SEPTEMBER 18, 2020
Editor | Dr. Shelton Smith
Vol. LXXXVI, No. 18
An Appeal for
Prayer
3
The Christian’s Well of Joy
DR. JOHN R. RICE
What I Learned at
National Sword
Conference
5
The Person and
Work of the
Holy Spirit
20
“With joy shall ye draw water out
of the wells of salvation.”—Isa. 12:3.
That indicates that those who
have the well of salvation still should
give attention, should choose to
draw. Then, Christian, see that
you have the joy that is yours, the
joy provided in the wonderful
well of salvation which all those
who have trusted in Christ have.
One who loses the joy of salvation
may think that he has lost his
salvation. It is hard to feel right
when you are doing wrong. When
the blessed Holy Spirit rebukes us
and our conscience condemns us
for our sins, we are likely to feel
rejected of God.
It may be as the apostle Peter said,
that such backslidden Christians
forget that they were purged from
their old sins (II Pet. 1:9). The
assurance of salvation sometimes
goes with the joy of salvation.
But one of the marks that all the
world can recognize as fitting a
Christian is that of being joyful. It
is wholly out of place for a Christian
to be defeated; to be disconsolate;
to be worried, fretted and unhappy.
A Christian has much to rejoice
about and surely the lost world
about him will not be much im -
pressed with what Christ can do
if He does not satisfy the hungry
heart and give joy to the troubled.
You are a poor testimony for Christ
if you are not a joyful, happy
Christian.
One’s strength in Christian work
depends largely on his joy. When
the remnant of Jews returned to
Jerusalem to rebuild the walls
under Nehemiah, they became
conscious of their sins and failures;
and they were heartsick.
They would have mourned; but
Nehemiah told them that they
should rejoice in the Lord, should
send gifts to others, should cele -
brate God’s blessings, for “the joy
of the LORD is your strength” (Neh.
8:10).
Proverbs 17:22 tells us, “A merry
heart doeth good like a medicine.”
Not only will your health be better,
your rest sweeter, your food tastier,
your face more pleasant; but you
will work better, you will be more
sure of God’s leading, you will be
more confident of blessing, if you
have the joy of the Lord.
It is important for Christians to
Continued on p 21▶
The Destiny Beyond Death
EVANGELIST LESTER ROLOFF (1914–1982)
On the way over to Hebrews,
chapter 9, I’d have you make a
brief stop in chapter 4:
“Seeing then that we have a great
high priest, that is passed into the
heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us
hold fast our profession.
“For we have not an high priest
which cannot be touched with the
feeling of our infirmities; but was in
all points tempted like as we are, yet
without sin.
“Let us therefore come boldly unto
the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy, and find grace to help
in time of need.”—Vss. 14–16.
Now to chapter 7 to see what
kind of priest we have:
“For such an high priest became us,
who is holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners, and made
higher than the heavens;
“Who needeth not daily, as those
high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first
for his own sins, and then for the
people’s: for this he did once, when he
offered up himself.”—Vss. 26, 27.
Now that Priest is the kind I
believe in going to. He must be
holy, harmless, undefiled, separate
from sinners and made higher than
the heavens. Show me one like
that now, and I’ll beat it straight to
him. Who is that? Jesus.
Chapter 8, verse 1: “Now of the
things which we have spoken this
is the sum...,” the total right here.
What is he going to say about the
Priest? He used one little word to
describe Him: “We have such an
high priest.”
A man came to tell me this
morning, “I’m through with my
religion. I’ve traded that off for
Jesus.” That’s the greatest swap
anyone will ever make. Anything
that will keep you from honoring
Jesus and believing in Him, swap
it off!
You Mormons, Methodists,
Episcopalians, Catholics, Baptists
and others, if you are in trouble,
settle for nothing less than Christ
and the new birth, because that
will make you a new creature.
Continued on p 16▶
Should I
Tithe?
DR. SHELTON SMITH
That was the question I received
when a very dear man called me
a few weeks ago. Obviously, the
question is one I’ve heard numerous
times before. Almost always the
question is accompanied by a
recitation of unusual and difficult
circumstances that the questioner
is facing.
So let me rehearse with you my
recitation to him.
1. Although I did not tell him
what he was hoping to hear, I was
gracious in what I did tell him. He
was trying to find a way around
tithing, but he was quite honest
and sincere.
He was wanting to skip his tithing
for a while without becoming dis -
obedient in doing so. When I told
him I did not see any way to do
that, he accepted my answer
humbly and warmly.
2. Circumstances do not alter
the commands of God. Whether
Continued on p 11▶
Pastor Trieber and Others Fined
for Having Church
(California Freedom Crisis Continues)
Some people may think that what is happening to churches in our
nation is not as bad as we report. Believe me, we have firsthand
knowledge of everything we write about churches! Everything is
public record. In California, for instance, churches and pastors are now
being held in contempt and fined for having worship services. ALL
WORSHIP is banned for most of the state. There are many shocking
developments.…
California has gone off the deep end when it comes to attacks on
churches. On July 6, Governor Gavin Newsom banned singing and
chanting. Then on July 13, he BANNED ALL WORSHIP; and this includes
Bible studies and fellowship in private homes with anyone who does
not live in the home.
Violations of Governor Newsom’s orders come with criminal charges
of up to one year in prison and daily fines of $1,000.
These orders are now being enforced against pastors and churches.…
Santa Clara County officials sent “spies” to North Valley Baptist
Church [Dr. Jack Trieber, pastor], looking for reasons to fine and close
the church. The church was fined a total of $10,000 for meeting and
SINGING in each of the church’s two services [August 23]—$5,000 for
each service.
Continued on p 2▶