There is a pandemic that has affected the whole world since the beginning of time.

An Unexpected Blessing

Steve Reeves was overcome with emotion when he recently received an
unexpected blessing.

Reeves, like so many restaurant owners, has struggled due to the coronavirus
pandemic. He's had to consolidate his three Rosa Pizzeria's restaurants in
the Prescott, Arizona area and lay off nearly half of his 100-person staff,
many of whom are friends.

Most restaurants that have been able to keep their doors open have moved to
offering curbside pickup or drive-through service. Reeves has chosen the
curbside pickup option for his restaurant which serves Sicilian and
Southern-Italian food as well as New York-style pizza.

He was busy filling orders on Tuesday when a woman approached him, handed
him a white envelope with his name on it, and then quickly walked away.
Reeves was busy serving customers, so he didn't open it right away. But
when he did open the letter, he found $2,000 cash with a note.

"Hi there. As a neighbor and lover of Rosa's, please accept the enclosed
and use it as you see fit for your staff," the anonymous customer wrote.

"The hairs on my arm literally stood up," Reeves told Fox News. "I was just
so touched with all the craziness going on."

What is Reeves doing with the blessing? He has asked his employees to bring
the bill to him that stresses them out the most, and he will use $2,000,
along with his own personal funds, to pay them. *

During this pandemic when we hear so much bad news, isn't it refreshing to
hear some good news?

Here's more good news:

There is a pandemic that has affected the whole world since the beginning of
time. It is the pandemic of sin. It has been brought about and propagated
by rebellion against God, our Creator. It separates us from God (Isaiah
59:1-2) and carries a death sentence (Romans 6:23).

So where is the good news?

The Good News, the Gospel, is that God loves us so much that He gave His one
and only Son to die on the cross for our sins (John 3:16). Although God was
the offended party, He made reconciliation possible and accessible by paying
the price for our redemption from sin. "In Him (Christ) we have redemption
through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His
grace" (Ephesians 1:7).

God will save and give eternal life to those who place their faith and trust
in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts
17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized
(immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). He will
continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His
word (1 John 1:7-9).

What makes this gift so unexpected is that we don't deserve it. Because of
our sins, we deserve God's wrath and punishment. Instead, He offers
forgiveness and grace. What blessings!

Won't YOU accept His offer of salvation and eternal life?

-- David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from "Arizona pizzeria gets $2,000 from anonymous
customer, owner uses it to pay staff's most urgent bills" by Caleb Parke,
www.foxnews.com.

Video Bible studies

are now available on all these new platforms:

 

https://videobiblestudies.tumblr.com/

 

https://www.pinterest.com/videobiblestudies/

 

https://mix.com/videobiblestud1

 

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/videobiblestudies

 

https://www.youtube.com/user/abiblecommentary

 

Did John the Baptist start the Baptist church?

 

JOHN THE BAPTIST

 

In extolling the work of John the Baptist, Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matthew 11:11).

 

This is a strange statement, and on the surface it appears to be a contradiction.  How is it possible for one to not be greater than John the Baptist and yet for the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven to be greater than he?  Jesus was “born of a woman” (Galatians 4:4). Was/Is He not greater than John the Baptist? 

 

H. Leo Boles in his commentary on the Gospel of Matthew points out that the expression “born of woman/women” is an idiom that was used to refer to the appearance of a great person.  It is used several times in the book of Job (14:1; 15:14; 25:4).  Luke, in his account of the same conversation, indicates that Jesus was not comparing John the Baptist to all people who had ever been born, but only to all the other prophets.  “For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he” (Luke 7:28).  As we shall later see, John died before the kingdom of heaven, the church, was set up or established, and consequently he was never a citizen/member of it.  Therefore, the very least person in the kingdom enjoys privileges that were not available to John, making that person greater than John.

 

The parents of John the Baptist were Zacharias, a Jewish priest, and his wife Elizabeth, both of whom were “well-advanced in years” (Luke 1:5-7).  Elizabeth was a relative of Mary who would later give birth to Christ (Luke 1:36, NKJV; NASB).  (The King James Version identifies Elizabeth as Mary’s cousin, while the American Standard Version refers to her as a kins-woman. John and Jesus therefore were in some way related according to the flesh).  When the angel Gabriel first announced to Zacharias that he and Elizabeth would have a son and that his name was to be John (Luke 1:13), Zacharias did not believe him. For his unbelief Zacharias was struck dumb until the child was born (Luke 1:18-20).  When the child was born, the relatives wanted to name him “Junior,” but his mother said, “No, but he shall be called John” (Luke 1:59-60).  When they made signs to Zacharias (he was still mute, and apparently also deaf) as to what the boy’s name should be, he wrote on a tablet, “His name is John” (Luke 1:62-63).  Immediately Zacharias’ mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed and he could speak.

 

“Baptist” was no part of John’s name.  It was descriptive of the great work he did in baptizing/immersing people in preparation for the ministry of Christ (Matthew 3:1-12; Mark 1:1-11; Luke 3:1-20; John 1:19-34).  “Baptism” is the English spelling (anglicizing) of the Greek term baptisma, meaning to dip, plunge, submerge, immerse.  “Baptist” is the anglicizing of the Greek term baptistes and refers to the work of one who dips, plunges, submerges, immerses others in the waters of baptism.  John was called “the Baptist” because that is what he did!  He baptized people! (cf. John 3:23).

 

It is to be noted that John was not called “the Baptist” because he was a member of the Baptist Church.  John was beheaded before Jesus ever made even the promise to build His church (see Matthew 14:1-12 and Matthew 16:18-19).  John had been martyred and his headless body buried well before the church, the kingdom of heaven, was established and well before Peter used the keys of the kingdom to announce the conditions on which people could be saved and added to the church (Acts 2:1-47), or, which is the same thing, “delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Colossians 1:13).  It is for this reason that the very least in the kingdom, the church, the body of Christ is greater than John the Baptist.  John was never a member of the church! The Baptist Church did not come into existence until the early 1600s and was established by John Smyth almost sixteen centuries after the establishment of the church of Christ on the day of Pentecost in c. A. D. 30 (Acts 2).  “The use of the term ‘Baptist’ as a denominational designation is of comparatively recent origin, first appearing about the year 1644” (The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol. I, p. 456).  “Baptist is a name first given in 1644 to certain congregations of English Separatists, who had recently restored the ancient practice of immersion” (The New International Encyclopedia, Vol. II, p. 646).  (Both quotations as cited by John D. Cox in his book, Church History, DeHoff Publications, Murfreesboro, TN, 1951, p. 68). John the Baptist had nothing to do with the establishment of the Baptist Church (or of any other church), and he was not a member of the Baptist Church!  These are historical facts available to anyone willing to do the study and research.

 

John the Immerser was a rugged, “in your face” kind of preacher. He dressed in camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist.  His food consisted of locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:1-3).  He proclaimed a message of repentance and preached “hell fire and brimstone” (Matthew 3:7-12).  He baptized Christ, not for the remission of sins (as he did others, Mark 1:4), but “to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:13-17).  He preached to Herod the tetrarch and rebuked him for his incestuous and adulterous marriage to his brother Philip’s wife (Matthew 14:1-4).  As a result of that message, and the lewd dancing of Herodias’ daughter, Herod “lost his head” emotionally and John lost his literally!  At the behest of Herodias and in order to “save face,” Herod ordered the beheading of John the Baptist (Matthew 14:6-12).

 

In announcing the birth of John the Baptist, the angel Gabriel had said that John would go before the Savior “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17).  Jesus Himself would later say of John, “And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come” (Matthew 11:14).  Elijah was a great oral prophet of Israel who lived in some of Israel’s darkest days morally and spiritually.  He courageously confronted the evil king Ahab and his wife, the wicked Jezebel (I Kings 16:29 – II Kings 2:18).  In that same spirit, John the Baptist preached to apostate Israel and prepared the way for the coming of the Christ and His earthly ministry.  Examples of John’s preaching and his instructions to specific groups can be found in Matthew 3:1-12; Matthew 14:1-4; Mark 1:1-8; Luke 3:7-20; John 1:19-34).  In his preaching John exalted Christ, stating that Christ must increase but that he (John) must decrease (John 3:23-30).  In a play on words, I once wrote in an article that there never was but one Baptist, and he said he was going out of business!

 

What a man!  What a preacher!  Still and all, the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  What a privilege to be a Christian, a citizen of the kingdom of heaven, a member of the blood-bought church of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Acts 20:28)!

 

Hugh Fulford

 

Caelie Wilkes

Pointless

Caelie Wilkes recently shared her story on Facebook about a plant she had
been nurturing for two years: "I've had this beautiful succulent for about
two years now. I was so proud of this plant. It was full: beautiful
coloring, just an overall perfect plant. I had it up in my kitchen window.
I had a watering plan for it. If someone else tried to water my succulent, I
would get so defensive because I just wanted to keep good care of it. I
absolutely loved my succulent."

If this plant was so beautiful, why is she speaking of this plant in the
past tense?

When she decided to transplant the plant to a new pot, she made a shocking
discovery: the plant was made of plastic!

"I put so much love into this plant!" Wilkes wrote in frustration. "I
washed its leaves. [I] tried my hardest to keep it looking its best, and
it's completely plastic! How did I not know this? I pull it from the
container [to find that] it's sitting on Styrofoam with sand glued to the
top!"

"I feel like these last two years have been a lie," Wilkes concluded.*

Wilkes' experience reminds us that we can often give ourselves to pursuits
that often prove to be pointless and unfulfilling.

Consider a case study. Read the book of Ecclesiastes about a "preacher's"
search for meaning and fulfillment in the things that this world has to
offer. He tried relationships with many different women. He tried
purchasing the best things that money could buy and he, King Solomon, had
LOTS of money. He tried "living it up" with lots of wine, women, and song.
What did he discover in each of these pursuits? "Meaningless! Meaningless!"
says the Preacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless"
(Ecclesiastes 1:2). Solomon discovered that trying to find meaning and
fulfillment in the things of the world is like spending two years watering
and nurturing a plastic plant!

At the end of his search, Solomon came to this conclusion: "Let us hear the
conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this
is man's all" (12:13).

Solomon's conclusion points to the truly meaningful, fulfilling, and eternal
life that is found in Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "I have come that they may
have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). This
"abundant life" does not refer to the abundance of things that this world
has to offer (cf. Luke 12:15), but to the greater, spiritual, and eternal
blessings that only Christ can give - things like peace that passes all
understanding (Philippians 4:6-7), forgiveness of our sins (Ephesians 1:7),
and eternal life in heaven (John 14:1-3). Jesus died on the cross for our
sins so that we could enjoy these greater and eternal blessings.

God will save from sin and give eternal life to those who place their faith
and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts
17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized
(immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38). He will
continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His
Word (1 John 1:7-9).

Trying to find meaning and fulfillment in worldly pursuits is like watering
a plastic plant; it's pointless, meaningless. Focus your life on that which
is life indeed: the abundant, eternal life that is found in Jesus.

-- David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from "Woman discovers plant she's been watering for
two years is actually plastic" by Michael Hollan, www.foxnews.com.

Why do people speak different languages?

From Babel to Pentecost

 

Through tongues God confused and scattered, but using tongues He began to unite His church.

Babel

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” 5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.” 8 So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth. Genesis 11:1-9

 

Pentecost

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ Acts 2:1-21

 

In Genesis 11 we read that God confused the language of those who arrogantly built the tower with its top in the heavens, and “dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth,” after they had said: “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” 

“Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth.

And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.”

         One language became many languages as those people who had tried to make a name for themselves, instead of calling on the name of the Lord, were dispersed in confusion over the face of all the earth.

But in Acts 2 we read that God poured out His Spirit enabling the apostles to speak in multiple languages heard by Jews from many different countries. Instead of making a name for themselves as in the case of Babel, those Galilean apostles on Pentecost in Jerusalem were “telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God,” and 3000 souls “called on the name of the Lord” in baptism, and were saved.

          Apostles of one language spoke in many languages as Jews from all over the face of the earth heard of the mighty works of God, called on the name of the Lord, and were united in salvation in the church.

 

So we see from Babel and Pentecost that God can use languages to bring about very different outcomes – confusion and scattering on the one hand, but salvation and unity on the other.

 

Why seek to make a name for yourself when the one with the name that is above every name (Philippians 2:9) will give you who overcome a white stone with a name written on the stone that only the overcomer can know? Revelation 2:17.

 

As Jesus said on another occasion: “Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:20

 

True Christians do not attempt to make a name for themselves, but Jesus in his grace has written in heaven the names of those who trust in His Name.

 

Truth about the Mormon Church

Mormonism Got off to the Worst Start, Joseph Smith Claiming to have Restored the Aaronic Priesthood and the Apostate Church

 

In 1829, Mormon founder, Joseph Smith, claimed that when John the Baptist appeared in a vision to confer the priesthood on him and Oliver Cowdrey, the by-then-apostate church was being restored. John the Baptist, they said, was a priest through the lineage of his father Zacharias.  Six years later Smith said was the Aaronic priesthood. In 1838 Smith claimed another vision resulted in him receiving the new church name: the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The title “Mormons” derives from one of the prophets in the Book of Mormon. This priesthood is passed on in a number of ways in the Mormon church. “Mormon men with the office of deacon or higher claim to hold the priesthood of Aaron” (Henry Brigman), and Mormons claim that only those with this true priesthood conferred on them can baptize people into the church.

        This priesthood claim is so incorrect, and destroys Mormon foundations, for at least three reasons:

 

1.     The Aaronic priesthood could only be conferred on those of the Jewish tribe of Levi.

        Joseph Smith was not a Jew or a Levite. He was a Gentile. The following Scriptures tell us who can be priests. Numbers 16:8-10; 18:20-24; 2 Chronicles 26:17-18; Hebrews7:5. Though Mormons claim some are ordained as priests because they have direct descent from Aaron, the fact is that the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70 destroyed all family records, meaning that nobody could know what tribe they belonged to, even if of Jewish descent.

2.     John the Baptist was not a priest. Yes, he was a Levite. His father, Zacharias, was a priest. Luke 1:8-9,21-23. Not all Levites were priests. Only descendants of Aaron could be priests. Levites had a variety of duties. Numbers 1:50-53; 3:6-9; 4:1-33; Deuteronomy 17:8-9; 24:8; 33:10; I Chronicles 23; 2 Chronicles 34:13. An angel tells Zacharias what his son, John, will be ordained to do, Luke 1:5-17, and serving as a priest is not part of that! John was in the wilderness until his public ministry. Luke 3:1-2. There is no indication John was ever trained for priestly duties. The Levites and the priests sent messengers out to John asking him who he was. If John were a priest, other priests would know this, and questioning would not be necessary. Also the ruling elders asked him by what authority he did what he did. See John 1:19-31. Again, same problem as before. Finally, John certainly didn’t wear priestly attire. Matthew 3:1-4. John was a Nazarite and a prophet, and not a priest who could confer the priesthood on Joseph Smith.

 

3.     The Old Covenant with its tribal privileges passed away at the cross. Ephesians 2:14-16;  Hebrews 7:12; 10:5-9. Anyone connected with the Law of Moses must die to that Law in order to be joined to Christ. Romans 7:4-6. Resurrecting the Aaronic priesthood makes no sense.

Every claim Joseph Smith made stems from a so-called angelic vision he personally received. This includes the origin of the Book of Mormon. However, the New Testament tells Christians not to take their stand on angels and visions. Galatians 1:6-9; Colossians 2:18-19. Basing your argument for the true church on such subjectivism as angels supposedly appearing in visions, bringing revelations that contradict Jesus’ New Testament revelation, should surely raise huge suspicions that this stuff might have existed in Smith’s mind, but not in God’s inspired revelations.

 

Yes, there are heretics – those who choose to leave the church to go their own way. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; 2 Timothy 4:10; Titus 3:10-11; 1 John 2:19. There are false churches, and we should by all proper means try to restore the church to its original purity. 2 Corinthians 11:2-6; Revelation 2-3. But at every turn, Joseph Smith’s attempts to restore the original church were doomed to failure because they were based on his own dreams and not on God’s true revelations in the Bible. 1 Timothy 3:15; 2 Timothy 3:14-17.

 

From the start, this issue of the priesthood is the only point you need to argue with Mormons, and if they cannot successfully refute it, then there is no need to advance further arguments. If the Aaronic priesthood could not possibly have been conferred on Joseph Smith, then Mormonism is a lie.

 

     Sources for some material in this article:

• Henry Brigman, Joseph Smith: Prophet or Pretender, Star Bible and Tract Corp., 1978
• Wikipedia.
• La Vista Church of Christ web pages on biblical priests and levites.

 

David Carr

Dublin crowd erupts as Premier League dart player throws first perfect 9-dart leg in 3 years

A Nine-Darter

The headline read: "Dublin crowd erupts as Premier League dart player throws
first perfect 9-dart leg in 3 years." Last Thursday in a darts competition
in Dublin, Ireland, Michael Smith became the first Premier League player in
three years to throw a nine-dart leg.

What is a nine-dart leg?

According to an entry in Wikipedia, "A nine-dart finish, also known as a
nine-darter, is a perfect leg in the sport of darts, using only nine darts,
the fewest possible, to check out from 501. It is difficult to achieve, even
for the game's top professionals, and is considered the highest single-game
achievement in the sport, similar to .a 300-point game in bowling."

Nick Schwartz explains: "If you're not familiar with darts, a nine-darter is
the peak of perfection. In each 'leg' of the match, players try to reduce
their total from 501 to zero in as few turns as possible. A perfect leg
requires nine darts in total - but it's incredibly rare to see a nine-darter
occur in a televised major tournament.

Smith made it look easy. After ripping off a pair of 180s, Smith hit his
triple-20, triple-19, double-12 combination so quickly that it took the
crowd a moment to realize what had just happened."

There has only been one person who has ever achieved a nine-darter when it
comes to living a perfectly righteous life: Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

No one else has ever hit a "nine-darter" spiritual speaking, and no one ever
will. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans
3:23). We have all "missed the mark" - the literal meaning of the word
"sinned" in Romans 3:23.

Because we have sinned, we are disqualified. We can't go to heaven. We're
destined for hell.

But Jesus entered the scene. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His
only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal
life" (John 3:16 ESV).

In terms of darts, Jesus hit the "nine-darter." He's the only one that
could. Then He went to the cross and died for OUR sins so that we can be
saved and receive the gift of eternal life.

The Apostle Paul put it this way: "God made Him (Jesus) who had no sin to be
sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2
Corinthians 5:21 NIV).

To be found "in Him," we must place our faith and trust in Jesus (Acts
16:30-31), turn from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before
men (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized (immersed) into Christ for the
forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). Then, as we continue to walk in the light
of His Word, His atoning blood continues to wash us from our sins (1 John
1:7-9).

Christ hit the only "nine-darter" spiritually speaking and then He died for
all who could never win, so that we can share in His victory.

Won't YOU accept His offer?

-- David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from "Dublin crowd erupts as Premier League dart
player throws first perfect 9-dart leg in 3 years" by Brie Stimson,
www.foxnews.com, "Darts crowd, announcers explode over first Premier League
9-darter since 2017" by Nick Schwartz, www.usatoday.com, and entry for
"Nine-dart Finish" in www.wikipedia.org.