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Restoring Original Christianity—for Today!
Christian Biblical Church of God
Post Office Box 1442
Hollister, California 95024-1442
(831)-637-1875
Fred R. Coulter,
Minister
December 16, 2014
Dear Brethren,
Today, we have instant communication bringing to us multiple events occurring in real time. It is available every hour of every day via radio, television and the Internet. These can be reports and analyses about local, national or world events. We can see and hear about them in news programs, or read the coverage later in various publications. Many times they can be quite unsettling to us mentally, emotionally and spiritually. This is especially true when these things come at us like a flood. Plus, when we add our own problems into the mix, it can be easy for us to get overwhelmed. As a result, sometimes we can get discouraged and down mentally and spiritually.
This why we need to remember that God is always there to help us, to intervene for us, to lift us up and comfort us. Whatever the circumstances, all we have to do is call out to God in prayer. God the Father and Jesus Christ will answer and help us because They have called us and They love us. Moreover, They have given the Holy Spirit to us. Therefore, in our times of trouble and need, we should go to God in prayer and claim these promises and receive encouragement. King David wrote in Psalm 20: "May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble, the name of the God of Jacob set you on high. May He send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion. May He remember all your offerings…. May He grant you according to your own heart and fulfill all your plans. We will shout for joy in your victory, and in the name of our God we will set up banners. May the Lord fulfill all your prayers" (verses 1-5).
We can claim God's comforting promises of encouragement. Always remember that God hears our prayers. He delights in our prayers. He wants to fulfill all our prayers, as He has promised in His Word: "[T]he prayer of the upright is His delight…. He hears the prayer of the righteous" (Prov. 15:8, 29).
Prophesied thousands of years ago, Psalm chapter two is a perfect description of today's troubling world. It reveals why the world is in so much trouble. It reveals the true cause: People are trying to solve their problems while rejecting God! What a dichotomy! True to this Psalm, the world, in all its troubles, is raging against God and His Anointed—Jesus the Christ! Notice: "Why do the nations rage and the people plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lordand against His Christ, saying, 'Let us break Their bands asunder and cast away Their cords from us.' He Who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lordscoffs at them. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and in His fury He terrifies them" (verses 1-5).
The fact that people and their rulers reject God causes Him to actually work against them. It is a living law—if they go against God, they cannot solve their problems. Notice: "The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He frustrates the plans of the people" (Psa. 33:10).
Little do people realize that God keeps track of the behavior of individuals, as well as nations—the righteous and unrighteous. If the leaders of the nations would turn to God in repentance and obedience to seek His help, He would reveal to them how to solve their troubles. Look at how things would be if nations obeyed God: "The counsel of the Lordstands forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, and the people He has chosen for His own inheritance. The Lordlooks down from heaven; He beholds all the sons of men. From His dwelling place He looks intently upon all the inhabitants of the earth. Together He fashions their hearts alike; He considers all their works. The king is not saved by a great army; a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. A horse is a vain thing for safety; neither shall it deliver any by its great strength" (verses 11-17).
It is the same with God's people. He is always there to bless, protect and help us because we love Him and hope in His salvation. "Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear Him, upon those who hope in His lovingkindness, to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield, for our heart shall rejoice in Him because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in You" (verses 18-22).
By trusting and hoping in God, in love and faith, we can always keep a proper perspective about the things taking place in the world and in our lives—so that we will not become discouraged. The key is to keep our minds on God's plan for us—on His promise of eternal life and rulership under Christ in the world to come. Thus, Jesus admonishes us to "seek [first] the kingdom of God, and all these things [all the promises of God] shall be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock [because of all the problems and turmoil in the world], for your Father delights in giving you the kingdom" (Luke 12:31-32).
Here is how we are to seek God and His kingdom: "Trust in the Lord, and do good … and cherish faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way unto the Lord; trust also in Him, and He will bring it to pass. And He shall bring forth your righteousness like the light, and your judgment like the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him…. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret yourself [because of the wickedness in the world], it leads only to evil, for evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth" (Psa. 37:3-9).
When we are doing these things day by day, using the Holy Spirit God has given to us, our minds are being transformed and converted. Paul calls this our "spiritual service," which renews our minds: "I exhort you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and well pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service. Do not conform yourselves to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind in order that you may prove what is well pleasing and good, and the perfect will of God" (Rom. 12:1-2).
By this renewing of our minds, God the Father—through the power of His Spirit in us, coupled with the Word of God—is actually creating in us His holy righteous character. This process also requires our loving obedience to God's teachings. Paul writes: "If indeed you have heard Him [God the Father] and have been taught in Him, according to the truth in Jesus: that concerning your former conduct, you put off the old man, which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts; and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that you put on the new man, which according to God is created [within us] in righteousness and holiness of the truth" (Eph. 4:21-24). Paul adds that God is creating in us the very mind of Christ (Phil. 2:5).
What God is doing within us is a life-long process. Through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we are to spiritually grow in grace and knowledge in order to overcome the flesh—the pulls of human nature. Notice how Paul describes this spiritual battle: "However, you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God is indeed dwelling within you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. But if Christ be within you, the body is indeed dead because of sin; however, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
"Now if the Spirit of Him [God the Father] Who raised Jesus from the dead is dwelling within you, He Who raised Christ from the dead will also quicken your mortal bodies because of His Spirit that dwells within you. So then, brethren, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh; because if you are living according to the flesh, you shall die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. Now you have not received a spirit of bondage again unto fear, but you have received the Spirit of sonship, whereby we call out, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit itself bears witness conjointly with our own spirit, testifying that we are the children of God. Now if we are children, we are also heirs—truly, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer together with Him, so that we may also be glorified together with Him" (Rom. 8:9-17).
Paul writes that the "holy writings" of the Old Testament "are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus" (II Tim. 3:15). This fact is essential for us to understand! Indeed, with the Holy Spirit of God in us, we can learn from these inspired writings how to conduct our lives. They also give us a perspective on how God deals with the wicked of the world. Notice, for example, how much spiritual instruction for Christians is contained in Psalm 37—and what God says about the wicked: "Depart from evil and do good; and live forevermore. For the Lordloves justice and does not forsake His saints; they are preserved forever, but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the earth and dwell in it forever. The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of justice. The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
"The wicked watches the righteous and seeks to kill him. The Lordwill not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged. Wait on the Lord and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the earth; when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
"I have seen the ruthless wicked in great power and spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. Yet he passed away, and lo, he was no more; and I searched for him, but he could not be found. Mark the blameless man and behold the upright one, for the end of that man is peace. But the sinners shall be destroyed together; the prosperity of the wicked shall be cut off.
"Butthe salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them because they take refuge in Him" (verses 27-40).
Book of Revelation—Special Audio CD: In this mailing, we are sending you a special audio CD of the reading of the entire book of Revelation. It is the "Capstone Book" of the entire Word of God, the Seventh Division of the Bible. As the book that describes the major end-time events to come upon the world, it contains some of the most powerful passages in the New Testament. Randy Vild and I spent much time in prayer, asking God to inspire our work so that it would be a blessing to the listener and bring glory to God the Father and Jesus Christ.
First, I did the reading of Revelation from The Holy Bible In Its Original Order. Randy then selected special background music and sound effects to enhance the various sections and passages of the recorded reading. The music and special effects helps you to visualize the actions described in the book, and you feel as though you are right there with the apostle John as he saw these profound events unfold and heard the words of Christ.
In the opening verses of Revelation, Christ promises a blessing for those who read and hear the words of this book: "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him, to show to His servants the things that are ordained tocome to pass shortly; and He made it known, having sent it by His angel to His servant John; who gave witness to the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, and all the things he saw. Blessed is the one who reads, and those who hear the words of this prophecy and who keep the things thatare written therein; for the time is at hand" (Rev. 1:1-3).
At the end of the book, Jesus again pronounces a blessing—as well as a warning. Since these are the last words of the Bible, they are meant to apply to the entirety of the Word of God: " 'And behold, I am coming quickly; and My reward is with Me, to render to each one according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.' Blessed are those who keep His commandments, that they may have the right to eat of the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. But excluded are dogs, and sorcerers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, and everyone who loves and devises a lie.
" 'I, Jesus, sent My angel to testify these things to you in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and morning star.' And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' And let the one who hears say, 'Come.' And let the one who thirsts come; and let the one who desires partake of the water of life freely. For I jointly testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, that if anyone adds to these things, God shall add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the book of life, and from the holy city, and from the things that are written in this book. He Who testifies these things says, 'Surely, I am coming quickly.' Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen" (verses 12-21).
I hope you will find this special audio edition of the book of Revelation to be absolutely inspiring. Enjoy! I am sure you will listen to it again and again. (We also have a video version of this special edition of the book of Revelation. It displays each passage on the screen as it is read, in the same way it is done on Church at Home. Please contact us if you would like a copy.)
Brethren, stay close to God the Father and Jesus Christ through daily prayer and the daily study of the Bible. We pray for you every day, asking God to watch over you, protect you, heal you, and bless you in every way. Again, we thank you for your love and prayers, and for your tithes and offerings, which are always used to preach the Gospel and feed the flock of God. May God's grace and blessings be with you in all things.
With love in Christ Jesus,
Fred R. Coulter
FRC
