Author: Fain, Larry

Vacation Bible School Material: The Parables of Jesus

Abortion is an abomination against God. It is the sin of murder. It destroys life. In genesis 9:6, God said to Noah a truth that remains, “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed.” All of those people who are involved in the process of abortion are guilty of sin before God and will pay the wages of their sin, in the only appropriate way, with the loss of their eternal souls, condemned to a Devil’s Hell throughout all eternity, “into the fire that shall never be quenched – where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:43b-44).

If we are going to have the zeal, which is the opposite of apathy, we must find the igniting source of the fire defined by the word zeal. Apathy is the absence of caring which produces very little if any activity. The lack of caring naturally comes about due to a lack of knowledge, interest, exercise, and effort.

Be on guard for the bleeding hearts who think they are better than Jesus. Jesus commands repentance. Must we forgive without repentance? Can there be true repentance without the fruits of that repentance being known? Can a thief keep his stolen car? Can an adulterer keep his unlawful sex partner? Think about it.

Stick to the authority we have for a building and we will walk by faith. Venture into other waters and you have digression. If Christians want to start a pantry for poor people, leave the church alone that it might be about the business of saving souls. That is our purpose for being here. Romans 7:4; 1 Timothy 5:16.

Be not afraid to speak that word which these dead soldiers preached. Their courage and their determination and their devotion serve to instruct, to motivate, and ultimately to save us by the preaching of the implanted word of God (James 1:21).

1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” You can do what you have to do to be pleasing to God. He will help you. Your brethren will do the same.

Doctrinal and moral purity is demanded of every Christian, and we should expect nothing less than such purity when we are talking about the local church. We cannot judge the hearts of men, but we have no choice but to judge the fruits of their lives. Just as 2 John 9-11 condemns the false teacher and any reception of that false one, the verse does not expect us to judge his motives. We could never do that anyway. We must judge the message he brings.

There are little churches all over this country that exist because of some division that occurred twenty five years ago that only a handful of people can even remember. But if you were to suggest that one of these close their doors and unite with other brethren of like faith in their same community, that messenger would likely be burned at the stake or worse.

Let’s talk about the church. God’s people need to be warned that we are in a fight with the devil and the devil is winning. Apathy and ignorance keep us from waging the war that needs to be fought and won. We must eradicate both from within our ranks. May God help us in our noble battle for truth.

Marriage is for life, but if one mate commits sexual immorality, that one can be put away, divorced for that infidelity, and the innocent one in that divorce has the right to be married to another. Jesus speaks of but ONE exception and one exception only to the law of marriage for life. It is not a hard law to understand, but, in too many cases, a hard law to apply. Is that God’s fault for making the law or man’s for not wanting to submit to it?

As we decorate the rooms of our lives, may we be diligent not to have a religion room that we visit every so often. May our religion be anything but vain. Watch our tongues. See to our work. Be busy in spreading the gospel. Get your religion on the table and work with it every day.

The apostle Peter put it this way. “For the time {has come} for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if {it begins} with us first, what will {be} the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17). Judgment, the righteous judgment of God, begins at home, in the house of God. How can we go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature when we are divided and in sin at home?

Faith in Jesus as the Son of God will motivate a person to find and do the righteousness of God found in the gospel of Christ. There is no need to go looking in any other source. The answers are to be found in the good news of Jesus.

If honesty were to prevail, most people would admit that these meeting rooms and recreational facilities are acquired and maintained to serve the fleshly desires of the members of the local churches who have them. We want “our” fellowship hall to be just a bit bigger, a bit better than the one down the street. May we never forget, though, that the pressing questions still remain. (Matthew 21:23) “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?”

Study your Bible. Study the Scriptures inspired of God. {They are one and the same}. Believe the truth contained in God’s word. Obey it. Change your life to conform to His will. In Matthew 18:3 Jesus said, “…Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

The sad part about the current state of affairs in the church of our Lord is that we have raised up a generation of people who know not the nature of the controversy that continues to divide the church. Even worse, we have a multitude of preachers who refuse to deal with these issues any more. Brethren, the fight with the evil influence of the Devil in dividing God’s people is not over. The war rages on.

I am some 2,000 years departed from that great Day of Pentecost when twelve uneducated men turned the city of Jerusalem upside down by preaching the good news of a resurrected Savior. These twelve men made a promise to a believing people who had heard the truth about Jesus. That promise was the gift of life, eternal life, the gift of the very Holy Spirit of God. It was for them, and it is for you. Accept the gift and receive the promise is our prayer for every reader.

By definition, the Book of Genesis is a book of Beginnings. Included in the list of beginnings in the book must be the beginning of faith. Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Creation is the beginning of the proof that God is. We must take the rest of the evidence and believe what the Bible says about the reward of the believer. There is no need to alter in any way the story of creation. It stands as the great testimony of God concerning our own personal origin and our perpetual destination.

Gospel Meetings — Are we Relevant? Only in one way, if we preach the Word! It does not matter if it is positive or negative, and it really does not matter if it might otherwise be true, what it must be is the word of God. If preaching is to be relevant, it must first be scriptural. There is only one way for it to be scriptural, and that is for it to be the scriptures. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Only the Scripture can equip us to good works. “Preach the word,” brethren, preach the word.