Spotlight on Scripture

 

2 Timothy1:7 KJV

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

The passage we are spotlighting is well known and often quoted by many. But unfortunately like many other well quoted verses there is a tendency to isolate it from the context it is embedded in. Thus, it becomes easier to miss any vital points the author might desire to convey.

Apostle Paul wrote II Timothy from prison while awaiting his execution. He only had a short time left before his death, so he penned this profoundly personal letter full of intense affection and concern for this young man he had been mentoring and training for some time. Paul knew that Timothy faced an enormous responsibility in continuing the Apostolic message and training others to carry on as well, so he wanted to encourage the young man to stand firm in the faith with boldness even in the face of adversity and opposition. So, he begins by exhorting Timothy to “stir up the gift.”

  2 Timothy 1:5-8 KJV                                                                                                           

“When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;”

 

Stir Up the Gift

The Greek word translated “stir up” denotes the kindling of a fire, as by bellows. Anyone who has ever tended a campfire knows that stirring up the glowing embers of a dying fire can cause those embers to flame up again and burn more brightly. Timothy was to see to it that the gift he received back when Paul had laid hands on him never grew cold and dwindled out; he was to “stir it up” and keep the flame going!

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,” 2 Timothy 1:6 ESV

Each one of us have our own spiritual gift and calling, which is imperative to keep the fire of that gift (even your salvation), burning brightly in order to be effective in this darkened world. If you received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, you received the fire! You don’t get one without the other. But over time it becomes easy to let the fire of the Spirit dwindle down. So, we need to keep it stirred up and burning bright.

Spirit of Fear

The Greek word translated “fear” can mean dread, fright, afraid, or faint-hearted, cowardly, or even timid. But as I have brought out in previous studies, this is a “spirit” of fear. Something which takes ahold of you in a controlling way to where your senses are numbed in such a way you no longer think straight. And in this passage, it denotes having a fear of man and what he can do to you! A great example of this is when God called the prophet Jeremiah.

“Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.”

Jeremiah 1:8 KJV

 

Spirit of Power

This spirit of power is only one of the many attributes of the Holy Spirit once you receive it. It grants you strength, authority, and ability to withstand every attack the enemy hurls at you!

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Acts 1:8 KJV

Spirit of Love

This spirit of Love is the agape Love, which is self-less, without conditions or limits. This kind of love is impossible to attain without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. It enables you to love your enemies and oppressors. In this context it refers to love the ones lighting the fire to the stake they have tied you to.

“But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”

Matthew 5:44 KJV

 

Spirit of Self-control

The King James translation uses the phrase “a sound mind” which causes those of us in this century to focus on mental fitness or competence. But that is not what the original wording totally implying.

“for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” ESV

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”  NIV

The Spirit of self-control or discipline is one of the 9 fruits of the Spirit which enables us to control our thoughts and think straight (sound) even in the face of fear!

Summary (a paraphrase)

Keep burning the gifts given to you by God because that flame will enable you to stand boldly without fear and proclaim truth even in persecution. It will give you the ability to withstand every attack, allow you to love your oppressor while giving you self-discipline to stand even in death for the cause of Christ!

America’s Insanity

 Minnesota state Rep. Leigh Finke, who transitioned from male to female in 2017, was feted as one of the newspaper’s 2023 Women of the Year!        

            

It is these kinds of events that should let you know where America is at on the perversion scale. We now enable mental illness rather than treat it. We encourage lasciviousness and Sodomy when one time in America it was against the law! 

We are truly living in the rebirth of Sodom just as the Bible predicts would happen in the lasts days! God gave them up to a reprobate mind having no conscience of right & wrong. Becoming primed for judgment.

“So God let these people go their own way. They did what they wanted to do, and their filthy thoughts made them do shameful things with their bodies.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭24‬ ‭CEV‬‬

“God let them follow their own evil desires. Women no longer wanted to have sex in a natural way, and they did things with each other that were not natural. Men behaved in the same way. They stopped wanting to have sex with women and had strong desires for sex with other men. They did shameful things with each other, and what has happened to them is punishment for their foolish deeds.” Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭26‬-‭27‬ ‭

‭We are living in a post Christian era. America is fact approaching the point of no return! We need to pray as never before and intercede for this nation that originally was founded on godly principles. If you love this nation, then join with me in prayer for mercy, repentance, and godly understanding!

A Nation that has Forgotten

¹⁰ When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. ¹¹ Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: ¹² Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; ¹³ And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; ¹⁴ Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Deut. 8:10-14

In a speech made in 1863, Abraham Lincoln made the following remarks: "We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us."

                       Wow, wonder what Mr. Abe would think about us as a nation today?

What is the greatest threat to American security today?

-Is it Al-Qaida?
-Is it Isis?
-Is it Iran, North Korea, or the ever-encroaching threat of a greater, more advanced China?

What about Covid or monkey pox? Lockdowns and power-hungry politicians advancing a more socialistic society

Forgetting Our Creator

I don’t believe the greatest threat to our nation’s security is from any foreign or outside force. Neither covid nor any other plague created in China's labs. I believe that the greatest threat that we face as a nation today is our forgetfulness of God!

The evidence of a nation that has forgotten God is widespread and everywhere:

-the removal of the Ten Commandments, and all other references from governmental buildings, court rulings, and the mass media.

-the thousands of internet child abductions for sexual gratification by scores of men in this nation.

-the end of saying "One Nation Under God" in the pledge of allegiance, and the removal of prayer from most of our school and social functions.

-the decisions of the Supreme Court against the protection of the rights of the unborn, and even

euthanasia and assisted suicide are becoming common place.

-the removal and outright disregard of the religious lives of our ancestors, and the founders of

this country who established this nation as a Christian nation.

-the support of gay rights, and other activist groups, who are in direct opposition to God and all

that is holy.

-the rise in immorality, including living together outside of marriage, as now being socially acceptable, along with the promotion of sexual immorality in all forms of media and entertainment, with the mockery of Christian values and standards.

So, it is clear. Many in America have forgotten and forsaken all the godly principles this nation was founded upon! We have become just as Israel of old before God’s judgment fell.

Isaiah 1:3-4 (KJV)
³ The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. ⁴ Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.

Let us remember the reason of our greatness and return to the God of our forefathers before America will only be a memory!

 The Naked Truth

Pastor Pruitt

Sunday, October 31, 2021

 

 

Scripture Ref. II Thessalonians 2:9-12 NKJV

“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

 

Introduction (Allegorical tale)

One day a man named Truth and a man named Lie stood by a river just outside of town. They were twin brothers. Lie challenged Truth to a race, claiming he could swim across the river faster than Truth. Lie laid out the rules to the challenge stating that they both must remove all their clothes and at the count of 3, dive into the freezing cold-water swim to the other side and back. Lie counted to 3, but when Truth jumped in, lie did not. As Truth swam across the river, Lie put on Truth’s clothes and walked back into town dressed as Truth. He proudly paraded around town pretending to be Truth. Truth made it back to shore, but his clothes were gone, and he was left naked with only Lie’s clothes to wear. Refusing to dress himself as Lie, Truth walked back to town naked. People stared and glared as naked Truth walked through town. He tried to explain what happened and that he was in fact Truth, but because he was naked and uncomfortable to look at, people mocked and shunned him; refusing to believe he was really Truth. The people in town chose to believe Lie because he was dressed appropriately and easier to look at. From that day until this, people have come to believe a well-dressed lie rather than believe a naked truth.

 

If you remember our opening text stated, the ones who will perish will be the ones who “received not” the love of the truth. I have sometimes wondered why some people don’t love the truth. So, let’s look at some scriptural evidence as to why men don’t love truth.

 

Truth is not Loved because:

 

1)   It reveals what’s hidden.   If you recall in my opening allegory truth walked into town naked because he refused to be dressed as a lie. By doing so he revealed all that his twin brother lie was always covering up. And that is the same reason truth will never be loved by those living in darkness or the world.

 

There is a biblical synonym for truth which is called light. Light and truth are synonymous terms. And like truth, light reveals! In fact, light is the is the agent by which truth reveals. And this is the reason those who practice sin love darkness because light will reveal the truth of their sins!

 

John 3:19-21 NKJV

“And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.””

 

2)    It Requires a Choice. 

Most of us enjoy the “status quo”. Nothing to push on us or invade our comfort zone. We are happy to drift down the stream of life as it were without having to encounter the stronger currents pushing against us. We can live in a pretend world of make-believe deceiving ourselves and others into believing all is well and I don’t need anything or anybody.

 

But then truth comes along and holds the mirror of reality right to your face requiring you to make a choice. To believe or not to believe. To accept or deny. Making those choices many times are difficult and usually uncomfortable. So, we just rather not face the naked truth that we are sinners, lost without God, and doomed to an eternity of outer darkness.

 

When truth comes along you are going to have to decide if you are going to keep doing your own thing, or allow Jesus to become Lord of your life. Truth will require that! When Jesus came the first time he made the Pharisees face the name truth of who they really were. And the truth made them so uncomfortable they chose to reject him and turn their backs.

 

John 15:22 NKJV

“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.”

 

If truth is anything, truth is fare. Truth will give you a chance to face him, but when you do, you will be required to make a choice. And that choice will determine your eternal destination!

 

James 4:17 NKJV

“Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

 

Truth demands a choice. And the choice is yours. 

 

Deuteronomy 30:19 KJV

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:”

Faith Under Fire

 

Over the past couple of decades, Americans have watched their individual and religious freedoms slowly eroding and being taken away to be replaced by governmental mandates and tyrannical legislation. People of faith have paid a heavy and high price for their position and convictions regarding their faith.  The teacher in New Jersey suspended for giving a student a Bible; a football coach in Washington state placed on leave for saying a prayer on the field at the end of a game; the fire chief in Atlanta fired for self-publishing a book defending Christian moral teaching; the Marine court-martialed for pasting a Bible verse above her desk; and there are numerous other examples of the new intolerance.

 

Anti-Christian activists hurl smears like “bigot” and “hater” at Americans who hold traditional beliefs about marriage and accuse anti-abortion Christians of waging a supposed “war on women.” The situation we are currently facing reminds me of the frog that is placed in a cold pot of water.  When the water slowly heats up, the frog gets so adjusted to the environment that he   doesn’t even realize that he is being boiled alive! 

 

Traditional American Christians have long been on the losing end of a culture-war beginning with school prayer, and now including same-sex marriage and other moral and biblical issues. Recent events, including the Supreme Court decision overruling Texas’ restrictions on abortion clinics and the mandate that employers provide access to contraception, have added to the sense that religious expression is under attack.

 

This new vigorous secularism has catapulted mockery of Christianity and other forms of religious traditionalism into the mainstream and set a new low for what counts as civil criticism of people’s most-cherished beliefs. In some precincts, the “faith of our fathers” is controversial as never before.

 

And finally what has been dubbed as the “cancel culture” which began with vandalism of the statues of notable historical figures has spread to the erasing of anything and anybody who dares to speak out against the insanity all around us. And that includes pastors who declare the truth of God’s Word against sin, wickedness, and perversion prevalent in this evil generation!

Three Spirits of Deception Infiltrating the Church

Scripture Ref. Jude 1:3-4 (KJV) - 2 Peter 2:1-2 (NKJV)
³ Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. ⁴  For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 2:1-2 (NKJV)
¹ But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. ² And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.

Introduction

We are in a spiritual battle fighting against principalities, powers, and spiritual wickedness not only in government and society but also the body of Christ, and it is highly damaging to the church to the effect that it is reshaping the whole scope of the way we worship, live, and evangelize! Over the past few years there has been a gradual infiltration of enemy forces within the church ranks bringing in modernistic trends which have blinded the eyes of many church folks by the highly sophisticated spiritual weaponry that is used to fight, not just against, but in the church today.

On the Day of Pentecost the Holy Ghost demonstrably transformed the lives of those in the upper room, amazed the nations, convicted, convinced, and converted the lives of over 3000 souls ushering in a new era and entity known as the church and the church age, this was literally the dawn of a new dispensation. The church literally began in a blaze of Glory. I don’t believe God ever intended for the church to be ushered in with power and glory and authority only to decline to an empty, lifeless, ritualistic practice to co-exist with the world and religious crowd instead of transforming everything it comes in contact with in the world!

God’s purpose for the church from the beginning was and still is to be the Ekklesia, a people called out of the world that through the power of the Holy Ghost would ignite a revival in the world, awakening the conscience of those that are blinded by sin to the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, leading many sons and daughters into glory, transforming everything it comes in contact with, and being the lights of the world leading lost souls out of darkness into the marvelous light of Jesus Christ. However, the church is failing in its purpose because we have become complacent settling for mediocrity by not desiring to maintain a spirit of excellence in everything we do for the Lord and in the church!

 Just look around Mediocrity says it’s o.k. to come to church 15 to 30 minutes after service has started instead of arriving 15 to 30 minutes ahead of time to pray and seek God for his will in the service. Mediocrity says it’s o.k. if I don’t go Sunday night or mid-week bible study, I’m tired and I won’t be missed anyway. Mediocrity says its o.k. if I don’t fulfill my position someone else will do it and if not the job is not that important anyway. Mediocrity says Sunday school isn’t for me 10am is way too early in the morning. And so it goes on and on with those who really don’t mind if the church never grows at all. We’ll survive, we always have!

What is the problem or the issue some might ask? The issue is a deadly pattern that many churches in this day have fallen in. The problem is that when you don’t strive for excellence in your service and relationship for God, your enthusiasm will eventually dwindle, no excitement, fire, and zeal for the house of God! The pattern is all too real, churches that have lost their zeal will sooner or later open its door to the first spirit of deception we are talking about this evening.

The Spirit of Accommodation

2 Corinthians 11:2-4 (NKJV)
² For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. ³ But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. ⁴  For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted--you may well put up with it!

There are churches out there that will accommodate anything you want to do because they are more concerned about getting along and not rocking the boat than they are about your soul. Jesus loves you just the way you are, so if you want to be a homosexual and believe that you are on your way to heaven there are churches out there that will say homosexuals’ is only an alternative lifestyle and God is too just of a God to send you to hell because you fell in love with a member of the same sex. Come join us we will accommodate you!

Preachers are preaching messages of accommodation just so their churches can be full. We have churches throwing hip-hop parties playing snoop-dogg and 50 cents talking about we are getting the young people, but they are blinded by the spirit of accommodation.

They say come as you are God will accept you the way you are, and that is true but what they fail to do is tell them you can’t stay that way you must change because it’s holiness or hell. We got teenage boys coming in the church with their pants hanging down to their ankles and we say that’s alright just come and that’s good to get them in the church, but once they have been in a while and sound doctrine has been placed down in them it’s time to tell them that God wants excellence both on the inside and outside so pull up those pants, ladies button up that blouse. We need to have the spirit of excellence and not the spirit of accommodation!

The Spirit of Assimilation

Romans 12:2 (KJV)
² And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

The word “assimilate” a change in a sound or action so it becomes identical with or similar to something or someone else’s sounds and actions. Oftentimes in these last days of the church it is so hard to tell the difference from the church and the world. The church sounds like the world, looks like the world, acts like the world, and the results of this is they have become ineffective in the world because they are infected by the world because of the spirit of assimilation. The church needs to stop trying to be like other churches and be more like Christ!

The Spirit of Association

Ephesians 5:6-12 (NKJV)
⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. ⁷ Therefore do not be partakers with them. ⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), ¹⁰ finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. ¹¹ And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. ¹² For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.

There is a dangerous trend going on in many modernistic churches. In a so-called effort to reach the un-churched they are meeting with them on their ground and partaking of their deeds to supposedly when them over. But what are you winning them to? That’s my question! I heard a pastor on TV not long ago speak of sitting down drinking a cold one with a groups of friends to win some confidence. What? Or the one at the tattoo parlor getting marked up so he could enter a certain part of town to minister the love of Christ. You’re kidding me, right?

Seven Facts Concerning Scripture

The word "Bible" is not found in the Bible. The word simply means "The Book," so "there was a time," as Trench says, "when bible might be applied to any book," but in our present use of the word we use it in a restricted sense of the one Book. The Imperial Dictionary says: "The Bible is the Sacred Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as received by the Christian Church as a Divine Revelation."

The Following was taken from: 1000 Bible Study Outlines: Study Helps and Sermon Outlines.

1. What is It? They claim to be "inspired of God" (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). The word "inspired of God" is Theopneustos. Theos is the word for God, and the other part is a presumed derivation of pneo, which means to breathe. It is rendered "bloweth" in John 3:8, and "wind" in Acts 27:40. Thus the word means to divinely breathe in. Some would render the sentence, "The Scriptures are the Divine breathing." Our English word "inspired" only occurs in one other place, and that is Job 32:8—"There is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding." As God breathed into man the breath of life, and he became a living soul, so God has breathed this Book, and it breathes out what He has breathed in. It breathes life into the spirit, love into the soul, understanding into the mind, determination into the will, grace into the heart, beauty into the life, and harmony into the being.

2. Who Inspired It? "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21). The Holy Spirit is the Author and the Interpreter of the Book. The "men" who were "moved" were men, human beings; but they were not the common herd of men, they were "men of God," and not only so, they were "holy men of God." These men were in fellowship with God. "Holy men" and "the Holy Spirit" needed to be in touch with each other to produce holy results. The word "moved" means to be "borne along," and is used of a ship being "driven" by the wind—Acts 27:17, of a man being "brought" on a bed—Luke 5:18, and of one who is carrying another— John 21:18. This at once makes the Bible different from all other books.

3. Who Were the Instruments Used? "The prophets" (1 Peter 1:10). We naturally think of a prophet as one through whom events are forecast; but the primary meaning is a seer, that is, one who sees. "A prophet," as one has said, is—

"One who speaks forth openly before anyone, a proclaimer of a Divine message; among the heathen, the interpreter of the oracles. In the Septuagint, it is the translation of the earlier 'seer,' showing what really constituted the prophet, was immediate intercourse with God. The usage of the word is clear, it signifies one on whom the Spirit of God rested—Num. 11:17, 25, 26, 29; one to whom and through whom God speaks—Num. 7:2; one to whom God makes known His mysteries—Amos 3:7, 8; hence it means one to whom God reveals His truth, and through whom He speaks.... In the Old Testament prophets, their preaching was a prophesying of a salvation and purposes of grace and glory yet to be accomplished; while in the New Testament prophets, their prophesying was a preaching of those purposes of grace already accomplished, and also a foretelling of the purposes of glory which were still future."

4. What was the Purpose of the Bible's Revelation? Christ Himself answers the question, for He says of the Scriptures: "They are they which testify of Me" (John 5:39). He is light in the lantern, to show the way; He is the life in the tree, to make it grow; He is the kernel in the nut, to make it worth; He is the glory in the temple, to make it beautiful; He is the heart in the body, to cause it to live; He is the spring in the watch, to make it to go; and He is the power in the wire, to electrify the machine.

The Old Testament characters in the Bible are types of Him. He is the Last Adam, to quicken; the offering Able, to sacrifice; the faithful Abram, to separate; the peaceful Isaac, to substitute; the working Jacob, to secure; the providing Joseph, to store; the leading Moses, to guide; the priestly Aaron, to represent; the valiant Joshua, to subdue; the strong David, to conquer; the wise Solomon, to teach; and the Kinsman-Redeemer, to redeem.

The offerings were all foregleams. He is the Passover, to protect; the Burnt-offering, to please; the Sin-offering, to be judged; the Trespass-offering, to release; the Peace-offering, to reconcile; the Drink-offering to rejoice; and the Red Heifer-offering, to cleanse.

All Scripture contains in Him, and He is the contain of all Scripture.

5. What are the Two Fundamental Themes of the Bible? Christ Himself answered the question to the two disciples as He journeyed with them to Emmaus, and to the eleven gathered in the upper room—Luke 24:27, 36.

The sufferings and glory of Christ are the couplings of God, which couple up everything. Calvary and Olivet are His viewpoints. The Cross and the Crown are the Alpha and Omega of Revelation. The Lamb and the Throne are the fulcrum and lever of God's purpose. The Passover and the Lamb are His starting point and goal; and the Altar and the Skekinah are the Genesis and Revelation of everything.

6. What the Bible Imparts? Among the many things to which it is compared is seed—1 Peter 1:23. There are two things which are characteristic of seed. It contains life, and produces like to its kind. Faith in the Living Word comes by means of the Written Word; and when the Living Word, by means of the Written, operates in a living soul, the character of the Word is reproduced. It is a Holy Word, to sanctify; a Righteous Word, to rectify; a Living Word, to fructify; a Wise Word, to edify; a Peace Word, to pacify; a Powerful Word, to electrify; and a Loving Word, to intensify.

7. What the Bible Does? This raises another question: "What does it not do?" One has tersely said of the Bible in a general way: "Every hour I read you, it kills a sin, or lets a virtue in to fight against it."

Many are the things the Bible does; the following will illustrate a few of the things:

Acquaints us with the theme of the Gospel—1 Cor. 15:3, 4. Blesses us as we obey its precepts—Psa. 119:2. Consecrates us as we follow its injunctions—Num. 6:1-7. Defeats the enemy as we use it against him—Matt. 4:4, 7, 10. Edifies the life as we heed it—Acts 20:32. Fires the heart to a faithful testimony—Jer. 1:1; 23:29. Guides those who follow its light—Psa. 119:105.