be approved by society in general as they commit adultery, fornication ... as they live as homosexuals and lesbians ... to have the masses of people approve them regardless of their "life style" ... basically they want to be free to sin ...
A young man said the Bible is too "legalistic" ... When I learned of what this young man said, I was greatly troubled. I turned to God and said, "This greatly troubles me ..."
The Holy Spirit reminded me of the following truth from God.
Jesus said ...
Mt 7 ... 13 Enter ye in at the strait gate:for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
I greatly rejoiced!
There is so much lawlessness today and so much insistence that people approve sin it is shocking. (Antichrist is "the man of lawlessness" ... II Thess. 2 NIV)
The worst thing and something most generations did not expect is that the lawlessness and those opposed to Christ would happen inside the church groups as they depart from scripture, explaining away the truth of the scripture, and setting up doctrines inside the church to make people in the church groups feel approved in divorce/remarriage and such.
This is exactly antichrist ... II Thess. 2 ... 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Paul told us in the last days "perilous" times would come. Rightly so. These times are very perilous, inside the various church groups.
And the apostle Paul said:
Romans 12 ... I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world:but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Each time we read godly exhortations or Bible we are brought to the path of God.
I John 5 ... 19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
The apostle Paul warns us:
II Tim. 3 ... 1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:from such turn away.
... 13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
And we are told in the book of Hebrews to exhort one another even more "as we see the day approaching" ... as we see the evil in this present world we know we grow closer to the judgment of God ... the wrath of God ... just as in the days of Sodom ...
Heb. 10 ... 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another:and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
The following book of exhortations to the church are given to help the church to hold fast to ways of God and to be edified by godly words, pulling us back from the world and ways of this world which are destructive.
One way I am helped to keep reading exhortations on a daily basis is I use the number of the day of the month and read that exhortation from each volume. As I read, I try to examine my own life, being sure I am doing the word presented in the exhortation, applying it to my life.
James 1 ... 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Joan Boney
1
Believing on Jesus
John 6:40 ... Jesus said ... And this is the will of HIM that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life:and I will raise him up at the last day.
Jesus, the Word, was with God before the heavens and the earth were created.
Genesis 1:1 ... In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light:and there was light.
Everything was created by the WORD. God said and it was created.
Hebrews 11:3 ... Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
God said: Let there be light and light appeared ... light did not exist before God spoke ... Light was not created from something that was already there. Light was a "new creation" ... By faith we understand this. Heb. 11:3
God is a spirit. Jesus was, and is, a spirit. The Holy Spirit is a spirit.
Jesus, the spirit, was made flesh and dwelt among us. And for a time, Jesus walked on this present earth in the form of the flesh of man, looking like other humans. But Jesus was not like other humans. Jesus was born of a virgin. The Holy Spirit came upon Mary and Jesus, the Son of God, came through Mary.
For a time Jesus appeared on this earth as a man looking like other men. Wasn't Jesus the son of Joseph and born of Mary? How can Jesus be of heaven? How can Jesus be the Son of God? How could Jesus do all these miracles that no other man did?
We can see how hard it would have been if we had lived at that time to believe on Jesus as the Son of God. We knew his father, Joseph. We knew his Mother and his brothers.
Then Jesus began doing miracles that no other man did. Who is this among us? Some saw the works done by Jesus and believed on Jesus as the Son of God. Others did not believe even though they saw the works HE did ... healed the blind, the deaf, the lame ... raised the dead ... turned water into wine ... walked on water ... was able to read though he had never been taught letters ... spoke with authority, not as a man ...
Only by God could they believe "on HIM".
And only by God today can we believe "on Him".
Salvation is of God. When God chooses, HE reveals Jesus to the individual.
Mt. 16 ... 13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist:some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona:for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
God, HIMSELF, put it into Peter's mind to believe Jesus was "the Christ, the Son of God". No man taught Peter this. This information was revealed to Peter by God.
This is the reason Jesus called Peter "blessed" ... because God had revealed HIS Truth to Peter.
And the church itself is built upon the "rock" of the word God reveals to the individual.
And the gates of hell will not stand against that WORD God speak to us, that word revealed to us by God.
Today, when we believe on HIM (on the Word) we enter into eternal life.
Many hear the Word of God in the form of the Bible read to them at their churches. But to them it sounds like words, sometimes pretty words, which lulls them to sleep. Nothing much happens. But to others sitting there, God awakens them by THE WORD ... Quickens them by THE WORD, they believe and therefore they act upon THE WORD they have heard from God by HIS Spirit. The ones who hear and believe and act upon that word are the NT Church.
Paul said ... 13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. I Thess. 2:13
To those of us "touched by God", The Word of God, the Bible, is not the word of men but the word of God and we are turned from various ideas when we are reminded by the Holy Spirit of the Word of God. We are led by the Spirit of God through the Word of God as we live on this present earth. We can go forward in the way of God by the Word revealed to us by God by HIS Spirit.
We share the word of God and sometimes others believe also. And when they believe, they receive eternal life as we have received eternal life.
Those who "believe" and act upon that Word are the children of God.
My mother followed horoscopes all her life. After I was born again, I was visiting her and saw some mugs with horoscope signs in her kitchen cabinet. I had given these to her before I was born again. When I saw these after I was born again, I got a garbage bag and began putting those mugs into that bag. My mother became excited when she saw me do that and she said, "What are you doing. I want to keep those. You gave them to me." I paid no attention to her words and I did not reply at all to her. When the mugs were in the garbage bag, I opened the door, took them to alley, broke them, and threw them into the garbage dumpster in the alley.
I returned to the house. Picked up the Bible and read the following to my mother.
Deuteronomy 18 ... 9 When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, 11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord:and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee. 13 Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God. 14 For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners:but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.
After I read this, my mother said: "Then I guess we'd better not do that any more."
She was born again when she believed The Word ... It wasn't lip service coming from her. She really believed what I read to her was THE WORD OF GOD.
This is so significant. The name "Jesus" is not even in that scripture. But it is THE WORD (Jesus) and by believing, my mother "received" Jesus and was changed forever.
John 6:40 ... Jesus said ... And this is the will of HIM that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life:and I will raise him up at the last day.
Another example.
I was born again in 1975 while reading a book about sin. The Holy Spirit said to me: "Joan, you know all these mistakes you've been making all these years? Those weren't mistakes. Those were sins."
"Sins!" ... I was so shocked.
I certainly believed what the Holy Spirit said to me. I was changed instantly!
When I was about 15-years-old, I went forward at my aunt's church and was baptized in water. But I wasn't changed. I went forward because I didn't want to go to hell and I thought this is what the preacher was saying, "Be baptized and you will not go to hell." I thought I was a Christian but I was not a Christian.
But I knew I was changed after God spoke to me about sin in 1975.
At the time this happened, I owned a small business ... American Indian Arts
I was flying to Albuquerque, NM, to buy art objects for my business.
As the plane began to land, I heard, "Be baptized."
My cousin who was member of Church of Christ was meeting me at the plane. I said to her, "Jeanne. If you can arrange it at church, I will be baptized this afternoon before I return to Dallas."
She was very surprised and replied, "But you've already been baptized."
I said, "Yes, but I was not born again. Now I am born again."
She didn't understand but she did set it up. Several of my relatives gathered at the church building that afternoon and the minister said to me, "Would you like to say something?"
I just began speaking by the Holy Spirit. I noticed one cousin shaking her head up and down ... "YES".
I noticed at one point my uncle began to cry.
When the minister lowered me into the water, the Holy Spirit said to me, "This is like being buried with Christ."
When I was coming out of the water, Holy Spirit said, "This is like being raised with Christ."
This is what Romans 6 says but I didn't know Romans 6 at that time.
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once:but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin:but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you:for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. 19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh:for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
After I was baptized, my uncle came to me. He said, "I've never heard anything like those words you spoke. Can you write those words out and send them to me?"
I said, "I guess I can."
When I returned to Dallas I wrote those words as I recalled them and sent them to my uncle.
I believe my uncle "believed" the word I spoke and was born again at that time.
John 6:40 ... Jesus said ... And this is the will of HIM that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life:and I will raise him up at the last day.
Jesus, the son, is THE WORD.
As we speak THE WORD given us by the Holy Spirit and as hearers "believe" THE WORD, they are saved through believing THE WORD.
Another example:
I gave this word to a woman who attends a Catholic church.
Jesus said ... Mt: 23:9 And call no man your father upon the earth:for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
She "thanked" me for the message ... but she didn't believe the word spoken for she continued in the Catholic church, calling men "Father."
Had she believed the word, she would have left the Catholic church.
Like Abraham, we believe THE WORD unto righteousness ... doing the word ... acting on the word.
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Exhortations For The Church: Volume 2
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