The Sword of the LORD

"Then said they unto Him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?   Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent."   (John 6:28,29). The works of the flesh should be quite evident to most Christians.   In fact, the apostle Paul tells us as much in Galatians 5:19.   He says the works of the flesh are manifest, openly known, or apparent.   He even lists many of them such as adultery, fornication, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, jealousies, selfish ambitions, envy, murders, and drunkenness.   The Christian, however, must also be concerned about the less apparent things that are just as clearly the works of the flesh.   The very bad things we know we should avoid, but it is the seemingly good things that we plunge headlong into.   We call them good deeds, Christian ministry, and godly service; but in many cases they are self-directed and the result of self-righteousness and self...

"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.   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."   (Romans 12:1, 2). St. Paul issues a solemn exhortation to the church in Rome in this twelfth chapter of Romans.   He warns them not to be conformed to this world, but instead, to be transformed by the renewing of their minds.   The Greek word that is translated "conformed" in this passage means to conform oneself to, or fashion oneself after, another's pattern.   I have often thought of this conforming to the world as meaning that we should not copy the evil practices of the world.   The lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eye, and the pride of life are clearly "of the world" and to be avoided; but there is so...

" And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God."   (Revelation 21:3).   There are those who might be surprised to learn that the Bible refers specifically to six distinct temples of God. There are the four most obvious, which are: Moses' tabernacle in the wilderness which God commanded Israel to build after they made their exodus from Egypt; Solomon's great temple in Jerusalem; Ezra's temple which was built by the children of the captivity when they returned from Babylon;   and Herod's temple which stood during the time of Christ and was destroyed by the Romans.   The other two temples are less obvious because they are less visible to the natural eye.   The first of these is the temple of God in the heavens after which every other temple has been patterned.   "The point of what we are sayin...