Lead article: Unto You is Born a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord! The angel told the shepherds, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). Suddenly, a multitude of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14).
Lead article: Giving God Thanks Through It All! When Hurricane Helene devastated portions of Western North Carolina, many lost family and property. Having not experienced what they are living, it would be presumptuous to speak of how I would have responded or of how they should respond. There is no thought that is forbidden. We sorrow, not as those who have no hope; but, we do sorrow. And, we know that God knows our thoughts from afar off. So, bring it to Him.
Lead article: He Lifted Me Up! The fortieth psalm is a psalm of David to the chief musician. King David sang these words: I waited patiently for the LORD…and he inclined unto me…and (he) heard my cry! How long David waited is unknown. It had to be a lengthy stretch for patience to settle in his heart. But in his wait, something stirred in David’s spirit. God inclined unto him. The Lord wanted to do something for him. David knew that, and the Lord did! David’s humility is witnessed by his words: that the Lord would hear his cry, even David’s cry. The delight in David’s soul then shines forth: that God heard his plea!
Lead article: The Power of One Message. When the blood of our Lord’s first martyr, Stephen, was shed, a young man named Saul was standing by, consenting unto his death and keeping the raiment of them that slew him (Acts 22:20). Persecution arose about Stephen’s death, scattering believers in the Lord Jesus Christ as far as Phenice and Cyprus and Antioch (Acts 11:19-20). The gospel of Jesus Christ quickly spread up the western coast of the Mediterranean, out onto the island of Cyprus and over into Asia Minor.
Lead article: Walking Worthy of the Lord. The Apostle Paul gave God thanks for the saints at Colossi, in his prayers, since the day he heard of their faith in Christ Jesus and their love to all the saints (Colossians 1:3-4). He praised the Father for the hope now laid up for them, in heaven, because of their faith in Jesus as the Christ (Colossians 1:5).
Lead article: Where the Spirit of the Lord is… Now, the Lord is that Spirit: and, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (2 Cor. 3:17). The Lord is what Spirit? He is the Spirit of the living God that writes the epistle of Christ, not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart (2 Cor. 3:3). He is that Spirit which makes us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter of the law, but of the spirit: for the letter kills, but the spirit gives life (2 Cor. 3:6).
Lead article: The Manifold Wisdom of God. God has a purpose, and he works all things after the counsel of that will. In fact, God has made known to us his will: that he has made us accepted in the Beloved, to the praise of the glory of his grace (Ephesians 1:6). In whom (the Beloved) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace (Ephesians 1:7). Why? That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: that we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ (Ephesians 1:10-12). Christ is his Glory (Hebrews 1:3)!
Lead article: Delusions Are Dangerously Deceptive. The word delusions appears once in the Bible. It is found in the Old Testament. God said, I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not (Isaiah 66:4).
Lead article: NOW is CHRIST RISEN! But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming (I Corinthians 15:20-23).
Lead article: Making Much of Our FAITH. I seem to have had a touch of food poisoning over a four-day period in February and lost 10 pounds in three days; however, I do not recommend it for weight loss. Since I was housebound, I began re-reading Romans. When I reached chapter 5, I had to pause. “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2).
Lead article: Our Anointing is Christ’s Spirit! The Anointing which we have received of God (1 John 2:27) is the Holy Spirit with which we were sealed upon our belief of the word of truth: the gospel of our salvation (Ephesians 1:13). He is called the Holy Ghost (John 7:39), the Comforter (John 14:26), the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9).
Lead article: HAPPY NEW YEAR: JESUS IS COMING AGAIN! The Second-Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is the next major event on God’s prophetic calendar. Scripture connects the start of Christ’s return with an event that will initiate a sequence of actions leading to his physical presence on earth: that initial occurrence is called the adoption (Romans 8:23; 9:4; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5). This event is also known as the rapture and the resurrection of the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).
Lead article: MERRY CHRISTMAS! Faith comes by hearing; and, hearing by the word of God. Hearing God comes by the Word of God. A wife who has a husband disobedient to God’s Word is admonished to be in subjection to her husband. Why? Because an unbelieving spouse can be won to Christ by the conversation of their mate, coupled with fear (1 Peter 3:1-2).
Lead article: TRUE THANKSGIVING. Think back. What made you truly thankful? Taking things for granted, treating people as though they owed you whatever it is they do for you – those things are easy. They come naturally. We were born that way. We are selfish, self-centered and arrogant when left to ourselves. It takes training, discipline and a change of heart to be truly thankful. That change comes from God’s Spirit, who makes us a new creature in Christ.
Lead article: We Will Live Somewhere Forever! Judgment is eternal (Hebrews 6:2). Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire (Jude 1:7). That fire, termed hell fire by our Lord (Mark 9:47), is where the worm dies not and where the fire is not quenched (Mark 9:46).
Lead article: Are We Frustrating the Grace of God? Galatians 2:20-21 are probably the most familiar verses in Galatians. Some would consider them the key verses. Here’s what Paul declares in Galatians 2:18-21 – For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Lead article: Seven Things are an Abomination to God. These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood; an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren (Proverbs 6:16-19).
Lead article: The Bible and God’s Message. God has a message. He spoke in sundry times and in diverse manners in time past unto the fathers by the prophets. In these last days, he has spoken to us, lost and saved, by his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-2).
Lead article: Only GOD Can Forgive SINS! Our Lord is in the house of Simon Peter, where Jesus had healed Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever (Matthew 8:14-15). Those seeking to hear him packed the house so, that the four who brought one taken with a palsy could not find any way to bring him into the house and unto the Lord. Consequently, they went upon the housetop and let him down, through the tiling, with his couch, into the midst, before Jesus (Luke 5:19).
Lead article: KNOWING the LOVE of CHRIST. What the Bible says is possible is possible. What the Bible says is so is so. There are no contradictions in God’s Word. There is no conflict between the Old Testament and the New Testament. They are in agreement: the righteousness of God without the law is manifested by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all and upon all that believe (Romans 3:21-22).
Lead article: To Know the Righteousness of the LORD. What does the Lord require of his people? He requires what is good: to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). How is God my God? Through repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21). The Lord wants us to know his righteousness; and, he gave us a reminder of it through Balak and Balaam (Micah 6:5).
Lead article: The Joy of the Lord. The children of Israel wept when they had heard the words of the law read on the first day of the seventh month. Then Nehemiah and Ezra and the Levites that taught the people said, Mourn not, nor weep. This day is holy unto the LORD your God. Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength (Nehemiah 8:9-10).
Lead article: The Just Shall Live by Faith. Four passages use this statement: “the just shall live by faith.” The first is found in the Old Testament. It is Habakkuk 2:3-4 – “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.”
Lead article: Rejoice that Your Name is Written in Heaven! Ever wonder why some things are stated in the Bible? Our Lord is instructing the seventy disciples sent out in pairs to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God (Luke 10:1). He had previously sent out the twelve (Luke 9:1). The seventy have returned, with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name (Luke 10:17). The Lord’s lesson: Notwithstanding, in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20).
Lead article: Good Tidings of Great Joy! The angel of the Lord came upon Shepherds, keeping watch over their flock by night. Having startled them by his appearance, he said: Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord ((Luke 2:10-11).
Lead article: Gratitude is the Right Attitude! Gratitude is the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. In a blog article entitled “Giving thanks can make you happier” (dated August 14, 2021, published by Harvard Health Publishing / Harvard Medical School). Research (and common sense) suggests that one aspect of the Thanksgiving season can actually lift the spirits, and it’s built right into the holiday – being grateful.
Lead article: The Baptism of Fire. In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:1-2). This is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight (Matthew 3:3; Isaiah 40:3).
Lead article: The Mystery of Christ. What would you say was the central theme of Paul’s letter to Colossae? I think it is stated in his prayer request, near the close of the epistle. Paul reminds us that we have a Master in heaven who treats us just and equal (Colossians 4:1). He admonishes the Church to continue in prayer, watching with thankfulness (4:2). Then he states his burden: …that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am in bonds (Colossians 4:3).
Lead article: Partaking of the Divine Nature. The Apostle Peter reveals to us that God’s divine power has given to us the knowledge of Christ, that by his exceeding great and precious promises we might be partakers of the divine nature in this life (2 Peter 1:3-4). We also know that we will be partaker of the glory that shall be revealed (1 Peter 5:1) at the second appearing of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17).
Lead article: The Wonder of the New Birth. John’s gospel is the first to speak of man being born again, after his physical birth. By the Spirit of God, John introduces this reality when describing those to whom God gives power to become the sons of God: it is to as many as receive Christ (John 1:12), whether Jew (his own to whom he came in the flesh) or Gentile. In answer to how a man receives Christ, John writes: even to them that believe on his name (John 1:12b). These, the Bible declares, are they which were born of God (John 1:13).
Lead article: The BEGINNING of SORROWS. The Lord responded to his disciples’ questions regarding the sign of his coming and the end of the world (Matthew 24:3) by using the words: All these are the beginning of sorrows (Matthew 24:8). Many would come in his name, Jesus said, claiming, “I am Christ,” chief of which will be the Antichrist. Wars and rumors of wars will come to pass; but, the Lord warns, the end is not yet. Nation shall rise against nation. Famines and pestilence and earthquakes shall be in diverse places. All of these are the beginning of sorrows.
Lead article: The First Commandment with Promise. Children are instructed by God to obey their parents in the Lord, for this is right. The commandment is the fourth of The Ten Commandments, and the first with promise. The Apostle Paul states it this way: Honour thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with thee and that thou mayest live long on the earth (Ephesians 6:2-3). You find the commandment introduced in Exodus 20:12 and repeated in Deuteronomy 5:16.
Lead article: The Lord Will Shew to Him The Salvation of God. Psalm 50 is attributed to Asaph, the son of Berechiah. He was appointed by King David to preside over the service of song in the Tabernacle. Called the Tabernacle of David, the ark of God still dwelled “in curtains” in David’s day (2 Samuel 7:2) until Solomon was allowed to complete the Temple (1 Kings 7:51).
Lead article: Will Your Epitaph Read Like These? Epitaphs are brief statements commemorating or epitomizing one who has left this life. Consider the epitaphs left behind of many in the Scriptures. Of the Jews at Antioch in Pisidia, after seeing how the whole city gathered together on the Sabbath to hear Paul and Barnabas declare the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ and the justification from all things, from which we could not be justified by the law of Moses (Acts 13:38-39) – they were moved with envy and spoke against these things.
Lead article: Greater Love hath no Man than This… At that day (when the world sees Christ no more in the flesh – John 14;19) ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him (John 14:20-21).
Lead article: Truth Can Be Stranger Than Fiction. That God so loved man that he would give his only begotten Son to save us from our sins. That the Son of God would humble himself, be made flesh, and submit to the death of the cross for man’s redemption. That God’s Spirit would dwell within man, on this earth, in this life. These are great truths that none could imagine on their own. Yet, they are reality!
Lead article: Why Celebrate the Birth of Christ? Christ’s virgin birth (Matthew 1:23, Luke 1:27) was the fulfilment of a promise made to Eve and to Adam from the Garden of Eden: I will put enmity between thee [Satan] and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel (Genesis 3:15).
Lead article: For Whom Are You Thankful? My parents come to my mind. I am thankful for my Dad and for my Mom. I only have early memories of her. Her name was Helen. She died while I was young. They divorced, not for infidelity. They had a major disagreement. Mom was the oldest of her siblings. Her mother died giving birth the youngest. She became the stand-in for her mother to those kids.
Lead article: Because Thou Hast… Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways (Psalm 91:8-11).
Lead article: God’s Conditional Decrees… If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14). This promise was given to Solomon the night of the dedication of the Temple. God appeared to him, and said, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice. If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people…I will hear from heaven and heal their land, if… (2 Chronicles 7:12-15).
Lead article: My Dad’s MILITARY BIBLE… On December 26, 1942, my Dad was issued a pocket New Testament. It is the “National Edition of The New Testament of Our Lord and Saviour JESUS CHRIST, conformable to the edition of 1611, commonly known as the Authorized or King James Version. Published by National Bible Press, Philadelphia, it was made especially for the Gideons. Chaplain C. E. Wilch signed this copy, given to John Louis Hughes.
Lead article: HELL Hath ENLARGED HERSELF! Not everything is our fault! You and I did not cause this to happen. The house of Israel did (Isaiah 5:7). They were the vineyard of the Lord of hosts which brought forth wild grapes when God looked for grapes (Isaiah 5:2). Hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure (Isaiah 5:14) because they had cast away the law of the Lord of hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 5:24).
Lead article: How Do you Define Freedom? An old, Jewish gentleman told me, along with several other seventh grade boys, “Freedom is the right to choose your own doom.” He was the Headmaster of Dakotah School for Boys, located in Dakotah, Illinois. I graduated from the eighth grade there.The main building predated the Civil War. It was a massive three-story, wooden structure, with a crow’s nest attached to the roof. Its cellar was among the stumps left from the trees that were left for supports..
Lead article: Wishing You a MERRY CHRISTMAS! with a review of Isaiah’s two great prophecies - Isaiah 7:14 & 48:16. Plus our December schedule, a memory of Shirley and reminder to order the free Daily Bible Reading Schedule, 2019
November NEWSLETTER 2018
Lead article: On the Death of the Saints with the admonition from Ezekiel, who asked, “For why will ye die?” Plus an update on Shirley’s condition and her fall on October 29th.
March Newsletter 2019
The Lead article, “For the Joy that was set before Him,” reminds us of our Lord’s motivation. His desire is to please the Father first and foremost, to fulfill the promises made to Adam and to Eve, to call out a bride by the gospel and his Spirit as Abraham’s servant called out a bride for Isaac, and to restore the natural olive branch, which pictures Israel.