Episodi

  • How much then is a man better than a sheep?

    How much then is a man better than a sheep?
    Nov 11 2026
    How much then is a man better than a sheep?Luke 13:15-16 – 14:5 Matthew 12:11-12 (Combined- abridged),“… Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day … Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? … What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep?There is a wonderful truth here that is hidden under the arguments on Sabbath keeping and interpretation of the Law. It is a simple question that is more difficult to answer today than it was in days in which it was asked. The society of today places great value on animal life of all sorts with the exception of human life. We live in a world where, every year, we’re told 1.5 million [1] children are killed in the womb of its mother and at the same time, a person who mistakenly spayed a cat that was newly pregnant was in danger being incarcerated for animal cruelty.We are taught to feel guilt for our position at the top of the food chain and humility is defined as boasting of our being at the bottom of the world’s priority list. All of this modern foolishness aside, we must, if only for a moment, look at the world as our Father sees it. (In truth nothing matters more.) We must see life as His creation and His design in order to implement His plan.On the eve of the end of the perfect will of God, the day that sin found its way into the heart of Adam, God made a statement when He chose the death of a lamb to facilitate the atonement of sin. Although we do not find blood sacrifices performed for atonement, we do find that the Scriptures mention that God made Adam and his wife [2]clothes of skins to cover their nakedness that was now causing shame. We have no way of knowing it was a lamb from which these skins were obtained, but perhaps it was, as it was a lamb that later became the symbol of atonement (covering). Granted these conjectures, we could say that God took the life of a lamb to cover the sins of man.All of the references to the Lamb, from Genesis through Revelation, take on some form and character found in the sacrificial death of Christ. It requires no theological degree to readily see the metaphor, parallel, and symbolism that are to be found throughout the Testaments, Old, and New. From the Lamb skins provided for the first sin in Genesis, to the passover Lamb of Exodus, to the Lamb that John the Baptist claimed was to “take away the sin of the world”, to the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world found in the Revelation, Jesus is, was, and shall be our Pesach, our Passover, our atoning sacrificial lamb. Because He loves us, He gave His life for ours; the Lamb dearly beloved, slain by divine Commandment, for the sin of the world.The Passover is a wonderful example of the love that God has for man. The lamb that was to be slain was not to be brought in from the fields on the day of the slaughter, nor was it to be purchased at the stockyard and slain, the lamb was to be brought from the fields and into the home of each of the families of Israel, as if it were a pet, for three days prior to its being killed[3]. This lamb would likely become endeared to each family member as they were forced to see it and feed it day after day, probably from their own table. It is as though God never wanted the Passover Lamb to go unnoticed, unappreciated, or valued as nothing.Why A Lamb?The lamb is the epitome of servitude; it has no other purpose than to give. No reason but to serve, the lamb always provides food and clothing and neither offers resistance to the one who shears it, nor to the one who slaughters it. It is this innocent animal that becomes the symbol of redemption, the innocent lamb, that did no wrong, that never strayed from its Creator’s way or disobeyed; the lamb that submits to any, rebels against none, the symbol of purity and gentleness was to suffer for no cause of its own making, it was to die for our sin.I think that the account in 2 Samuel 12:3 is Nathan’s remembrance of the emotions he felt for the Passover lambs from his youth. It is an account that illustrates the passover lamb and describes the practice, “But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.” The value of this lamb was to be well understood at Passover. The lamb was to be loved, its slaying dreaded, and its consumption made distasteful for sorrow. But why?Again a message is found in Jesus’ question, “How much then is a man better than a sheep?” We can make no mistake about the love God has for us if we understand the value He places ...
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    10 min
  • Who has such a friend?

    Who has such a friend?
    Oct 12 2026
    Who has such a friend?Luke 11:5-10, “Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”I can remember hearing, when I was a youth, that a true friend was a rare thing, and that if I had more than one in my life, I would be most blessed. I have always desired a close companion, one with whom I could enjoy a similar sense of honor, right, humor, and one who would improve my personality, as Proverbs 27:17 promises, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”I found such a friend in my wife. We share all the best that can come from friendship and closeness. However, a fellow man would be a different thing altogether. I cannot help but feel that great power and strength would come from such a true friendship.Perhaps I place friendship into a lofty and an unattainable category. It may be that friendship is potentially present in all relationships or present in a relationship merely when enmity is absent. Perhaps a friend is simply someone who is not an enemy. We tend, in modern vernacular, to differentiate between friends and acquaintances in that way.Maybe I make too much of it, maybe not. I cannot speak from experience. Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” It is this friend that sticks close, of whom I wish to speak now. As we reflect upon our lives and ponder the stream of people whom have entered and exited our life, touched, helped, or supported us, can we find a friend that has stuck closer than a brother? The question becomes even more poignant, “Who has such a friend?”In the story above, Jesus asks us if any of us have a friend to whom we may go at midnight and ask for food. It is obvious that He is making the situation as awkward as it can be, as inconvenient for the friend, and as frivolous a request, as possible, to make the point. Bread, though essential for life, is not necessary at midnight; it could just as well be placed before his traveling friend in the morning if his arrival was late. His friend, upon whom he has laid his burden of hospitality, is in bed and likely was asleep when this man called.Jesus has set up a scenario of unnecessary aggravation to test this friendship and push kindness to its limits. He does this for a reason. He wishes to show us the value of a friendship that has no limitations, a friendship that has identical values and importance.Many times we find our friendships strained when one of the two parties considers something important that the other does not. It is obvious in this story that the man in bed did not care that his friend had no bread to set before his traveler, for his friend pleads with him, “… lend me three loaves. For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him. And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.” (Luke 11:5-7) Here Jesus shows that one friend has a problem that the other does not evaluate as important.It is when we put friendship to these kinds of tests that it proves to be worthy or not. Let us go from this understanding to what a friend we have in Christ. It is Christ who proves time and time again to be a true friend of those who follow Him. It is well established what a friend we have in Christ, but what kind of friend has He in you? As we follow, we should make those things that are important to Him, important to us. We are to show ourselves “friendly.” For if we are to have a friend, even if it is Christ with whom we wish to be friends, we must show ourselves friendly. We do this by making His concerns, our concerns.Who is At the Door?If it is occurring to you that the friend in bed is not Christ, but us, you are starting to see the picture.Many times this story is told that Christ is the friend in bed with whom we plead to help us. We are told that, although He really does not care about our needs, if we make enough noise, if we pray long enough, if don’t give up, He will eventually come to the door and give us whatever we are whining about, and send us on our way.What a sorry example of a friend! Christ is not that kind of friend at all! It is He who calls upon us and ...
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    12 min
  • Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation?

    Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation?
    Sep 11 2026
    Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation?(Luke 7:31-35 - Matthew 11:16-19), “And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.”Have children always claimed to be bored? I have trouble remembering being bored as a child, but many children today, complain constantly that they are unstimulated if they find themselves idle for over three minutes. Perhaps it is a selective memory on my part, maybe things have changed somewhat, but I suspect that we all become “bored” when we do not have what we want, or want what we have.Jesus used the example of “little children” to illustrate His point about the men of the generation He then occupied. It was, as if they wanted what they did not have and, what they were given, they did not want. They were given John the Baptist and although, in the estimation of Jesus, he was the greatest prophet ever born, he was rejected as a lunatic. They were given the very Son of God and they said that He was not what they expected. By their rejection they said, “He is not holy, He is not mighty, He is not sympathetic to our religion, He does not fulfill prophecies or our expectations.”It is a pity, really, for He was all that and much, much more. Jesus saw the men of that generation as impudent children selfishly demanding more than what was given to them. Their actions spoke volumes, their words dripped with venom toward the Son of God. Their hearts, callused over with rebellion, were indifferent to the designs and desires of God; neither could their eyes see the gift of God who stood before them.As we complain about the degree to which our God has decided to reveal himself to us, or we cry and beg Him to be more real, more available or more willing to use His power on our behalf, we are acting as bored, spoiled children. Perhaps we do not perceive, like the Pharisees, that it is we who though we see, are not seeing, we who though we hear, do not understand, and perhaps it is we who cannot see what is plainly shown to us.The pleasures, as well as the heartaches of this world, tend to create in us an evaluation of good and evil, right and wrong, sin and righteousness and so forth. This evaluation system, over the years, creeps into everything we do and think about. It forms our policies and politics. This basis of good and evil becomes the foundation of teaching our children and learning from life. If we do not receive this foundation from Jesus Christ, the living Word of God within our souls, we risk the danger of making molds into which we expect even our God to fit. We create doctrines from our minds and experiences that we expect Him to sanction. The lifestyles we predict will please Him, repulse Him and ultimately condemn us. Worst of all, because of our warped and selfish views, we stand still in the streets while He plays music that, to Him, is lively and attractive, compelling and gay, but to our insensitive ears is dull and lifeless. We heard it before, it’s not our favorite tune, or for whatever reason we care not to dance.For centuries, Our God has given many prophecies about His sheep, His people, and their plight of sin and their subsequent separation from Him. He has voiced His displeasure with sin, and on several occasions, He named what grieves Him most. He has listed in Scripture the seven things He hates, things that are an abomination to Him and that He despises.[1] Most people cannot list these things. How many can you name? Do you know what grieves the God you claim to love and serve? Can you name the things He hates? Has it become a part of your nature to hate what God hates? How can you love as He loves if you do not know what He hates and why? His nature is foreign to most and little or no effort is made to discover His temperament.How Well Do You Know Him?The Father weeps over Israel. Do you weep with Him? YHVH cries out in anguish for the lost of His people who will not repent and turn to Him. Do you? He stands in fiery displeasure of those who lie in His name and falsely speak for Him and misrepresent the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ; do you investigate the validity and origin of what is taught you as doctrine? He weeps and laments and His Church does not mourn. “Whereunto then, shall I liken the men of this generation? They are like unto children.”It looks as though not much has changed from the men of that generation to the men of this one. We need, as they did, to see the gap between our desires and His, between our evaluation criteria and His, between our tastes and His. The gap is large, but it is not so large that it cannot be spanned.There are many changes to be made in our thinking, many pauses to be inserted into our speech, many of His concerns added to our list and ...
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    13 min
  • Can the blind lead the blind?

    Can the blind lead the blind?
    Aug 14 2026
    Can the blind lead the blind?“Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind…Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?” Luke 6:39, Matthew 15:12-14 (Combined)It is interesting that this analogy of the blind appears in two places and spans two separate subjects. In one place (Luke 6), our Lord is showing how we are blind leaders of the blind when we attempt to remove specks from our brother’s eye while blinded by a beam. (Ref. Question 9)The Matthew account presents to us the hypocritical Pharisees as blind leaders that will eventually cause themselves, and those they are leading, to fall into a ditch. Jesus asks, “Can the blind lead the blind?” He did not ask, should they, could they, or may they, He asked, “Can they?” The implication is that they cannot. Any of us would agree that it is an impossibility, and we will study this impossibility.In the age in which we live, education has become a necessity. Unfortunately, it has become common to look to education, teachers, institutions, and books whenever a field, an idea or an endeavor unfamiliar to us, presents itself. I say “unfortunately” because this habit transfers to the spiritual realm all too easily.When we find a passage of Scripture that is hard to understand, we may reach for a commentary to explain it. When we have difficulty in life and find ourselves tangled in emotion and unable to think objectively, we sit before counselors, ask opinions, and take advice. We scour books to deepen our spiritual understanding, when all we can gain from these things are the opinions our fellows. As well intentioned as it may be, and as good as it may be, when man offers his solutions, it is just one degree of blindness helping another. It is like someone with cataracts helping another with myopia. Jesus would ask, “Can the blind lead the blind?”Blindness is an excellent analogy. Jesus used it often to describe the condition of the religious teachers of His day. The Matthew 23 account, where Jesus chides the Pharisees, He uses the word “blind” five times. In John 9:39-41 Jesus states, “… For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.” Here, and many other places, there are examples of blindness depicting the spiritual condition of man. Being healed of blindness can stand as a parallel and metaphor to our first encounter with Christ. The thought of blindness and our state of sinfulness being allegorically equal offers something very special when it is carried over to other Scriptures like John 9:32, “Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.”The blindness, however, that we examine here is the blindness of humanistic leadership. The “help” of our modern Christian leadership can be engaged at nearly every level of spiritual growth. There are those on academic levels from so-called Sunday school teachers to seminary professors. There are counselors offering help to those who need emotional stability or help dealing with tragedy or loss. There are those who claim special powers of healing and deliverance from every bondage – mental, physical and spiritual.Actually, not unlike the other modern specialist fields, the modern “minister’s” domain is becoming more and more specific and professional. If anyone, in our country today, felt a desire to become more spiritual, or to attain peace with God, they could find thousands of books, thousands of tapes; they could attend hundreds of seminars all across the country, churches, study groups, Bible studies, sermons, and lectures. Yet, with all this help and knowledge at our disposal, our hearts are in turmoil, our minds are troubled, our churches fragmented, our families torn. A church starts on one side of town and another loses longtime members in a bitter split. Pastors, once held in high esteem, leave their towns in disgrace of sin.How Did This Happen?Why is the body of Christ so divided and diverse when we all use the same Scriptures, worship the same God, and all supposedly share the same goal? Are all these sources of help doling out faulty information? Are they false prophets, or are they simply “blind leading the blind”? We can come to no other conclusion when we look at the results of 2000 years of “Christianity” purportedly under the leadership of the same Spirit of God, for the outcome blatantly betrays us. We are not traveling the straight and narrow path, we ...
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    12 min
  • Is it lawful on the Sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?

    Is it lawful on the Sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?
    Jul 15 2026
    Is it lawful on the Sabbath days to do good?“Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?” Luke 6:9When a person decides to keep God’s Sabbath Day, seemingly out of the woodwork comes everyone to offer opinion, criticize, scrutinize, or in some cases, open their denomination to you for membership. If the subject of Sabbath comes up in discussions, we are apt to hear stories about how impossible it is to keep the Sabbath and how “Jesus changed all that Sabbath keeping stuff.” It is not a subject for the unprepared as the passions are deep and various.Some have chosen to avoid the subject altogether. I cannot blame them. It is unfortunate that such a pleasant thing as Jehovah’s ordained rest should be so tiresome. It is equally unfortunate that God’s gift of the Sabbath Day should become a matter of debate and division. But so it is when men confuse and convolute the simplicity that is to be found in Christ.[1]Let us begin with the apostle’s words in 1 John 5:2-3, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” How sad that the Commandments of God are grievous to many who claim to be Christ’s.To some, giving God one day of their seven is as though they are being asked to give up something to which they are entitled, something that they own, or something that is owed them. How can those who seek communion with Christ neglect the time He has set aside for that communion? How can we consider it a grievous task to come aside and rest awhile? It is because man has added to the Commandment and made it into a chore of duty and drudgery. He has done this OUTSIDE of the Scriptures, yet we still consider man’s words over the Scriptures of truth.The Jews created documents that, with the intention of keeping the Commandments, made them more difficult to keep. The “Sabbath day’s journey” is a good example. The Sabbath day’s journey was intended to place an explanatory, or definitive framework around the Scripture. The Law they refer to only says, “See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath… abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” (Exodus 16:29) Somehow, Jewish leadership decided how far it should be that a man can wander “from his place” without breaking the Commandment. They came up with 2000 paces or yards, how they arrived at this distance is unclear.Nevertheless, we find that many think to travel farther than “a Sabbath day’s journey” on the Sabbath is a violation of the Commandment and therefore, sin. But, the Scriptures make no such assertion. When we read the Scriptures pertaining to Sabbath we will find that Sabbath is not a grievous restriction, nor a calculated observance, but a day set aside, sanctified, and made holy by voluntarily ceasing from our labor and honoring God’s request to remember Him.The Sabbath Is a GiftWhen you read, for yourself, the Scriptures that pertain to Sabbath, you will find that the Commandment is not a grievous one, nor one that requires more than you can do, but a Commandment of love and promise. It is a Commandment that bears a gift from God.In the days of old, the Bible records an execution associated with the breaking of this Law. A man was found gathering sticks on the Sabbath and for that, he lost his life. Without understanding, we may find it hard to take comfort in a gift that we are forced to receive. But it was not the lack of acceptance of this gift that caused his death; it was his despite of God’s Commandment.The gift is not the Commandment and the Commandment is not the gift. The gift is to be found in obedience to the Commandment. When we place our own interests above the Commandment, are we not placing ourselves above our Lord? As says the Lord Jesus, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” (John 13:16-17) The operational phrase is, “Happy are ye if ye do them.” The happiness, blessedness, and the gift are to be found in the doing.When we submit to God’s Law we will find, in our obedience, that the Law is not grievous. When we go only to the Scriptures, we will find that the Commandments are not difficult either. The Jews of Jesus’ day (and the naysayers in our day) made the walk of faith into difficulty and impossibility. “We can’t do this on Sabbath day and we can’t do that” say they, while the blessed Scriptures may be completely silent on that particular subject.We need to take our cues from the words God has spoken in our heart, and our conscience, and forget the traditions of men. We make living by our faith impossible when we add to or take away from...
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    11 min
  • Whether is easier to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?

    Whether is easier to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?
    Jun 16 2026
    Matthew 9:5 Mark 2:9 Luke 5:23 (Combined) For whether is easier, to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?To convince the scribe in this story that his theory on identifying Messiah may be flawed, Jesus offered a question, “Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?”The answer to this question is difficult for we know He is not speaking of merely saying either of the choices given, but is asking, which is easier to do. For with Jesus, to say or to do was the same thing. (It should be that way for us as well.) In this case however, the question was, “If I am who I claim to be, I can forgive sin. If I am who I say I am, I can heal diseases as well.” To which the scribe, as a scholar of the Old Testament, must attest. It was clear in the Scriptures that Messiah would be able to do these things. Then Jesus says,“But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy) I say unto thee, Arise, take up thy couch bed, and go unto thine house. And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and went forth before them all and departed to his own house glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, “We never saw it on this fashion. We have seen strange things to day.” (Matthew 9:6-7 - Mark 2:10-12 - Luke 5:24-26 Combined)Now what will the poor scribe do? The man has just seen Messiah’s prophecies come to pass before his own eyes and he is left with no other alternative but to believe. The record here says they glorified God and were filled with fear. This was a reaction any of us would have had.Messiah came with a long and detailed list of prophecies that he would fulfill. These prophecies were misunderstood and misapplied and caused nearly a whole nation to miss the Messiah. Jesus was not averse to proclaiming his familiarity with these prophecies and attaching His life and works as fulfillment. Read this story recorded in Luke 4:16-22,“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, ‘Is not this Joseph's son?’”[1]As He traveled, He never missed genuine opportunity to use this anointing. Through this He was seen by those of open heart as the Messiah and to those of closed mind as a blasphemer, lawbreaker, a man gluttonous and drunken. The honest folk received him gladly under this premise: “…When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done?” (John 7:31) The miracles showed them (and us) that His power exceeded the norm, but what is that to us today? Today Jesus, the Messiah, is still the ONLY healer and He is the only one who forgives sin. When Jesus asked the question, “Whether is easier, to say arise and walk or thy sins be forgiven thee?” we can see His objective was to demonstrate His authority to do either or both at will.True GraceThere is more to glean from this question of Jesus. What we must draw from this story is that the one who has power to heal, has power to save. What we can draw from His question is that one will be as easy to accomplish as the other. Jesus is uniquely qualified to effect conversion of the soul, proven by His ability to heal. It is He alone who has this power and the sovereign will to use it on our behalf. We are to learn that we are desperately helpless in both of these situations. We can save our soul from destruction as easily as we can make a lame man walk again. Both of these are so far from our level of ability it is ludicrous to attempt either one.Today, it is commonly taught to play games of forgiveness in our mind. It is not uncommon to hear that we can make ourselves better through “inner healing” or by “forgiving” ourselves, unfortunately, neither is possible. Our guilty conscience before God does indeed wreak havoc with our health and well-being, but forgiveness and healing are gifts from God given to those who seek forgiveness from Him. It is, after all, His Law that is broken. It ...
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    10 min
  • Why Do You Think Evil In Your Hearts?

    Why Do You Think Evil In Your Hearts?
    May 17 2026
    Why do you think evil in your hearts?Matthew 9:4, “And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?”Jesus approached a man suffering from palsy and said “...Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.” Then He asked some of the scribes who were watching Him, “Why did they think evil thoughts?” Here is a curiosity. God is about to do a wonderful thing and the religious leaders are on the outside looking in. They feel that they are outsiders and respond by finding fault. They comment, “This man blasphemes.” This comment was what caused Jesus to turn to them and ask the question, “Why do you think evil thoughts in your heart?”It would be good practice to answer Jesus when He asks a question (especially when we find ourselves exemplifying the traits of the one being questioned.) If we find ourselves thinking evil thoughts, it would do us good to answer the query, “Why?” We should feel shame for the similarities in the thoughts we have about our brethren in Christ and the judgment poured upon Christ by the Pharisees and scribes. Even the worst examples of Christianity, in theology, in doctrine, or in practice, do not deserve our criticism. We must ask, “Why do I think evil thoughts?”What are these “evil thoughts?” Evil thoughts are clearly identified in Scripture. From Luke 6:45 and Matthew 12: 35,“…an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of a man’s heart his mouth speaketh.”From Matthew 15:18-19 and Mark 7:20-23 “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, false witness, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”We also know that, though this is an impressive list, this is not an exhaustive one. Although the heart of a “faith pretender” likely won’t lead him to practice all of the worst ones mentioned here, their thoughts can be as dangerous. After we read this list, we must then ask, “Why do evil thoughts arise in our hearts – thoughts of pride, foolishness, suspicion and even blasphemy? Perhaps it would be easier to consider this objectively by looking at the example given in the story above. Why did the scribe engage suspicion and accuse Christ of blasphemy? Simply because the scribe did not believe that the man he saw in front of him was the Messiah. Why did he not believe it? It was because Jesus did not fit the mold that the scribe (and tradition) made for Him.Human nature is to avoid responsibility. Also, this nature avoids servitude. The knowledge of Christ and the subsequent acceptance of Him as Messiah will require both. He thinks, “If I only search for the Christ, I am counted among the faithful and not compelled to obey Christ.” This convoluted thinking is practiced by many. Not only the scribe, but also modern seekers who look into Christianity and discover that finding Jesus as Messiah means to take Him as Lord. Not wanting to do the latter, they stay in “search mode” and determine never to find anything for sure. Because they are searching they assume an air of sincerity.However, the day we find Christ, the search is over. At that time we must either give up or give over to Christ, or we must reject Him. Those who do not wish to reject Him (because they indeed know He is Lord and Christ), nor wish to serve Him (because they want their own way and yet do not want to appear as infidels) can purposefully remain in that state of uncertainty, remaining skeptical, objective, undecided. We enjoy these words being attributed to us, as they tend to lend to the bearer an air of intelligence, sobriety and cerebral superiority. It makes us seem as if we use analysis instead of some silly faith and so we will appear not to “jump to conclusions.”The scribes were not much different. However, these men who saw Christ Jesus were not intelligent; they were blinded by closed eyes. They were not being analytical so they could believe; they were being critical so they would not have to. We who have Christ revealed to us and hold out for “proof” or who choose to remain “open minded” are literally playing with fire.Those who turn their heads, close their eyes, or stop their ears, are only making provision for more self-indulgence and more self-rule. They only avoid the “giving up.” The “surrender” is the threshold over which they cannot seem to step. All lives, before surrender, are lives of evil thought, evil surmising, doubt, fear, and skepticism. All the while, they ride the fence, socializing with God’s people; they pretend to be intelligent and open-minded Christians. They pick apart and criticize; they try to hold others back to avoid “fanaticism.” They fancy themselves ...
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    11 min
  • How Is It That Ye Have No Faith?

    How Is It That Ye Have No Faith?
    Apr 18 2026
    How is it that ye have no faith?Mark 4:38-40, “And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?”Have you ever wondered what the Lord wanted the disciples to do? I have. Did He want them to speak to the storm like He did? Did He expect them to stand on the bow of that boat and say, “Peace, be still? The Lord Jesus Christ is on this vessel and has commissioned us to go to the other side!” Is that what Jesus expected them to do? I think He did.Faith – true faith – requires a word from God directly to us. It is imperative that we hear from God, personally, the word, the commission, or the orders to go or to do or to speak. Not just some vague Scripture reference to an action or unction of centuries past, but a fresh word from God. This personal word was present in the command, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” When the snag in life comes, (in this case a storm) the authority and commission of those who are called should come to the fore. Remember Jesus’ words to his disciples,“And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:18-19) The problem was that these men were fishers. They were well acquainted with the destructive power of the sea. They had known of lives being claimed out there on that water. They would have to change their minds and habits about very familiar things – a task very difficult indeed. The ingredient missing here was faith. “How is it that ye have no faith?”The Lord wants and even commands us to have faith saying in Mark 11:22b, “Have faith in God.” This is rendered in Greek, “Have the faith of God.” Unswerving, confident, and assured faith that what God promised He is able to perform. This is why Jesus could, without flinching, place the two adjectives, faithless and perverse in the description of His disciples. In Matthew 17:17 the Lord chided the disciples for not having faith enough to cast out the demon in a boy who was brought to them, “Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?”How Important Is Faith?We should place as much importance on faith as the Lord did. Our concern for ourselves and doubting God can put us in the category of perverse. Look who is included in the list of the damned in Revelation 21:8, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” What a list on which to have an attribute of your personality included!When Jesus tells His disciples the reason they could not cast the devil out He used the phrase, “because of your unbelief.” He did not say they didn’t have enough faith or that their faith was not large enough, He said that it was not there. “How is it that ye have NO faith?” The disciples must have wondered in themselves, “Do we need a greater faith?” But Jesus told them, “I say to you that if your faith were the size of the smallest seed it would have been enough. The problem was that faith wasn’t there at all.Jesus’ words and actions said clearly, “You doubted my word. I gave you power and authority over unclean spirits and you doubted it.” This tenacious demon played the same role as the contrary wind and sea was to the prior mission. They had opportunity to learn this earlier. Had they learned the lesson from the Sea of Galilee they would have spoken to this demon and cast it out. Alas, they had no faith in this situation either. They did not speak to the wind in faith and they likely did not speak to this demon either. They had the command, the word, they knew what action to take, but they did not have the faith.[1]Do we disappoint God when we doubt and fear? I believe, for the most part, we do. Especially when it comes to everyday provisions. We hear Jesus say, “…for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things”[2] we can hear a sadness in His voice that we do not comprehend this in reality.However, many times, in order to keep from disappointing God, we err in the other direction – presumption. We presume God’s favor or blessing when, though we have no word from God, we capriciously take from the Bible someone else’s' promise or prior record of God’s provision and arbitrarily claim it for ourselves. Claiming that we are practicing faith, we mock the God we allege to glorify for our provision.How is it that we have no faith? I submit it is...
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    12 min