Category Archives: Faith

Beneath The Banner of the Cross

In the news recently, there have been several reports of people disrespecting the American flag. In fact, there seems to be a trend in a certain segment of our culture nowadays to manifest a flagrant disregard for the institutions which have been the foundation of this country. Much of this attitude has been brought about by our educational institutions abandoning their charge of teaching our history and, even in some cases, teaching our children that America is to blame for all the ills in the world.

Some will say that the flag is nothing but a piece of cloth. It is true that the flag is made up of cloth but I would suggest it is something more than mere cloth because it stands for an idea. If someone wanted to burn or stomp on their own clothes or some useless rags, that is their choice. But the flag stands for high and lofty ideas and that is what makes it important. Of course, it is only important to those to whom those ideas it stands for mean something.

As Christians, we march under a greater flag, a divine banner. The Psalmist stated, “Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth” (Psalm 60:4). We often sing the words, “There’s a royal banner given for display to the soldiers of the King. As an ensign fair we lift it up today, while as ransomed ones we sing. Marching on! Marching on! For Christ count everything but loss. To the King of kings, we’ll toil and sing, beneath the banner of the cross.” In the hymn “Stand Up! Stand Up for Jesus” we sing “lift high his royal banner, it must not suffer loss.” We march under that holy and royal banner of the cross of Christ.

Isaiah described a time when God would raise up an ensign, or banner, out of Jesse which the Gentiles would seek (Is. 11:10). This prophecy spoke of Christ (Rom. 15:12). Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so was the Son of man lifted up (Num. 21:8,9; John 3:14).

Isaiah (62:10-12) described it this way:

Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highways; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.

Matthew quoted this passage and applied to the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem just before His arrest and crucifixion (Matt. 21:4,5). Over the New Jerusalem flies the Royal Banner of Christ!

But as in the world, so in the church, there are some who hold disdain for that holy banner. In the world there are those who would remove every vestige of memory of Christ from our culture and bully Christians into submission or out of our society. In the church, there are those who would change the charge under which we march as soldiers of the cross. They won’t preach Christ and Him crucified but prefer some worldly philosophy or some newly imagined sociological theory. They seek to entertain and get along with the world instead of teaching it the Truth or warning it of the coming Judgement. In this, they show just as much or even greater contempt for the Banner of Christ as some do for the flag of the United States by trampling upon or burning it.

Instead, let us march boldly under the Banner of the Cross, lifting it high. Let us preach in the name of the Lord the truth that saves. “Over land and sea, wherever man may dwell, make the glorious tidings known; Of the crimson banner now the story tell, while the Lord shall claim His own Marching on! Marching On! For Christ count everything but loss. For the King of kings we’ll toil and sing beneath the banner of the cross”

Eric L. Padgett

Should We Obey God Or Woman?

In a recent speech given at the Women of the World summit, Hillary Clinton, Democrat candidate for President, stated that “Far too many women are denied access to reproductive health care and safe childbirth…And deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed.” While you might think that she was referring to some far away, oppressed, backward country, she wasn’t. She went on to clarify that what she referred to was “not just in far away countries but right here in the United States.”

In many ways this is simply a strange statement. The expression “reproductive health care” is just a nuanced way of saying “abortion.” The Planned Parenthood website, for instance, while they offer other token services (very few of which seem to be related to parenting) clearly seeks to promote and advance abortion. It is nearly all they talk about. And yet, apparently, Hillary Clinton thinks there are not enough abortions even in the United States where there have been 57,852,000 since 1973. Already, this year alone, there were 360,187 abortions. Think of this! These are innocent lives being snuffed out just because they were inconvenient to someone else. And Hillary Clinton thinks women are denied this “right”?

Furthermore, she blames religious beliefs for stifling abortion. Whatever else she may be referring to when she says this, she has in mind the Biblical teaching that abortion is murder. She would have Christians to change their “deep-seated religious beliefs” in order to bring about her goal of increased access to abortion. This clearly demonstrates not only a lack of humanity but also a lack of understanding on her part of the nature of truth, the origin of the Bible and the basis of Christianity.

Christians do not arbitrarily decide what they believe. We believe the things we believe because they come from God, not from any man (or any woman). All scripture is given by inspiration of God (II Tim. 3:16,17). Faithful Christians would never, could never, change their view about the sanctity of life. Those who would presume to alter the teaching of God’s word are warned:

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book (Rev. 22:18-19).

Christians, those who follow and adhere to the teaching of Jesus Christ, know that to add to or to take from the word of God is sinful. Christians would never seek to alter or have others alter their deep-seated views that come from God. Indeed, we ought to obey God rather than men or woman (Acts 5:29). While many will form their worldview based on something other than the Bible, faithful Christians, will have a “Thus saith the Lord” for their deep-seated beliefs.

This country does not now need, nor does it ever need, leaders who tempt its citizens to dismiss the will of God or have disdain for the sanctity of human life, which is made in the image of God. It needs leaders who will lead based upon the word of God. At the very lest, we need moral leaders who uphold the traditional Judea-Christian values that formed the basis of the founding of this country.

May God help us in the upcoming elections to choose men and women who uphold the traditional values upon which this country was founded, who will uphold the sanctity of life, and who will listen to God’s word as they govern.

Eric L. Padgett

The Power of Spiritual Vision

When the servant of Elisha saw that the king of Syria had surrounded the city of Dothan in order to capture Elisha, he trembled in fear, not knowing what would become of them. But Elisha comforted him by assuring him that “they that be with us are more than they that be with them.” He must have been uncertain as to what they meant until, when the servants’ eyes were opened, he saw “the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha” (II Kings 6:13-18).

Much too often we fail to see things in the right way, as they really are. The truth is, “the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (I Sam. 16:7). While we might be clean in our own eyes, the Lord looks at us as we really are and weighs our spirits (Prov. 16:2). The way we look at an issue, will determine how we will address it.

The story is told of two rival shoe salesmen who went to a very backward country. When the first man got off the plane and looked around, he immediately went to the nearest phone and called his office. “Buy me a ticket and bring me back home. No one wears shoes here. There is no market!” The second shoe salesman got off the plane and looked around. He, too, went immediately to the nearest phone and called the home office. “Send me all the shoes we have. The market is wide open. Everyone needs shoes here!” How we look at the situation determines how we respond.

Some look at their own sin-filled life and wonder how they can ever straighten it out. Like the rich young ruler, they look at it as an impossible task (Luke 18:18-30). “Who then can be saved?” they wonder (v. 26). As long as we focus on our possessions, which is what the rich young ruler did, then we will not see the greater issues involved. For “what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:6).

When Jesus came to the apostles by walking on water while they were in the boat, Peter wanted to walk to Jesus on the water, too. And, at first, he did. But when he took his eyes off of Jesus and focused only on the wind and the boisterous sea, he began to sink (Matt. 14:25-33). When we take our eyes off of Jesus, when we lose focus in life, when we don’t see things as they really are, we will sink in the boisterous waves of life. That is why we must ever look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:1,2).

Sometimes how we look at things is betrayed by our speech. Some say, “I have to go to church Sunday” or “I have to go to Bible study.” But one who has the right attitude will sincerely say and mean “I get to go to worship” or “I get to go to Bible study.” They will see it as a privilege and a blessing instead of a burden and a chore. Some look at giving in the same light: “I have to give to the church…” instead of “I get to give back to the Lord…”

How we sincerely look at things makes a big difference in our life. If our eyes are opened and we see things as they really are, when we see that sin is real (Rom. 3:23), and when we see that God’s love is manifested to us in the gift of His Son (John 3:16), when we see and understand that Jesus’ sacrifice was necessary (Heb. 9:17-22), and when we see that there is a judgement day coming (Acts 17:30,31), it will make a difference in the way we live our life.

Eric L. Padgett

The High Calling Of God

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:13-14)

Many people today claim that they are called of God by some mysterious, inner voice which only they can discern. For instance, one website states, “When I was younger, I just knew God wanted to do something special with my life…To feel called by God is to serve God by loving people.” Another website asks “How can you know whether God is calling you to conversion? Begin by asking yourself what, if anything, is changing in your outlook toward life, especially in the way you think.” Those who think they are called of God in this mysterious way fail to understand how the Bible teaches God calls individuals.

The Bible very plainly teaches that God calls not just some of us but all of us. It is a universal call. This call comes not through some “feeling” or “life change,” but through the gospel of Christ (II Thess. 2:14) and the gospel is to be preached to everyone (Mark 16:15,16). Therefore all men are amenable to the gospel of Christ, not just some, and all men everywhere receive this divine call (Acts 17:30,31). This call is not mysterious but clear and clearly defined in the word of God (Matt. 11:28-30).

This call is described as the “high calling of God.” This word translated “high” means “upward or on the top.” It is translated “brim” in John 2:7. The water pots were to be filled to the brim, to the very top. Everywhere else it is translated “above.” We are to set our affections on things above, for instance, and not on things on the earth (Col. 3:1,2). When something is described as “high” it means it is at the apex or the zenith. There is nothing higher or more important or more special. The gospel call is certainly the most important call there is. To respond to God’s invitation of salvation is the most important thing one can do in life.

It is a high calling because it comes from God. If some important person were to call upon us to do something, we would not hesitate to do it. We would be honored that they thought to call upon us. And yet, there is no one more important than God. But when He calls, so many either shun Him or begrudgingly respond to His call. It seems many value more a mere mortal request above that of a divine one. But because this call comes from the throne of God, it is, indeed, both a heavenly calling (Heb. 3:1) and a holy calling (II Tim. 1:9).

We should never mistake our own conscience for God’s voice. Our conscience can be defiled (Tit. 1:15) or seared (I Tim. 4:2) or evil (Heb. 10:22). God’s voice does not come mysteriously, in some better-felt-than-told experience. God’s voice is objectively written down for us and all to see, read and hear. We do not have to guess at what God wants us to do; we just need to read and understand it (II Tim. 2:15).

May we press toward the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Eric L. Padgett

Moses, Faithful in all His House

“And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after” (Hebrews 3:5).

Moses01Like Abraham, the life of Moses provides us an impressive example of genuine faith. Though Moses’ origins were humble, by God’s providence and Moses faith, he accomplished great things for God. Hebrews 11:23-27 gives a listing of the things which the inspired Hebrew writer wanted us to understand, things that would encourage faithfulness to God.

First, genuine, saving faith is fearless. By faith, Amram and Jochabed saved Moses from destruction as an infant, by hiding him in an ark of bulrushes and setting him in the Nile (or one of it’s tributaries). This was done in faith and therefore they must have received some instruction from God in this regard (Rom. 10:17). This godly couple chose to obey God and risk their own lives to save their son for some great purpose God had in mind for him, ultimately, the deliverance of the people of God. Disobedience to Pharaoh, however, could have meant death, but obeying God was much more important to Amram and Jochabed. Can the same be said of us? Is God’s will important enough to us that we are willing to loose our lives to obey Him. Certainly the first century church thought so (Rev. 2:10; Acts 8:1-4; etc).

Second, genuine, saving faith does the right thing even when it is the hard thing. It is tempting to take the easy way out of a difficult situation. But unless that easy way is the right way, and it usually is not, then it is a course of action that should not even be considered. Moses could have taken the easy way out and remained in the court of Pharaoh, even, perhaps, possibly taking the reigns of power. He could have refused to consider the plight of his own people and his life would have been easy. He could have justified, in his own mind, staying in power so that some time later he might show a kindness to his people when he had more leverage.

But Moses chose to do the right thing, which was the hard thing, and stand with the oppressed people of God. His actions would have offended the Pharaoh, his daughter, and the Egyptian people. who had embraced him as one of their own. But it was the right thing to do. In our lives we may find ourselves in a situation where telling the truth will cause some people, maybe even people we love, to be hurt. And no matter how much we temper it, the truth will still hurt. In that situation, will we have the faith of Moses? We may find ourselves in a situation where the truth leads us to have to part company with loved ones, or friends. When that happens, will we have the faith of Moses to do the right thing even though it is the difficult thing?

Third, genuine, saving faith endures even under withering attacks. Moses was able to lead the people of God out of Egyptian bondage, even facing tremendous challenges. Pharaoh opposed him, The people of Egypt despised him. Death traps appeared constantly before him. Great obstacles lay in his way. Even his own people questioned his leadership and challenged him and accused him. But Moses had the kind of vision that leaders of faith have for he saw Him who is invisible and he endured. He did not stagger at the promise of God. Do we have that kind of faith? Do we have faith to follow the Lord’s will and let the chips fall where they may? Do we trust that if we seek first the kingdom of God all things we need will be added unto us (Matt. 6:33)?

Fourth, genuine saving faith obeys God even when doing so doesn’t always seem to make sense to us. Why build an ark when it had never even so much as rained? Why should I leave Ur and go to a place I have never even heard of before? How can I, an old man, have children? How does being immersed in water save me? How does prayer work? Why should I attend worship or take the Lord’s supper? Why does God require this foolish preaching? How does painting blood on my door post protect me from death? Moses understood the power of the word of God. God said. That settles it. And I believe it. That is the posture of faith.

Finally, genuine saving faith will go forward even when there seems to be great obstacles in the way. Moses and the children of Israel were apparently trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea. To go back, they would be slaughtered by Pharaoh’s troops, the instrument of satan to destroy the seed of the woman. Before them lay the great red sea and death by drowning. What do you do in this situation? You obey God! “And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward” (Exodus 14:15). Even when it seems like we are trapped in sin and there is no way out we must know that God has prepared a way of escape. Paul tells us this example of Moses is given to us for an example, that we might know that “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (I Cor. 10:1-13).

Moses was verily faithful in all his house and he provides a great example for us to follow.

Eric L. Padgett