Since Easter when I wrote “A Meditation on Christ” God has had me doing much writing and preparing for the very busy summer months ahead. I so enjoy writing when God is behind my thoughts the words just fly off my heart and fingers. And when I get emails from my friends in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa, like the one from India, “thank you Pastor Dave for daring to tell the truth. We need to hear your words they strengthen, exhort, and correct us. Now in our times of trouble we have been strengthened” I am full and thankful. His words have credibility for there is great persecution in India today. But I must say not all of the emails were as gracious as the one from India.

Of the 100s of emails I received from my latest articles only three emails were not encouraging and grateful. Two were even angry and down right mean spirited, but that is okay a man cannot give what he does not have for out of his mouth (or fingers) speaks his heart. I was puzzled about these emails after all I just told the truth, but my friend if you tell the truth those who do not want to hear the truth will attack you. Jesus told the truth and they killed Him and is the servant greater than the master? If you tell the truth many will get offended, but that is okay because the preaching of the Gospel is to offend people. The Lord reminded me that I cannot talk to all as being spiritual, but some as babes. Paul could not either, “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:1) After all when babies hear what they do not like they get upset and angry. When they get offended they spit up the truth and justify themselves with their presumption, ambition, and imagining. The Lord spoke to my spirit and brought this verse to mind, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3) The word “contend” here in the Greek means: to contend with adversaries, to fight, to struggle with difficulties and dangers. Friend we are to “earnestly contend for the faith” or to fight, to struggle with difficulties, adversaries, and dangers for “the faith.” The word “the” means one and only, there is no other. My friend there is only one faith, “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Ephesians 4:5-6) If there is only “one faith which was once delivered to the saints” why then are there so many denominations within the Body of Christ? It is no wonder in the real Lord’s Prayer (John 17) Jesus prayed for unity for us. Brethren we are to contend for the faith. We are to make a stand for the truth (not some doctrinal or denominational statement) and withstand the barbs, slings, and arrows that will come our way. There is only one “name” given whereby a man can be saved. On the day of Pentecost Peter stood and proclaimed the truth and it has not changed, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) We cannot be saved by the “name” of the Pentecostals, Methodist, Lutheran, Baptist, Presbyterian, Church of God, Catholic, Assemblies of God (etal) churches. Salvation is only found in the precious “name” of Jesus. If there is one faith (and there is) and if we can only be saved in the “name” of Jesus (this is true) then why do we gather under different names and not the name we were first called, “Christians?” (Acts 11:26)

Jesus never minced words when talking with the Pharisees and Sadducees, the denominations of His days. They too (just like today) feed and clothed the poor, gather people in a building to worship God, and even paid to have the Gospel message spread around the world, but Jesus was not deceived by the appearance of their religion and traditions. “ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.” (Matthew 25:23-27) Time and time again confrontation after confrontation Jesus stood His ground, no matter the cost, and told them the truth. We must learn this lesson from Jesus and make a stand for the truth. Please do not be placated and pacified with the ease of organizing and taking care of financial and procedural matters. It is the spiritual matters we are held accountable by God. Jesus had more problems with the denominations of His days then He did with the Devil. The Devil knew (and trembled) at who Jesus was, but the denominations of His days had no clue nor did they care.

My friend we must read the Bible and understand what we are reading. It is very odd how we go after and memorize certain verses we like, but it is the ones we do not like that cause us to make a stand and grow in God. We all like John 3:16, but how many times have we recited these verses, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. 37He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matthew 10:34-39) Jesus is the King of kings, Lord of lords, and the Prince of peace, but He has come not “to send peace on earth, but a sword.” The Prince of peace has come, “to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.” Jesus has come to see if we love Him more than them all. Jesus comes with a sword to see if we will allow Him to cut the world’s way of thinking and our selfish heart out of us and replace them with the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5) and His heart of love, righteousness, and justice. Jesus comes to see if we are willing and obedient to take up our cross (not Jesus’) and follow Him. You know it is tough following someone while carrying a cross. He comes not to save our life, but to see if we love Him enough to lose our life for His sake. Because He knows if He can get us to lose our life, for His sake, we shall find it. If we are not willing to contend for the faith then we are not worthy of Him. If we are not willing to struggle and fight for truth and righteousness, no matter how long someone has been entrenched in a lie, then we are not worthy of Him. If we are not willing to stand up and speak or write against something that is not of God, no matter how religious it looks and sounds or how many years it has been around, then my friend we are not worthy of Him.