Dear Liberal Friend
13
J UNE 14, 2019
Editor | Dr. Shelton Smith
Vol. LXXXV. No. 12
Big Beer Boom
Bad News
3
Eternal Security
17
Two Kinds of Christians
There Are Three Kinds of Men but
Only Two Kinds of Christians
DR. JOE HENRY HANKINS (1889–1967)
“But the natural man receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God: for
they are foolishness unto him:
neither can he know them, because
they are spiritually discerned.”
“And I, brethren, could not speak
unto you as unto spiritual, but as
unto carnal, even as unto babes in
Christ.”—I Cor. 2:14; 3:1.
The three kinds of men
mentioned in those verses are the
natural, the carnal and the spiritual.
The two kinds of Christians
mentioned are the carnal and the
spiritual.
“Natural man” describes the
condition of every person until he
has been born again.
The “carnal” Christian has never
developed in his Christian life. He
is saved; but he has no power,
bears no fruit, has no victory or
real joy and no assurance of his
salvation. He lives an up-and-down
life—first hot, then cold; happy
today, unhappy tomorrow; victor -
ious today, defeated tomorrow.
His influence never counts for
God because there isn’t enough
in his life that speaks of salvation
in Christ.
Now the other class, the
“spiritual,” are saved people who
are growing in their Christian
lives—growing from “faith to faith”
(Rom. 1:17), from victory to victory
in Christ. They are happy. They
know they have been saved. And
they rejoice in the hope of the
glory of God.
Their lives constantly speak of a
new life within and they tell the
world that Christ is living within.
Theirs is a radiant religion. The
world takes “knowledge of them,
that they [have] been with Jesus”
(Acts 4:13).
Let us think together about these
three classes.
I. THE NATURAL MAN
The natural man cannot under -
stand and cannot receive “the
things of the Spirit of God: for they
are foolishness unto him: neither
can he know them.”
Many people become disturbed
when they see that brilliant, highly
educated men are outspoken
skeptics and infidels. Particularly
do people become upset when
scientists, who understand the laws
of nature and have delved into
the great truths of science and
understand scientific laws, still have
not found the truth about God
and salvation.
Many of them refuse to believe
Continued on p 9▶
“Progressive” Atlanta Church
Adds Psychic to Church Staff
Many churches today have staff members beyond just the pastor
and music minister, but an Atlanta church is making news with a new
hire: a self-described psychic medium.
Lakara Foster has been brought on to the staff of Vision Church in
Atlanta.
“My name is Lakara Foster,” she says in a promotional video, “and I
possess an extraordinary gift.”
In particular, that “gift” is talking to the dead.…
Foster is quoted in a news story…claiming that her supposed gift is
biblical because the Book of James states that “every good and perfect
gift is from above.”
A Christian Post story about Foster describes Vision Church as a
“progressive congregation” without explaining that description, but
the church’s website states that its pastor, Bishop O. C. Allen III, is
married to his “life-partner,” who is a man.
—Steve Jordahl, onenewsnow.com
EDITOR’S COMMENTS: “Progressive” is a code word used by
Continued on p 2▶
The Dogs Came
DR. LEE ROBERSON
“ere was a certain rich man,
which was clothed in purple and
fine linen, and fared sumptuously
every day:
“And there was a certain beggar
named Lazarus, which was laid at
his gate, full of sores,
“And desiring to be fed with the
crumbs which fell from the rich
man’s table: moreover the dogs
came and licked his sores.
“And it came to pass, that the
beggar died, and was carried by the
angels into Abraham’s bosom: the
rich man also died, and was buried;
“And in hell he lift up his eyes, being
in torments, and seeth Abraham afar
off, and Lazarus in his bosom.”—
Luke 16:19–23.
the unseen and should bring men
A great preacher of past days face to face with God.
said that every sermon should have
I agree with him.
at least three things. First, it should
Another person said that every
have life. It should be human,
sermon should have a touch of
natural, practical and applicable
the sensational, for “sensation is
to everyday living.
better than stagnation.” He was
Second, it should have sympathy.
It should comfort and console, certainly right about that. With
these words as an introduction, I
inspire and uplift.
say
that God can use anything for
Third, it should have a touch of
His
glory.
the eternal. Every message should
be alive with the atmosphere of
Continued on p 11▶
Three Keys to Happiness
DR. CURTIS HUTSON
Some time ago I read an article
in Reader’s Digest. Part of it said,
“Man needs three things to make
him happy: someone to love,
something to do and something
to hope for.”
Of course everyone wants to be
happy. Most of the choices we
make in life are made with our
happiness in mind. If we go out to
buy something, we ask ourselves,
Will this make me happy? Will I be
happy with this automobile? with
this house? Yes, people want to
be happy.
I remember a song we sang
when I was younger entitled
“Everyone Wants to Be Happy.”
A man wrote his congressman
and asked, “Where is this happiness
our Constitution guarantees?”
The congressman wrote back,
“The Constitution does not guar -
antee happiness. You must pursue
it for yourself.”
While driving to Louisville,
Kentucky, I thought about those
three things: someone to love,
something to do and something
to hope for. In Christ we have all
three. He is everything we need.
I’m convinced that the average
Christian lives and dies without
realizing all that he has in Christ.
Continued on p 12▶