Aug 3

“... to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;” Colossians 2:2

The apostle desires the hearts of the saints to be comforted, knit together in love and reassured in the understanding they have been imparted of the truths of God. In particular he points here to the doctrinal truth, the ‘mystery’ of God, now revealed. This has to do with the powerful truth that God is One. Some would divide God into three separate, distinct persons rather than to see He is but One God, who manifests Himself in multiple ways. This is in part the truth over which Paul wanted the saints at Colossi to rejoice and be assured in. He also instructs them, later in the same chapter, not to be deterred from this truth by traditions, deceptions, philosophies or man’s reasoning. He reminds them that in Jesus dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and that they and all believers are complete in Him! This powerful and liberating truth identifies God and focuses all the glory, the honour, the power and the worship to the One to Whom it belongs! Hearing from, obeying and following the ways of the Holy One of Israel, was and remains core doctrine among the Hebrews and should be so among all Christians also. All of deity, the fullness of it, is in Christ Jesus! It is all in Him! Scholars agree that ‘and’ (kai, in the Greek) may be rendered to mean ‘even’, or ‘that is’, and does not always imply a ‘copulative’ (addition) action. Thus the mystery of God ‘and’ of the Father, ‘and’ of Christ, in our verse, is not a mystery involving three beings, persons or gods. It is the mystery of God, now revealed to man through His word involving God, that is, the Father that is, Christ! We are told in 1Timothy 3 that the great mystery of the Godhead is how that God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory! Jesus fits all of that description! Paul confirms that the fullness of the Godhead bodily dwelt in Jesus, not just a portion, a second person, a third or a partial aspect! The same One God, who was the Father in eternity, took on the form of man and became known as the Son of God in redemption, died on the cross for our sins, rose again from the dead, and now abides as the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers! This is a great assurance, a cause of great comfort, and an establishing, stabilising truth to all the faithful - that we may personally know the God we have believed in and trusted for our salvation! 

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

May 2

“Buy the truth, and sell it not…” Proverbs 23:23

Consider that by truth here is meant all that proceeds from God in His revealed will and word. Jesus taught He Himself is the Truth. With that in mind - how precious is truth? The value of it exceeds the air we need for our lungs, the water and food we require for our bodies, gold, silver, or the most precious commodity we could find on earth! Such is the importance and worth of the truth of God! It is sad to see how devalued it has become among the human family, and at what tragic and disastrous cost and consequences, it has been discarded and sold out. The instructions in our text concerning it are twofold. We must ‘buy’ this truth, it is not something we can afford to put off, or postpone till we may find it at bargain price! The direct command to ‘buy’, signifies we are not to spare the sacrifice, personal cost or price we should pay to obtain it. Ahead of any other ‘purchase’ in life, our time, energy, mind-space, desire and heart, should be settled on taking share and participating promptly and abundantly in the personal ownership of God’s truth, His word, His principles, His wisdom. This acquisition is of paramount importance! It is not made by just buying books which report the truth, or supporting financially those who propagate the truth. It is a personal necessity and can only be fulfilled when we hide the truth in our own hearts. It takes place when we, as the apostle Paul did, make the knowledge, power, and excellency of this truth personally ours, by understanding it and practicing it; when we esteem it so highly that we consider it greater than all other possessions in life. Once we have it and are growing in it daily, there is another directive regarding it. We are to hold on to God’s truth at any cost, never part with it, never lessen its influence in our lives, never replace it or sell it in favour of anything else! Great men and women who have gone before us, have shown how determined they have been to hold on to this treasure from heaven, that their very lives were not considered too high a price to pay. They give testimony to the fact that God’s truth is to live for, and to die for. Such precious commodity cannot be found anywhere else, but in God. To forsake His truth for worldly advantages and temporal pleasures, is to forsake Him. We should therefore defend it in our lives from anyone or anything which could damage or reduce it, taint or adulterate it, modify or manipulate it, compromise, twist or profane it! Absolute care should be taken and prioritised, to ensure that we do not lose sight of the value of it, or forsake the excellence it produces. Keeping this precious truth of God at all costs and increasing in daily in it, must become our ardent, personal desire. 

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

Mar 11

“Which is not another…” Galatians 1:7

Paul had laboured hard with the church at Galatia. He had ensured that they were exposed to the whole counsel of God and understood the gospel of truth. Here we find him expressing surprise and concern over how quickly and with little discernment, they were influenced to follow teaching, which did not support or reflect the truth they had learned from him. Sadly this is not an uncommon fact among many believers. Those who instead of aligning what they hear to God’s Word, as the plumbline and benchmark, merely accept anything that ‘sounds like truth’, will inevitably end up accepting error and a false gospel. False doctrine, promulgated by false teachers, was a serious concern in the early church, and it remains a primary cause of alarm in our day and age. Far too many subscribe and too easily consent to teachings of men, that cannot be satisfactorily substantiated by the Holy Scriptures. Tradition and cultural preferences, often play a major part of bending understanding, and twisting the truth of the Bible to suit the customs and practices of the people being addressed. To some degree this was happening in the early New Testament church, where people of various cultures and established religions, came into the relatively new Christian faith, in spite of accepting Christ, they also tended to include and impose factors of their own beliefs, upon others. Paul speaks against these troublesome individuals, and sees them as perverting the pure and true gospel of Christ. Satan has been intent in manipulating humanity to adulterate and pollute the purity of God’s Word. During the establishment of the church, and often since, many ‘gospels’, so called, have been formulated, and offered as ‘truth’. Paul makes it clear that though some may present alternatives as ‘another gospel’, they are not really “the Gospel” at all! We too must take a stand the way he did. We live in a time when all kinds of substitutions, changes and replacements are being inflicted upon the established Word of God. Many gnostic writings, which had in the past already been disqualified from being included as part of the revealed and inspired message from God, are being resurrected, and presented as viable options and choices of belief for Christians. We should view this as Paul did - a perversion and falsification of the truth! When we hear or read material which cannot be aligned with the revealed Word of God, the Bible, as it has been known and established now for many centuries, let us stand firm and resolute for the truth. It has been correctly stated that "if we do not stand for truth, we will fall for every lie". We are encouraged to distinguish and discern truth from error, through the Spirit of God and the inspired text. It ultimately becomes our personal responsibility to stay true to God and not be moved, affected or persuaded by any of the winds of false doctrine and false gospels, published and proclaimed by false teachers. Let us carefully buy into, treasure and never sell out, the truth God reveals to us from His Word!

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

Mar 6

“For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us…” 2 John 2

The love that is expressed among the saints is the result of God working in the lives of believers, through the truth of His Word. The basis of our unity, love and co-operation are all established on the firm foundations of God’s truth. In a general sense we express this as meaning, firstly Jesus Himself as being ‘the Truth’, and secondly, the Truth of what He says and teaches - the gospel of truth. Jesus said of Himself that He is ‘the Way, the Truth and the Life’ - it is ALL in Him! It is for the sake of, or on account of, this great truth that all who believe in Him, participate in His love. As a family gathered from all walks of life, backgrounds and nationalities, believers mutually benefit, from having the God-supplied ability to both give and receive, His incomparable love.  The Bible speaks of Jesus indwelling the saint, but also of His word, dwelling within those who obey Him. Clearly the truth of God, what He has taught and delivered to humanity, is meant to live ‘within us’. This clarifies that the truth should not be found merely in our Bibles, our religious ceremonies or our churches. It is the will of God that His truth abides and be found, deep within the believer’s heart, mind and soul. It must become his life and the basis upon which all thought, speech and action is founded. Indwelling truth is not relegated to a mere few, but the privilege of all who come to salvation and believe in Jesus. This Truth sets us free from sin, to serve the Living God! It liberates us from the bondage of error and redirects our feet to the path of life! The indwelling truth of God becomes the moral compass, which helps us navigate the treacherous waters of the world, and guides us safely to our eternal home!

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

Jan 11

“…by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.” 2Peter 2:2

The Apostle Peter in the last moments on his life takes time to warn the church against the false teachers and the insidious doctrines they will spread among the church. Sadly many fall prey to these evilly motivated individuals, who are out to corrupt and deceive God’s people. The effects of their actions and works are felt not only in the body of Christ, where some depart from truth to follow them, but also among those unsaved, who are watching the church. The actions of those who falsely profess to believe the Lord, but teach erroneous doctrine, bring disrepute to the way of truth. Often, because of these errant individual’s association with Christianity, true believers and their faith in Christ is also rejected by unbelievers and those who observe the church. The ‘truth is evil spoken of’ therefore, due at least in part to these questionable and unscriptural beliefs found among the ranks of believers. Much is already levelled at Christians because the faith of Christ is so contrary to our contemporary, social and cultural practices. These false teachers only exacerbate this problem, by further aggravating the situation and pouring fuel on the fires of those who are already antagonistic to Christ’s message. As believers it is our task not only to identify these wolves in sheep’s clothing, but also to stand against the falsehoods they attempt to propagate, distancing ourselves from anything which is not supported and validated by the Holy Scriptures. 

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion