September 18, 2020

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▶