NEEDED: MORE MISSIONARIES TO MUSLIMS

By Pastor Bruce K. Oyen, First Baptist Church, Spearfish, SD

Since Muslims are so much in the news these days, we need to think about the fact that the ones who get radicalized and become murderers do so because they have allowed hate-filled ideas to poison their minds. But we who are Christians can give Muslims, whether radicalized or not, the Gospel message. And, if they accept it, it will have the opposite effect on them than hate-filled ideas. That is, the message of love of Jesus Christ for them and the rest of the world will motivate them to love others, not hate them and kill them. So, we need to see more Christians become missionaries to Muslims, whether they are here in the USA or elsewhere. Christian young persons, especially, need to consider this need for more missionaries to Muslims. They have their whole adult lives ahead of them, in contrast to older Christians who are nearing the end of their life’s journey.
Many factors keep American young adult Christians from becoming missionaries. One factor is affluence. Many American Christians are accustomed to “the good life,” which includes good incomes, nice places in which to live, and family living close by. “The good life” is hard to give up for the sake of missionary work. But God wants us to be willing to forsake these things in order to bring the Gospel to others, including Muslims. Another thing that hinders young Christians from pursuing missionary work is the fact that many Christian parents don’t want to see their children give up “the good life” in order to go into missionary work, especially if it means moving a long ways from home to work with people whom they don’t trust, such as Muslims. So, sometimes parents will discourage their children from pursuing what might be the call of God into missionary work. This is not good.
What follows is a quote of the Lord’s own words about the need for more missionaries. The quote was taken from the Bible Gateway website: http://www.biblegateway.com. Let’s take the Lord’s words seriously.

The Compassion of Jesus
(Matthew chapter 9, verses 35 – 38.)
35 Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they fainted and were scattered, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest, that He will send out laborers into His harvest.”

Modern English Version (MEV)
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

WHAT IS GOD’S POLITICAL PARTY?

By Pastor Bruce K. Oyen, First Baptist Church, Spearfish, SD
This is a reminder that God (by which I mean the Triune God who has made himself known in the Bible and in the person of Jesus Christ) is not a Republican, Democrat, Tea Partyer, Socialist, or one from any other political party. He’s an Independent. That is, he’s independent of it all, being, as the Bible says, the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity. He is the one who transcends anything and everything, in every way. He is the absolute and… final authority of the universe, the one who is the standard of behavior, and who has made his expectations known in the pages of Holy Scripture. He is the one who, as the Bible says, does not, in contrast to the rest of us, change. He is the one who refuses to be the personal servant of self-centered humanity. He is the one who will not be put on a leash and led around by or for any political party. He will not, and cannot, be put in the box of any political party. He opposes wrong wherever it is found, and supports right wherever it is found, and will hold us accountable for our behavior. He is not now running for political office, nor has he ever done so. Therefore, he does not change his views on issues to get more votes. He does not make promises he cannot keep. He will not send us a bumper sticker if we promise to vote fo him. He will not send us a tote bag if we donate to his campaign fund, nor does he ask for donations to his fund. He never worries about someone finding out the hidden truth about his private life and making it known to the world. That’s why Christians sing that grand, old hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty.”

Cigarette-smoking Church Attenders

By Pastor Bruce K. Oyen, First Baptist Church, Spearfish, SD
Many years ago, a woman from a different church asked me if we had any cigarette smokers who attended our church. I said, “People who smoke? We have people attending our church with far more serious problems than that!” The woman did not say why she asked that question, but I had a hunch that it was because she had driven by the church building on a day when we had church services and had seen people having a smoke on the property. Or she had seen some of our people around town somewhere having a smoke. I might be wrong, but I also have a hunch that her question was meant to tell me it was not a good thing to have cigarette-smoking church attenders, especially if they smoke on church property, and that something needed to be done about it.

It is not my intention to defend smoking cigarettes, or smoking anything else. But I have told this story to make an important point: a church is not for perfect people, but for imperfect people. That means, a church is for folks just like ourselves. Some church attenders have not yet become Christians, and their attitude and behavior often make that plain. But we want them to become Christians, and so we accept them as they are (within reason, of course) and pray they will accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. If they do believe in him, their attitudes and actions will begin to change for the better. Other church attenders are Christians, but even so they/we are in the process of becoming better Christians. We Christians are still “under construction,” so to speak. We won’t reach perfection until we go to be with the Lord in heaven. Until then, we might have some bad habits to wrestle with, one of which could be smoking cigarettes. And until then, we might, no, we will, struggle with bad attitudes about one thing or another now and then. Maybe even frequently.  It is very easy to condemn someone who smokes while excusing our own bitterness toward someone who has hurt us. But when compared to bitterness, smoking is a very minor matter. Sinful behavior and attitudes must be dealt with in sermons and Bible studies. And sometimes a person must be directly spoken to about correcting these things. But we must make it clear to others that we do not see ourselves as better than they are, but as works in progress. When we do, it will help them understand that we are here to help one another deal with the moral and spiritual struggles we face on a daily basis. When they become convinced of that, they will become a church’s best advertisement that we exist to be a blessing to the community. The result will be that others will seek us out for help. Isn’t that what a Bible-believing church wants to see happen?

“The One Condidtion Of Salvation,” by Lewis Sperry Chafer

Below is chapter 5 of an excellent book by Lewis Sperry Chafer. This book, and others by the same author, are referred to below. It is hoped that you will read it with an open mind, for it clarifies what one must do to be saved by Jesus Christ. The whole book can be read online by clicking on this link to it: http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/OtherBookTitles/SalvationbyLewisSperryChafer1917/tabid/354/Default.aspx

SALVATION by Lewis Sperry Chafer, Bible Teacher and Author of “Satan,” “True Evangelism,” “The Kingdom in History and Prophecy,” “He that is Spiritual,” etc,
Copyright © 1917
CHAPTER FIVE THE ONE CONDITION OF SALVATION 
NOTWITHSTANDING all that has been divinely accomplished for the unsaved, they are not saved by it alone. Salvation is an immediate display of the power of God within the lifetime and experience of the individual, and is easily distinguished from those potential accomplishments finished nearly two thousand years ago in the cross.
As has been stated, salvation is a work of God for man, rather than a work of man for God. No aspect of salvation, according to the Bible, is made to depend, even in the slightest degree, on human merit or works. Great stress is laid on the value of good works which grow out of a saved life, but they do not precede salvation or form any part of a basis for it. It, therefore, is revealed that the first issue between God and an unsaved person in this age is that of receiving Christ, rather than that of improving the manner of life, however urgent such improvement may be.
This insistence seems to mere human reason to be an indirect, if not aimless, means of obtaining the moral improvement of men. The need of moral improvement is most evident, and simply to try to help men to be better would seem to be the direct and logical thing to do. However, the divine program strikes deeper and purposes a new creation out from which good works can flow and apart from which there can be no acceptable works in the sight of God. Unsaved men are thus shut up to the one condition upon which God can righteously make them to be new creatures in Christ Jesus.
With regard to the necessity of a new creation the unregenerate are blind in their minds (II Corinthians 4:3, 4) . So also about this need a multitude of professing Christians are poorly taught, resulting in a well nigh universal misconception of the demands of the gospel. When dealing with the unsaved, false issues are often raised and these unscriptural demands appear in many forms. Satan’s ministers are said to be the ministers of righteousness (II Corinthians 11:14, 15). They waive aside the Bible emphasis on a new birth, which is by the power of God through faith and which is the only source from which works acceptable to God can be produced, and devote their energy to the improvement, morally and righteously, of the individual’s character. Such workers, in spite of their sincerity and humanitarian motives, are by the Spirit of God said to be “the ministers of Satan.”
The fact that the unregenerate are blinded by Satan in regard to the true gospel of grace is the explanation of the age-long plea of the moralist: “If I do the best I can God must be satisfied with that, else He is unreasonable.” Granting that anyone has ever done his best, it would still be most

imperfect as compared with the infinite holiness of God. God cannot, under any conditions, call that perfect which is imperfect, and He is far from unreasonable in demanding a perfect righteousness, impossible to man, while He stands ready to provide as a gift all that His holiness requires. This is exactly the offer of the Gospel. The Scriptures do not call on men of this age to present their own righteousness to God; but invite unrighteous men to receive the very righteousness of God which may be theirs through a vital union with Christ. The appeal is not self-improvement in the important matters of daily life, but that “the gift of God which is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” might be received. When this eternal issue is met the more temporal matters of conduct are urged; but only on the grounds of the fact that divine salvation has been wrought for sinful man wholly apart from his own works.
The question confronting each individual, therefore, is that of the basis upon which this new creation can be gained. In such an undertaking man is powerless. All his ability must be forever set aside. It must be accomplished for him, and God alone can do it. He alone can form a new creation; He alone can deal with sin; He alone can bestow a perfect righteousness; He alone can translate from the powers of darkness into the kingdom of His dear Son.
If it were only a question of power to transform men the creative power of God has always been sufficient; but there was a greater difficulty caused by the fact of sin. Sin must first be judged, and no favor or grace can be divinely exercised until every offense of righteousness has been fully met. God cannot look on sin with the least degree of allowance, and so He can grant His favor only by and through the cross wherein, and only wherein, the consequences of sin have been forever met in His sight. Thus salvation can be accomplished, even by the infinite God, only through Jesus Christ. Hence it is that a simple trust in the Saviour opens the way into the infinite power and grace of God. It is “unto every one that believeth,” “For there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.”
This one word “believe” represents all a sinner can do and all a sinner must do to be saved. It is believing the record God has given of His Son.
In this record it is stated that He has entered into all the needs of our lost condition and is alive from the dead to be a living Saviour to all who put their trust in Him. It is quite possible for any intelligent person to know whether he has placed such confidence in the Saviour. Saving faith is a matter of personal consciousness. “I know whom I have believed.” To have deposited one’s eternal welfare in the hands of another is a decision of the mind so definite that it can hardly be confused with anything else.
On this deposit of oneself into His saving grace depends one’s eternal destiny. To add, or subtract, anything from this sole condition of salvation is most perilous. The Gospel is thus often misstated in various and subtle ways. The more common of these should be mentioned specifically:
First, The unsaved are sometimes urged to pray and hope for an attitude of leniency on the part of God toward their sins: whereas they should be urged to believe that every aspect of favor and expression of love has already been wrought out by God Himself.

They are not believing God when they beseech Him to be reconciled to them, when He is revealed as having already accomplished a reconciliation. The Gospel does not inspire a hope that God will be gracious: it discloses the good news that He has been gracious and challenges every man but to believe it. A criminal pleading for mercy before a judge is not in the same position as a criminal believing and rejoicing in the assurance that a full pardon is granted and that he can never be brought again into judgment.
Second, It is a most serious error to intrude any form of human works into a situation wherein God alone can work.
People are sometimes led to believe that there is saving value in some public confession of Christ, or profession of a decision. “With the heart man believeth unto righteousness.” This is salvation. “With the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” This is the voice of the new-born child speaking to and of its Father. The only condition on which one may be saved is to believe.
Third, It is equally as great an error to give the unsaved the impression that there is saving virtue in promising to try to “lead a Christian life.”
No unregenerate mind is prepared to deal with the problems of true Christian living. These problems anticipate the new dynamic of the imparted divine nature, and could produce nothing but hopeless discouragement when really contemplated by an unregenerate person. There is danger, as well, that by forcing the issues of future conduct into the question the main issue of receiving Christ as Saviour may be submerged in some difficulty related to the proposed standards of living. There is an advantage in a general morality, “Sabbath observance,” temperance and attendance on public and private worship; but there is no saving value in any, or all, of them. It is true that a person who enters into these things might be more apt to hear the saving Gospel of grace than otherwise; but on the other hand, the sad fact is that these very things are often depended upon by the religiously inclined to commend themselves to God. A clear distinction is found in the Bible between conversion and salvation. The former is there found to indicate no more than the humanly possible act of turning about, while the latter refers to that display of the power of God which is manifested in the whole transformation of saving grace.
Fourth, a person is not saved because he prays.
Multitudes of people pray who are not saved. Praying is not believing on the Lord Jesus Christ; though the new attitude of belief may be expressed in prayer. “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” In no Scripture is salvation conditioned on asking or praying. It is faith in the Saviour Who gave His precious blood a ransom for all. The publican, living and praying before the cross, pleads that God would be propitiated to him a sinner. The issue now can only be one of believing that God has been so propitiated.
Fifth, No person is now required to “seek the Lord.”
In Isaiah 55:6 it is said to Israel, “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found,” but in the New

Testament relationship we are told to believe that the “Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Sixth, It is an error to require repentance as a preliminary act preceding and separate from believing.
Such insistence is too often based on Scripture which is addressed to the covenant people, Israel. They, like Christians, being covenant people, are privileged to return to God on the grounds of their covenant by repentance. There is much Scripture both in the Old Testament and in the New that calls that one nation to its long-predicted repentance, and it is usually placed before them as a separate unrelated act that is required. The preaching of John the Baptist, of Jesus and the early message of the disciples was, “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”; but it was addressed only to Israel (Matthew 10:5, 6). This appeal was continued to that nation even after the day of Pentecost or so long as the Gospel was preached to Israel alone (Acts 2:38; 3:19. See also 5:31). Paul mentions also a separate act of repentance in the experience of Christians (II Corinthians 7:8-11. See also Revelation 2:5).
The conditions are very different, however, in the case of an unsaved Gentile, who is a “stranger to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world,” and equally different for any individual Jew in this age. In presenting the Gospel to these classes there are one hundred and fifteen passages at least wherein the word “believe” is used alone and apart from every other condition as the only way of salvation. In addition to this there are upwards of thirty-five passages wherein its synonym “faith” is used. There are but six passages addressed to unsaved Gentiles wherein repentance appears either alone or in combination with other issues.
These are:
– God “now commandeth all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30); – “Repent and turn to God” (Acts 26:20); – “Repentance unto life” (Acts 11:18); – “Repentance and faith” (Acts 20:21); – “The goodness of God that leadeth to repentance” (Romans 2:4); – “All should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9).
That repentance is not saving is evidenced in the case of Judas, who repented and yet went to perdition.
It is worthy of note that there are twenty-five passages wherein “believe,” or “faith,” is given as the only condition of Gentile salvation to one passage wherein repentance appears for any reason whatsoever. It would seem evident from this fact that repentance, like all other issues, is almost universally omitted from the great salvation passages, that such repentance as is possible to an unsaved person in this dispensation is included in the one act of believing. The statement in I Thessalonians 1:9, 10 may serve as an illustration. Here it is said: “Ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; and to wait for his Son from heaven.” This represents one all-inclusive act. Such is the accuracy of the Bible. Had the record been that they turned from idols to God, the act of turning from idols would have stood alone as a preliminary undertaking

and would suggest a separate work of repentance.
In Acts 11:21 it is stated that many “believed and turned to God.” This is not difficult to understand. The born-again person might thus turn to God after believing; but there is no revelation that God is expecting works meet for anything from that which He has termed to be dead in trespasses and sins.
To believe on Christ is to see and believe the all-sufficiency of His saving grace. This most naturally includes abandoning all other grounds of hope, and the experiencing of such sorrow for sin as would lead one to claim such a Saviour. It is doubtful if the sinner of “this present evil age” can produce greater sorrow than this, and of what avail would greater sorrow be? No estimate is possible of the wrong that has been done in demanding the unsaved of this age to experience some particular degree of sorrow for sin, over which they could have no control, before they could be assured that the way was open for them to God. Multitudes have been driven into unrealities or into hopeless doubt as they have thus groped in darkness. The good news of the Gospel does not invite men to any sorrow whatsoever, or to works of repentance alone: it invites them to find immediate “joy and peace in believing.” Repentance, according to the Bible, is a complete change of mind and, as such, is a vital element in saving faith; but it should not now be required, as a separate act, apart from saving faith.
The Biblical emphasis upon Gentile repentance or any repentance in this age will be more evident when the full meaning of the word “believe” is understood.
Seventh, Moreover, no Scripture requires confession of sin as a condition of salvation in this age. A regenerate person who has wandered from fellowship may return to his place of blessing by a faithful confession of his sin. I John 1:9 is addressed only to believers. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The unsaved person must come to God by faith. “For by grace are ye saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8).
Believing is related in the Bible to two other actions:
– “Hear and believe” (Acts 15:7; Romans 10:14); – “Believe and be baptized” (Acts 8:13; Mark 16:16.
In the latter passage it may be noted that baptism is not mentioned when the statement is repeated in the negative form. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; and he that disbelieveth shall be condemned.” The unsaved person is condemned for not believing rather than for not being baptized. Thus believing here, as everywhere, is the only condition of salvation.
The far-reaching importance of believing may also be seen in the fact that men are said to be lost in this age because they do not believe. “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). “He that believeth not shall be damned [condemned]” (Mark 16:16).

Likewise when the Spirit is said to approach the unsaved to convince them of sin, He is not said to make them conscious or ashamed of their personal transgressions. One sin only is mentioned:
– “Of sin, because they believe not on me” (John 16:9). – “This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).
The sin sacrifice of the cross is forever satisfying to God. What God does is based on His own estimate of the finished work of Christ. The facts and conditions of salvation are based on that divine estimate rather than upon the estimate of men. That men are not now condemned primarily because of the sins which Christ has borne is finally stated in II Corinthians 5:14, 19:
– “We thus judge, that if one died for all, therefore all died”; – “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses.”
The greatest problem for the infinite God was to provide the reconciliation of the cross: the greatest problem for man is simply to believe the record in its fulness. To reject the Saviour is not only to refuse the gracious love of God, but is to elect, so far as one can do, to remain under the full guilt of every sin as though no Saviour had been provided, or no sacrifice had been made.
No more terrible sin can be conceived of than the sin of rejecting Christ. It gathers into itself the infinite crime of despising the divine mercy and grace, and, in intent, assumes the curse of every transgression before God. Thus men are electing to stand in their own sins before God. It will be seen that this personal choice becomes a part of the final judgment of those who believe not. Jesus said: “If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24).
At the judgment of the wicked dead before the Great White Throne, those standing there are said to be judged “according to their works.” There is additional evidence recorded against them at that judgment seat: their names are not written in the Lamb’s book of life. This might be taken as evidence that – they have rejected the “Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.” It should be added that it was the divine program in this age that the Gospel should be preached to every creature. And thus every person should have heard and either accepted or rejected the message of Grace. God alone can righteously judge those who have never heard because of the failure of His messengers.
The Apostle John in his Gospel uses the word “believe” in its various forms about eighty-six times and never related to repentance or human works and merit. This Gospel, which so clearly states the present way of life, is said to be written for a definite purpose: “But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
~ end of chapter 5 ~
http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/

To Live Right, We Must Think Right

By Pastor Bruce K. Oyen, First Baptist Church, Spearfish, SD

If we want to live right, we must think right. That’s a “no-brainer,” as the saying goes. But the fact is, it is easy to become careless about what we allow into our minds. Many of us would not start smoking tobacco, knowing what it does to a smoker’s lungs. We don’t even want to spend much time in smoke-filled places for the same reason. So, we avoid such places to protect our lungs. We need to be even more cautious about what we allow into our minds, for what we allow into our minds either helps us or harms us.
Therefore, we must be on our guard when it comes to what we look at on TV, on the internet, in movies, and in literature. We must also be careful about the music we listen to. All of the above have the potential to put harmful thoughts into our minds, and if we allow such thoughts into our minds, the outcome will not be good.
Let me give just one example of a TV program that is not good for us. I have never watched more than a few minutes this program because of its blatant sensuality and sexuality. The ads for it on TV certainly emphasize this program’s sensuality and sexuality. What is the program? “Dancing With The Stars.” I am convinced that DWTS is so popular, not just because of the skill of the dancers, but also because of its sensuality and sexuality. This program is contributing to the acceptance of low sexual standards among it viewers because it diminishes the Biblical concept of the sacredness of intimacy and sex between a man and woman who are married to one another. Such intimacy is to be kept private, not hinted at on TV.
Now that these frank statements have been made, let me follow them up with the fourth chapter of the apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippian Christians. The key verse is verse 8. I put it in bold print to easily pick it out.

Philippians 4 Modern English Version (MEV)

4 Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brothers, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my beloved.

Exhortations

2 I exhort Euodia and Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 I ask you also, true companion, help those women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with my other fellow laborers, whose names are in the Book of Life.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let everyone come to know your gentleness. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with gratitude, make your requests known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will protect your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think on these things. 9 Do those things which you have both learned and received, and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Acknowledgment of the Philippians’ Gift

10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me. Regarding this, you did care, but you lacked opportunity. 11 I do not speak because I have need, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. 12 I know both how to face humble circumstances and how to have abundance. Everywhere and in all things I have learned the secret, both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things because of Christ who strengthens me.

14 Nevertheless you did well having shared in my affliction. 15 Now you Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you alone. 16 Even in Thessalonica, you sent aid once and again for my necessity, 17 not because I desired a gift, but I desire fruit that accumulates to your account. 18 But I have everything and abound. I have been filled, having received from Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, like a sweet fragrance, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. 19 But my God shall supply your every need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

20 Now to God and our Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. 22 All the saints greet you, especially those who are of Caesar’s household.

23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Modern English Version (MEV)
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

When My Friend, “Oh Shoot!” Larry, Became A Christian

By Pastor Bruce K. Oyen, First Baptist Church, Spearfish, SD
I told in a Facebook post about two of my friends from years ago. One was Clifford, the humorous man with Down syndrome. The other was Larry, with whom Clifford and I would have lunch in my car while we listened to Paul Harvey’s radio program. Larry is the one who said “Oh shoot!” when I interrupted an interesting Paul Harvey story by asking Larry to thank God for our food.
Well, let me tell you about when and how “Oh shoot!” Larry became a Christian. We lived in Miles City, MT and his sister lived in Glendive, MT. One day she called me and said she was concerned about Larry’s need to become a Christian. She then asked if I would go and speak to him about accepting Jesus Christ as his Savior. I said I would, and got Larry’s address from her. Then a deacon of church and I went to visit Larry at his apartment. He let us in, and we spoke to him about the importance of accepting Jesus Christ as his Savior. I told him that without the Lord as his Savior he would never be allowed into heaven. Larry said he was ready to ask Jesus Christ to forgive his sins and to save his soul. So, we bowed our heads and I led Larry in a simple prayer, during which he told the Lord he needed him as his Savior. After Larry’s prayer, I showed him some Bible verses that reassured him that if he had, indeed, believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, he was now a forgiven and saved man, and would be allowed into heaven. Then, the deacon and I left his apartment and went back to my car to go home.
When we got in the car, I told the deacon that Larry’s prayer was so dry, figuratively speaking, that it made me wonder if he was sincere when he prayed to the Lord for salvation. But Larry soon showed the sincerity of his prayer to become a Christian. He did so by attending our church regularly, by reading his Bible, by letting me take him through some Bible studies for new Christians, by giving Gospel literature to those who might not be Christians, by being baptized as a profession of his faith in the Lord, and by joining the church. His life demonstrated by these and other ways that he had become a sincere Christian.
I have said all these things abut Larry to make one primary point: He proved that a person can be very sincere about accepting Jesus Christ as his or her Savior without showing a lot of emotion at the time. It’s not the emotion of a prayer to be forgiven and saved that proves its sincerity, but it is the changes that come into one’s life as a result of sincerely accepting the Lord as one’s Savior. The fact is, someone can cry a river of tears when they say what might be called “the sinner’s prayer to be saved,” but show little or no long-term proof that their heart was in that prayer. As someone else put it so well, we can call these persons “Alka-seltzer Christians” because they fizz for awhile and then disappear.

The Lord Jesus Christ himself spoke about this subject in one of his parables. The parable is found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and is quoted here from Luke’s Gospel, chapter 8, verses 1 – 15. The quote is taken from the Modern English Version, which was published in 2014. For those not familiar with the Bible, the numbers seen in the Bible verses are the verse numbers. ( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, all the way through number 15.)

Luke 8 Modern English Version (MEV)
Women Who Accompany Jesus

8 Afterward, He went throughout every city and village, preaching and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. With Him were the twelve 2 and some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had come out, 3 and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, who supported Him with their possessions.

The Parable of the Sower

4 When a large crowd had gathered together and people were coming to Him from every city, He told this parable: 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 Some fell on a rock. And as soon as it sprang up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. 7 Yet some fell among thorns. And the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. 8 And other seed fell on good ground and sprang up and yielded a hundred times the amount sown.”

When He had said these things, He cried out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables

9 His disciples asked Him, “What might this parable mean?” 10 He said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but to others they are in parables, so that

‘seeing they may not see,
and hearing they may not understand.’

The Parable of the Sower Explained

11 “Now the parable means this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are those who hear. Then comes the devil, who takes away the word from their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rock are the ones who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root, for they believe for a while, then in the time of temptation fall away. 14 That which fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15 But the seed on the good ground are those who, having heard the word, keep it in an honest and good heart and bear fruit with patience.

Modern English Version (MEV)

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

This quote from the MEV was taken from this website: www.biblegateway.com.

A Crisis Point In A New Christian’s Life

By Pastor Bruce K. Oyen, First Baptist Church, Spearfish, SD

Even though I was raised by Christian parents and went to Sunday school and church in my youth, I did not become a true Christian until I was sixteen years old. Previous to my becoming a believer in Jesus Christ, my Christianity was in my head and not in my heart. And it showed itself in my lifestyle. In other words, I did not act or think like a Christian. But that changed in the spring of 1970, when I admitted to myself and to God that I needed forgiveness and salvation. At that point, I believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior, and began a new life as a Christian.

But one of the things I faced as a new Christian was the potential to go back to the way I had lived for some years before becoming a Christian. Starting when I was 13 years old, I had been drawn into a life of drinking alcoholic beverages, smoking marijuana and hash, using LSD and other drugs. All my close friends did the same things. And here is when my crisis point as a new Christian was reached: I went to hang out with my longtime friends at someone’s house. There were several of us, and we sat in a large circle on the living room floor. Someone in the group did as usual: they light a join of marijuana, inhaled some of it, and passed it to the next person, who inhaled some of it, and passed it to the next person. (We called inhaling it “taking a toke,” and “taking a hit.”) I was maybe six persons away from the joint being passed to me. I had to make a quick decision to either fall back into an old habit, or continue to go forward with my new life as a Christian. With the Lord’s help, I got up and excused myself from the situation, and left the house. With the Lord’s help, I never returned to that lifestyle. But it required that I do two things: 1) make new friends who would support my new life as a Christian, and, 2) be very careful about my relationship with my old friends. We now were on different paths, and the Lord requires that Christians stay on his straight and narrow path. The Lord did not want me to completely cut myself off from my old friends. But if I wanted to live for him, and if I wanted to be a good example to them, I could not put myself in situations that could easily result in going back to my old life. Therefore, one of the most helpful things to me as a new Christian was frequent attendance at and involvement in a local church that preached and taught the Bible as the Word of God, and that challenged Christians to separate themselves from influences that would interfere with living a dedicated Christian life. Of course, Christians have a lifelong need for this kind of positive influence from a local church which has these characteristics.

What follows are some quotes from God’s infallible Word, the Bible that apply to the subject  being considered. (The quotes are from the Modern English Version, and were taken from this website: http://www.biblegateway.com. Here is a link to the Modern English Version online: https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/Modern-English-Version-MEV-Bible/#vinfo.) Now to the quotes from the Bible:  First, consider what the Lord Jesus Christ himself said about Christian discipleship: “ Enter at the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who are going through it,  because small is the gate and narrow is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13, 14.)  Second, consider what the apostle Paul said to the Corinthian Christians concerning the importance of being careful about the kind of persons with whom we are friends: “ Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.’ ”  ( 1 Corinthians 15:33.)  Third, consider what the apostle Paul said in his second letter to those same Christians about being careful about our associations.  2 Corinthians 6: 14 – 18 says:

^“14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? What communion has light with darkness? ¹⁵ What agreement has Christ with Belial? Or what part has he who believes with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

‘I will live in them
    and walk in them.
I will be their God,
    and they shall be My people.’

¹⁷ Therefore,

‘Come out from among them
    and be separate,
        says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
    and I will receive you.’

^18 ‘I will be a Father to you,
    and you shall be My sons and daughters,
        says the Lord Almighty.’

Footnotes:

1. 2 Corinthians 6:2 Isa 49:8.
2. 2 Corinthians 6:16 Lev 26:12; Jer 32:38; Eze 37:27.
3. 2 Corinthians 6:17 Isa 52:11; Eze 20:34, 41.
4. 2 Corinthians 6:18 2Sa 7:14.

Modern English Version (MEV)The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

The Origin Of The Easter Sunrise Service

By Pastor Bruce K. Oyen, First Baptist Church, Spearfish, SD

THE ORIGIN OF THE EASTER SUNRISE SERVICE
Have you ever wondered about the origin of the Easter sunrise service? Wonder no more! It is based on something we read in the 2nd verse of the 16th chapter of Mark’s Gospel. The whole chapter is given below, as found in the King James Version. For your information, the Bible nowhere says or implies we must have Easter sunrise services, or, for that matter, Easter services of any kind. They are harmless traditions of men, and can be great reminders of fundamental Gospel truths, so long as the Gospel is followed. Personally, I do not like sunrise services for practical reasons. But we should have church services on Easter Sunday and any other Sunday.

MARK 16, VERSES 1 – 20 (The whole chapter.)
And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.
9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.
11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.
12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.
13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.
14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
King James Version (KJV)
by Public Domain

The Bible verses quoted were taken from this website: www.biblegateway.com

Dad Found My Marijuana!

By Pastor Bruce K. Oyen, First Baptist Church, Spearfish, SD

In a previous post I told about the day my mother found my cigarettes. I was maybe 13 years old at the time, and we lived in Minneapolis, MN, on Pillsbury Avenue South. Some time after Mom found my cigarettes, we moved to a different location in Minneapolis, on  Lyndale Avenue South. We lived in the upper half of a duplex at that location. Both renters had more room in the basement, which was divided in half by a wall. At first, my bedroom was upstairs. But then my parents gave me permission to move into the basement. This meant that the other renters lived between me and my parents. One of my bad habits at that stage in my life was smoking marijuana. And I found a convenient place to hide it: in the pocket of a flannel shirt. The shirt had two pockets that had a button-down flap on each pocket. My closet was small, and crammed full of clothes on hangers. So, it seemed a safe place to keep that shirt with the marijuana in one of its pockets. I did not just put the marijuana in the pocket and button it. It was kept in one of those clear plastic containers that hold nose plugs used when swimming. My hiding place worked well, for a time. Dad was suspicious that I was using marijuana. So, one day when I was not home he went looking through my room for marijuana. When I got back home, I went into my room as usual, only to find something very unusual: there lay Dad on my bed reading the newspaper and wearing that shirt with marijuana in one of its pockets! He said nothing to me about what was in the  pocket, so I did not know if he had taken out the plastic container to have a look at it. Not knowing what else to do in that situation, I went over to the bed, took out the container of marijuana from the shirt pocket and left the room. Here is, perhaps, the most remarkable aspect of this whole event: Dad never said one word  me about it. He put on that shirt in 1968 or 1969, died in 1976, and never had said anything to me about it. It is now 2015, and I still do not know for sure if he knew what was in that shirt pocket. But my guess is, he did know. I think that was his unique way of telling me he knew that I was using marijuana.

One thing to be learned from this remarkable experience is that, sooner or later, the facts become known. We might be able to fool others for long periods of time, but we can’t  permanently hide the truth about ourselves.  Eventually it will catch up with us. If not in this life, it will do so in the next life. We might be able to hide our real selves from other human beings, but not from the all-knowing God who will one day hold us accountable for our lives. God’s infallible Word, the Bible, teaches that those who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior cannot lose their salvation. They will never perish. They will make it to heaven. (See John 10:27 – 29.) But Christians will be held responsible for how they have lived since they became Christians. We shall stand before the judgment seat  of Christ, and give an account to him.  (See, for example, 2 Corinthians 5:8 – 10.) And God’s infallible Word, the Bible, also teaches that those who live and die as non-Christians will be judged for their sins. They have not been forgiven because they have not believed in Jesus Christ, and must, therefore, pay the penalty for their sins. This penalty is confinement in hell, which is a place of conscious, eternal punishment. (See, for example, Revelation, chapter 20.)

In Acts 17, the apostle Paul plainly speaks of the future time when the world will be judged, and it says Jesus Christ will be the judge. Here is what Acts 17, verses 16 – 31 say. Pay close attention to verses 30 and 31: “¹⁶ Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.¹⁷ Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.¹⁸ Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.¹⁹ And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? ²⁰ For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.²¹ (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.) ²² Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.²³ For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To The Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.²⁴ God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;²⁵ Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;²⁶ And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;²⁷ That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:²⁸ For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.²⁹ Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.³⁰ And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:³¹ Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” (These verses are quoted from the King James Version because in the USA it is in the public domain. They are taken from this website: http://www.biblegateway.com. To read these verses in modern English, go to that website and click on the New King James Version. )

Now, since God knows all about us, and since he will hold us accountable for how we live, here is what should be done: Wayward Christians should immediately make things right with God by confessing and forsaking their sins. (See, for example, Proverbs 28:13 and 1 John 1:9.) Non-Christians should immediately believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved. (See, for example, Acts 16:30 and 31.) We have no guarantee that we will live another day, or even another hour, so do it at once! The opportunity to do what we need to do could end vey soon!

Mom Found My Cigarettes!

By Pastor Bruce K. Oyen, First Baptist Church, Spearfish, SD

We moved from the farm north of Appleton, MN to Minneapolis, MN in the summer of 1964. Not long afterward, I started smoking cigarettes. My parents did not smoke, and did not approve of it. So, I had to hide my cigarettes. When I was maybe 13 years old, I told Mom that one of my winter coat’s pockets had a hole in the bottom, and I asked her if she would mend it. Well, that had become a convenient place to hide my cigarettes. I would drop the pack of smokes through the hole, and it would fall down to the hem at the bottom. But I had forgotten that Mom was going to mend the pocket. One winter morning, I put on that coat and went outside to walk to school. As usual, I put my hand in the pocket to get the pack of cigarettes, and my hand came to a sudden stop. Without telling me, Mom had mended the pocket! And she had left the pack of smokes in the mended pocket, not down at the hem. I took out the pack, and in it I saw a piece of white paper rolled up like a cigarette. It was longer than a cigarette, so it stuck out maybe an inch. I took the paper out. She had written a note to me. It was a simple message: “You can’t fool me!” She had suspected I had become a smoker, and now she had found indisputable evidence of it. There was now way I could talk my way out of this one! Unfortunately, this event did not make me quit smoking. I had to find more clever ways to hide the evidence from Mom, and I did. I quit smoking when I was 16 years old, and have not had a cigarette since then. Thank the Lord!
Sometimes it seems that mothers are omniscient, which means they seem to be all-knowing. This fact helps kids keep on the right track. They know it is almost certain that sooner or later, Mom will discover their wrongdoing.
But only God is omniscient. His infallible Word, the Bible, teaches that he alone knows every fact about every person, place, and thing in the universe. The Bible teaches that he knows everything about the past, the present, and even the future. This can be a comforting thought, because it means he knows it all about us. Nothing about us escapes his notice. And this all-knowing God also cares about us as individuals.
Not only can this be a comforting thought. It can also be an unnerving thought. Since God knows everything about us, it means he knows every bad thing about us. He knows our bad thoughts, our bad words, and our bad actions. But in spite of everything bad about us, the Bible says this amazing truth: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This statement is found in John’s Gospel, chapter 3, verse16. God loves us in spite of ourselves. He offers us full and free forgiveness and salvation. These blessings become ours the moment we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. If you have not yet done so, believe on him at once.
What follows is the Bible’s 139th Psalm. Read it carefully. And as you do so, note how it emphasizes God’s omniscience. The Psalm is taken from this website: http://www.biblegateway.com.

PSALM 139 (From the King James Version of the Bible)

O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.
20 For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.
21 Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

King James Version (KJV)
by Public Domain