BIRDS AND BARNS

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BIRDS DON’T WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW

BIRDS

By Ken Blue

“ Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” Matthew 6:25-26.

The omniscient, compassionate God cares for His creatures. The book, How Many Birds Are There? Says, there are between 200-400 billion birds for the entire world. Can you imagine how much food it takes per day to feed that number?

The Lord is telling His disciples not to worry or be anxious about tomorrow. He assures them that tomorrow will have enough problems to fill the day. They need not carry any over from today.

Man labors by the sweat of his brow. He prepares the soil, plants the seed, reaps the harvest, and gathers it into barns. However, birds have no such demands on them. They do not plant or reap to store in barns, yet God cares for and feeds each of them every day.

God cares for His creation and takes note of each one. Man is made in God’s image and is His most valued work. Although the whole creation will be delivered from the curse, man is the only one who has a Savior provided for him. (Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Romans 8:21).

God’s plan for man’s survival is that he labor, save, and be a good steward of all His gifts. However, we are not to worry and fix our mind on tomorrow’s provisions. God’s love and care for us should rule the day and protect us from being anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of you!

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ARE YOU EQUIPPED TO TEACH SCRIPTURE?

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ALL SCRIPTURE IS NOT PROFITABLE FOR EVERY DOCTRINE

By Ken Blue

“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.” 2 Timothy 3:15-17.

In light of the increased persecution to come upon believers, young Timothy is reminded that the source of strength and stability is found in the Word of God. All the Scriptures are given by inspiration of God, and always have been and always will be what the believer needs to be fully equipped for service. God is always faithful to His Word in every dispensation.

The mistake by many in interpreting this passage is the idea that the entire Bible fits all situations and circumstances. It is “all Scripture” that is given by Inspiration; not that all Scripture is profitable for every doctrine. There are hundreds of verses that do not profit the doctrine of baptism, the church, marriage, the rapture etc. Although there are many various doctrines in Scripture, we must support them with Scripture that fits them, and the proper dispensation.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]All Scripture is profitable only when it is properly applied…[/perfectpullquote]

There are many things in the Old Testament that were forbidden and people were reproved, corrected, and executed for their disobedience. Some of those same actions would be a sin if imposed on God’s people today; for example, diets, days, travel, and socializing.

If the instruction in righteousness has to do with obedience to God, then we find the same rules as above. That which would have been righteous behavior in the Old Testament, would be completely contrary to this dispensation of grace.

When teaching, reproving, correcting, or instructing, we must do so with Scriptures that comply with the church epistles written by Paul. The goal was that Timothy would be thoroughly equipped for preaching and teaching. All Scripture is profitable only when it is properly applied, otherwise it becomes a source of bondage and destruction.

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BAPTIST BRIDER AND HIS CREDIT CARDS

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WHY DOES A BAPTIST BRIDER CARRY CREDIT CARDS TO TOWN?

brider

By Ken Blue

“These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. And when ye come into an house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.” Matthew 10:5-15.

There are a few Baptist Briders who teach that the church, the body of Christ, had its beginning in Matthew four with the ministry of John the Baptist. They are bold enough to teach that the church today is the same church we find in the Gospels, and that Jesus was baptized into its membership by John. It, they claim, is the model church, and preached the same gospel we preach today. There are many problems with this teaching and no Baptist of any variety follows it.

First, the people to whom the church was sent were Jews only. These Baptist preachers were not permitted to go to any Gentiles. Is this the pattern for the church today? You would expect the brider to go first to the Jews in their city as their church was commanded by Christ.

The proclamation or message of this brider church was different from that preached today. I have never heard a Baptist preacher say, “repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Why this change of message? What happened to this “Kingdom of Heaven” message? Is the Baptist Brider ignoring the people to whom it was sent, and the proclamation given to it?

The power of the Baptist Brider church has also disappeared. “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:8. The Baptist Church of today doesn’t have the power to heal the common cold. To hear Baptist speak of the church today being the church of yesterday is a joke. Have you ever seriously considered why the church today is not like the church of the Gospels? While many are defending their denomination, it might be wise to pause and think on these things. No Baptist church is “healing the sick, cleansing the lepers, raising the dead, or casting out devils. Many of them are casting out the sick, and raising the devil!

The provisions were limited. “Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.” Matthew 10:9-10.

One can see what these Baptist preachers were not permitted to take with them. They were to depend completely on God’s care and provision. Have you seen any preacher follow this order? Most preachers travel with three suitcases, a laptop, and Iphone, and a wallet full of credit cards. What happened to the Baptist pattern and why?

Note the peril of cities that rejected these Baptist Preachers. Is the fate of all cities in the hands of Baptist Briders? I hope not.

Those who claim the church in the Gospels was a Baptist Brider and the pattern for Baptist churches today, have a real problem when attempting to obey the above. Why do they not follow the New Testament pattern? They can’t. So, don’t take your cards to town, Bill!
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MAKING IT SAY WHATEVER YOU LIKE

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By Ken Blue

There’s no doubt that the Bible can be a dangerous and destructive book when it is not properly interpreted or applied. It is possible to make the Bible teach anything you want. That is not the fault of the Bible, but of dishonest and selfish men who use it for advantage. Others simply may not know how to rightly divide it or make proper application.

You may have heard of the man who decided to read a verse every day, and see how he could apply it to himself. He opened the Book at random and placed his finger on a verse; it said, “Judas went out and hanged himself.” Well, there was no way he was going to apply that verse to himself. So, he tried again. This time his finger fell on a verse that said, “Go thou and do likewise.” Things were not going his way on this first day of study. He decided to give it one more try. This time his finger landed on a verse that said, “what thou doest, do quickly.” When it came to Bible application, he hanged himself.

This kind of sermon selection goes on all the time. Many feel if they have acknowledged that a passage belonged to another dispensation, they are at liberty to apply it any way they like.

This is where these silly little arguments about sound tracks, Power Point, musical instruments, song leaders’ vs. group leaders, come from. Spurgeon, Wesley, Luther, and Adam Clark all taught that any musical instruments were anti Scriptural. Are you going to go against these pillars of the faith?

The greatest danger I see is when a preacher or teacher plows through the Bible, commenting on every verse by making an application that fits his own belief. That is fine if our belief is in line with scripture for this dispensation, but many of those applications are nothing more than our preferences. If they have an ax to grind, a hobby horse to ride, or a hair to split, they can’t resist using the verse for the occasion. So, remember, the Bible is not always teaching what you’re hearing. You can make it say anything.

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MY NAME IS BARABBAS

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By Ken Blue

 

 

 

 

 

From my window here below, upon Golgotha’s hill I see,

Three crosses standing tall, and the center one is there  for me.

 

I never thought a day of judgment like this would ever come.

I evaded all pursuers; I was always on the run.

 

Mine was a life of sin; while creating both renown and fame.

People heard from far and  near and said, “Barabbas is his name.”

 

There is turmoil in the city over one called Jesus Christ.

That’s unimportant to me now; tomorrow I pay my price.

 

It’s morning light and in the door I hear the skeleton key.

The executioner has surly come; he has come for me.

 

He takes me to an iron gate, there inserting another key.

As the gate open’s wide he says, “You may go now, you are free.”

 

I stand in frozen disbelief at what I’m hearing and see.

For someone is on the cross, the very one that was for me.

 

Many years have come and gone, I remember His battered face,

And now I fully understand, He willingly took my place.

 

There is an empty cell below; the captive is now set free.

There’s an empty cross on the hill; redemption blood has paid the fee.

 

There’s an empty tomb in the garden; death cannot hold its prey.

There was emptiness in my heart, but He’s filling it today.

 

He freely opened the prisoner’s gate; His cross, the only key.

He says to all who come to Him, “You may go now, you are free.”