God’s Control of Nations – 2

By Jim Mettenbrink

The rise and fall of a nation should concern every person. The reason is that God controls nations’ existence – “The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it” (Jeremiah 18:7-10). What this passage does not reveal is the precise redline when God decides to destroy a nation. However, the security and prosperity of the nation, i.e., its continued stable existence is clear – Obey God and the nation stands.

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God’s Control of Nations

By Jim Mettenbrink

Nations rise and fall. That is the term we use – “rise and fall.” When does a nation rise? God promised to make Abram’s descendants into a great nation – “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2). That implies they would need a territory – land. 400 years before that nation was formed, God told them where the land was located – “ On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates— the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites” (Gen 15:18-21).

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Hearing or Listening?

The Bible places great emphasis on the importance of hearing, using the word “hear” over 500 times. Many times it is found in historical references, but when Jesus came He placed special emphasis on the way we hear. Since faith comes by hearing (Rom. 10:17), it is important that we make sure we listen when God’s word is speaking to us, building our faith and directing our lives.

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God’s Final Words in the Old Testament

By Dan Jenkins

Thirty-seven of the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament had been written when Zechariah began his work as a prophet. What had God not reveal to His chosen nation? What more needed to be said before the close of that part of the Bible? The answer to these questions emphasizes the importance of the words of this prophet.

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Did Jesus rise from the Grave?

By Jim Mettenbrink

Such a contrast to Jesus!! We live in an era of Postmodernism. Whereas Secular Humanism advocates that each person makes his own truth. Postmodernism proclaims there is no truth. In stark contrast, Jesus of Nazareth stated that He is THE truth and the only way to God (John 14:6) . The foundation of Christianity is that He rose from the dead, thereby showing He is God and, yes THE truth. Considering the testimony recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the New Testament regarding Jesus’ resurrection – The evidence of His claim to be the living deity. If this is so, then you are obligated to follow His will and be accountable to Him.

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God Doesn’t Believe in Atheists

By Brad Harrub

God does exist. All of the best-sellers in the world that espouse otherwise will not change that fact. But if we really expect our children to believe and follow the One True Living God, we must start thinking outside the box! Sadly, the atheists of this country are doing their job better than we Christian parents are. It’s time someone state the obvious: What we’ve done in the past hasn’t worked. If you do not believe this, just walk into a church building and inquire if anyone there has children who have abandoned the faith. But be prepared—for the line that forms before you may be much longer than you ever expected. Far too many young people are leaving the church only to turn around and embrace secular humanism, or even worse, atheism.

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The Danger of Shallow Biblical Knowledge

By Dan Jenkins

When I was a student at Freed-Hardeman University, the Mooresville congregation near Lewisburg, Tennessee wanted to send me to help spread the gospel in Georgia. Through one of teachers at the college, I made contact with the church in Savannah, and I preached in my first gospel meeting in an attempt to plant the church Statesboro, Georgia.

I was there for two weeks knocking on doors and inviting the people to the upcoming meeting. On the Sunday before the meeting began, I worshiped with the Bull Street congregation where W.F. Buffington was preaching. I will never forget what he said in that Sunday morning Bible class.

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Cheer the Death of a Newborn Infant?

By Kevin Cauley

Not too long ago, the State of New York’s legislature passed legislation that permitted a woman to abort a child up to the time of birth. The governor signed the bill into law, and the legislature cheered. Not too long after this happened, Virginia’s recently elected governor proposed something along the same line. Such news saddens me because it tells me that our society is drifting further from God each day. Who, in their right mind, would cheer the death of a newborn infant? Yet, some would cheer the death of infants seconds from being born.

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How Important is Your Righteousness?

By Brad Harrub

Humans have a propensity towards “works righteousness.” We may not want to believe it, but deep down, most of us think we are playing a major role in our salvation. I think many Christians acknowledge the role Jesus Christ plays in our salvation, but the reality is we scour the Scripture to find things “to do” and then work real hard believing we play an important role.

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What Does Faith Do?

By Tyler King

When the prophet questioned God’s tactics in using a pagan and disturbing nation to accomplish His will (Habakkuk 1), God responded in simplicity; “have faith.” We talk often about faith and how we need to constantly “have” it as if it’s a possession. While faith can indeed be had, I would also suggest that it needs to be lived. In that same discussion, we often spend so much time in talking about what faith is that we miss what it does. Here are four quick ways that faith impacts our life, according to the Hebrew writer when recalling God and the prophet Habakkuk:

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