The Bible and Life

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Giving Forgiveness

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

Here is a story about giving forgiveness.

A natural example of this point can be found by looking at the two seas in the Holy Land. The Sea of Galilee freely receives and gives out water. It has an abundance of life, nurturing many different kinds of fish and plant life. The water from the Sea of Galilee is carried by way of the Jordan river to the Dead Sea.

But the Dead Sea only takes water in and does not give out. There is nothing living, no fish or plant life in the Dead Sea. The powerful life giving waters of the Sea of Galilee become dead when mixed with the hoarded waters of the Dead Sea. Life can not be sustained if held onto.

–John Bevere, “The Bait Of Satan” Charisma House, 1997, page 12,13.

William J. Roop

Monday, March 18, 2024

I Don't Remember

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

Here is a story about forgiveness.

In “A Forgiving God in an Unforgiving World”, Ron Lee Davis

retells the true story of a priest in the Philippines, a

much-loved man of God who carried the burden of a secret

sin he had committed many years before. He had repented

but still had no peace, no sense of God’s forgiveness.

In his parish was a woman who deeply loved God and who

claimed to have visions in which she spoke with Christ and he

with her. The priest, however, was skeptical. To test her he

said, “The next time you speak with Christ, I want you to ask

him what sin your priest committed while he was in

seminary.” The woman agreed. A few days later the priest

asked, “Well, did Christ visit you in your dreams?”

“Yes, he did”. she replied

“And did you ask him what sin I committed in seminary?”

“Yes.”

“Well, what did he say?”

“He said, I don’t remember”

William J. Roop

Saturday, March 16, 2024

No Atheists in the Water

Hello Everyone. Praise the Lord!

Here is a story that illustrates our need for God.

NO ATHEISTS IN THE WATER

David Harrell wrote a book telling the story of his father, Edgar Harrell. Edgar was one of the 300 survivors of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, the last US ship sunk by enemy contact in WW2. 600 of the 900 men who survived the ship's sinking were stranded in the water for five days - many with only a life vest - all facing thirst, hunger, injuries, dehydration and sharks. They all came face to face with fear and their own mortality.

Edgar testifies of those days alone in the ocean, "Clearly there were no atheists in the water that day. Gone was that damnable attitude of pride that deceives men into thinking that there is no God, or if there is, they don't need Him. When a man is confronted with death, it is the face of Almighty God he sees, not his own. We were all acutely aware of our Creator during those days and nights."

(David Harrell, “Out of the Depths,” Xulon Press, 2005, 112-113).

William J. Roop

Thursday, February 1, 2024

The God Card

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

Here is something that I found that I wanted to share with you.

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When you say to anyone, “God told me”…. You just alienated everyone in your life. Nothing your spouse, your friends, your family, or your pastor says or thinks now means anything. Our sovereign God is the ultimate authority. Once you say God said it, a second opinion is no longer needed.

It’s dangerous, yes dangerous, to listen to voices as guidance for your life! If God speaks, it will align with the Word of God. People in general, who don’t pray, don’t give, and aren’t faithful to church decide to drop the God card. And sometimes those who are faithful do the same.

What proof do we have that God told you anything? The Word is our proof. If it aligns with His Word, it’s easy to affirm and support.

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People who don’t obey the Word are now all of a sudden all too willing to obey God’s voice that they say they heard? This is out of balance.

If you can’t hear God impress you to give more, work more, pray more, support more, love more, and forgive more? It’s highly doubtful, and likely improbable and suspect that God told you to do anything else.

God respects order in the church and our lives. God doesn’t tell you to come against your parents, your spouse, or your church. The Bible says to be obedient even to the froward. Look that word up. God doesn’t tell people to move to another state, change jobs, or change churches…

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Can a preacher even quote the verse, "obey them that have the rule over you?" (Hebrews 13:17). People in general, if they don’t like their situation, all one has to do is drop the God card. In this woke generation obedience isn’t even an option. It’s entirely unknown.

We all have the right to make all of those changes. Just don’t say God told you to. Make those moves because in prayer, pastoral counsel and even fasting, you feel it’s best for you and your family. Just don’t lay it in God’s lap. Don’t drop the God card. When you drop that, it’s over.

When people really believe God told them to do X, Y, or Z, now there is no one else. God does not interrupt the chain of command. A husband or wife can’t even fast without permission from their spouse. Do we understand the respect God has even for the marriage covenant? Let alone the respect He has for the men he has called to Pastor.

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Can God speak in an audible voice? He can. Does he? Highly doubtful He does so to many. In 60 years of life, I don’t need five fingers to denote examples of such in the thousands of hours of ministry I’ve heard. Sure God’s Spirit along with the Word of God can impress upon us.

A word from God will never be in conflict with the Word of God.

Why would the Scriptures be replete with seeking counsel if God bypasses all earthly authority and tells people directly what to do? Quite simply He doesn’t. People make up their own minds; and to suppress any other opinion from anyone- they drop the God card.

God speaks through His Word. God doesn’t speak to people who don’t pray and read His Word. If you know the Bible, then you know God doesn’t do such.

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He sent an angel to the house of Cornelius to send for Peter to tell him what to do. Why didn’t God tell Cornelius himself? He told Saul to go to Damascus and it would be told him what to do. God didn’t even tell him who it would be. Ananias came to Saul. Why didn’t God tell Saul himself?

God is telling you what to do? Bypassing all the people in your life? No He didn’t. God told Abraham to go, but He didn’t tell him where. The Bible says Abraham went, but he had no idea where. But God bypasses the order of the family and the church today and gives people explicit instructions in 2024? Or 2025? No. Don’t drop the God card. I’ve been made aware of many people over the years who said God told them to do thus and so. The results of those decisions speak for themselves.

We walk by faith not by sight! We look through a glass darkly! We will understand it better by and by. Job looked to the left, the right, the front, and back and could not find God. These statements and more tell me God didn’t tell you what you said He told you.

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No one on earth would question anyone saying God told them to pray more, give more, consecrate more…. But God didn’t. You feel impressed to because the Word says to and the preacher told you to, and you’re becoming obedient to the Word.

Was God the ultimate source? Sure, God affirms that, but the impetus for those things comes through the Word of God, the challenges from ministry to step up, and even the inspiration that comes from a spouse.

God will not give any guidance or instruction that invalidates, violates, varies, or deviates from the Word of God. Any word from God will be anchored in the Word.

Why would God tell anyone to seek counsel when He could just be telling all of us every decision to make? Does every man or woman on earth have the ability to move, change cities, change states, change churches, or change spouses? Absolutely.

Just don’t drop the God card.

William James Roop

Monday, January 22, 2024

Can The Blood of Jesus Do It?

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

Here is a testimony from Tim O'Better.

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One night in a church service a young woman felt the tug of God at her heart. She responded to God's call and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior.

The young woman had a very rough past, involving alcohol, drugs,and prostitution. But, the change in her was evident. As time went on she became a faithful member of the church. She eventually became involved in the ministry, teaching young children.

It was not very long until this faithful young woman had caught the eye and heart of the pastor's son. The relationship grew and they began to make wedding plans. This is when the problems began. You see, about one half of the church did not think that a woman with a past such as hers was suitable for a pastor's son.

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The church began to argue and fight about the matter. So they decided to have a meeting. As the people made their arguments and tensions increased, the meeting was getting completely out of hand.

The young woman became very upset about all the things being brought up about her past. As she began to cry the pastor's son stood to speak. He could not bear the pain it was causing his wife to be. He began to speak and his statement wast his: "My fiance's past is not what is on trial here. What you are questioning is the ability of the blood of Jesus to wash away sin."

"Today you have put the blood of Jesus on trial. So, does it wash away sin or not?" The whole church began to weep as they realized that they had been slandering the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Too often, even as Christians, we bring up the past and use it as a weapon against our brothers and sisters. Forgiveness is a very foundational part of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If the blood of Jesus does not cleanse the other person completely then it cannot cleanse us completely. If that is the case, then we are all in a lot of trouble. What can wash away my sins?...

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

William James Roop

Saturday, January 13, 2024

Why Did Jesus Turn Water Into Wine?

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

Here is something that I found that I wanted to share.

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1. The First of the 10 plagues was water turned into blood. The first of Jesus's miracles was water turned into wine

2. Wine symbolizes the blood of Jesus Christ shed for our atonement.

3. The obedience of the servants represents the obedience that Christ demands of His followers.

4. The filling the waterpots to the brim represents how every believer is to be filled with the Spirit so that the wine of His Blood can be proclaimed to the world through us.

5. Saving the best for last represents how the New Covenant is better than the Old Covenant

6. Christ and his disciples being invited to the wedding foreshadows the marriage supper of the Lamb

7. The master of the wedding feast acknowledging that Christ's wine was the best wine foreshadowed how the Heavenly Father would accept Christ's atoning sacrifice.

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William James Roop