CONTINUE THOU IN THE THINGS WHICH THOU HAST LEARNED—II

BEN F. VICK, JR.

          As we travel from the cradle to the grave we ought to spend precious moments with the precious Book, the Bible. An old Jewish rabbi stated that a boy of five ought to apply himself to the study of the sacred scriptures. The Catholics boast that if they can keep a child until he is seven or eight years old, he will remain a Catholic. Paul knew “that from a child” Timothy had “known the holy scriptures.” (II Tim. 3:15.) If the apostle were living today, could he make the same statement concerning us? Would he encourage us to continue, or discontinue, what we’ve learned?

Not only did Timothy learn the holy scriptures, but he could be assured in his knowledge of them. Timothy could place his trust in the scriptures because it was “given by the inspiration of God.” Timothy’s assurance could be placed in the verbal (word for word), plenary (full, complete, entire) inspiration (God-breathed) of God’s word. (II Tim. 3:16,17; I Cor. 2:9-13.) We can have “Blessed Assurance” in the trustworthiness of God’s word—as long as we use reliable translations (KJV or ASV).

From what sources did the young preacher, Timothy, learn? “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded that in thee also.” (II Tim. 1:5.) Sometimes the making of a faithful Christian, preacher, deacon, or elder is two generations away. The unfeigned faith of Timothy dwelt first in his grandmother, Lois, and was passed down to his mother, Eunice.

Timothy was also influenced and taught by the apostle Paul. (Acts 16:1-3; Phil. 2:19-23; I Tim. 1:2.) There is a desperate need for Timothys in the church. This will come to pass when there are more parents and grandparents like Eunice and Lois. More Timothys will “rise up” when more men like Paul show an interest in the young.

Man In The Making

When you see a little fellow

With a little fellow’s smile,

With a little fellow’s actions

And a little fellow’s style—

Doff your hat and pay him tribute;

Stop to praise him while you can,

For this jaunty, carefree youngster

All too soon will be a man.

Soon he’ll gain a man’s full stature,

Take his place and do his part,

Helping solve a host of problems

With a strong, courageous heart.

He may toil in shop or office,

Run a bank or make our laws;

Someday he May Lead His Fellows

As a Preacher of God’s Cause.

So don’t fail to stop and greet him,

For this lad so fancy-free

May become the hope of millions

In a world that’s yet to be.

Timothy was to continue in the things which he had learned because they came from “the holy scriptures.” Our Bible classes should be Bible-filled classes. Children can learn the Bible if teachers will teach the Bible. This writer remembers John 20:30-31 to this day because a fourth grade teacher in Sunday morning Bible class had us memorize it. Too many teachers may only be concerned with the method rather than the message. “My brethren, be not many masters (teachers—margin), knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.” (James 3:1.)

Does one desire wisdom? It can be gained not only through prayer (James 1:5), but through God’s word. The holy scriptures “are able to make one wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” Timothy studied the Old Testament which led him to Christ. (Gal. 3:23-25.) “The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.” Although we are under a New Covenant, there is much to be gained by a study of the Old. (Rom. 15:4.)

The sacred scriptures are divinely inspired; i.e., “God breathed.” Every word was given by God through Christ to the  Holy Spirit who in turn imparted it to man. (John 16:13-15; I Cor. 2:!3; II Cor. 5:18-20.) Thought inspiration alone is out of the question. Words are the wheels on which the vehicle of thought travels. Thoughts cannot be expressed without words.

The Living Oracles are not only inspired; they are
“profitable”; i.e., useful. The Bible is a book for all—from the beggarman on the streets to the king on his throne. It is not to be used as a dust-collector but as the agent of the Spirit (Eph. 6:16) to clear the cobwebs from our minds to see plainly what our responsibility is to both God and man. It “is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” “Doctrine” means teaching. “Reproof” is the same as conviction. “Correction” means, literally, “a restoration to an upright or right state.” (Vines, p. 241.) God’s word is able to put us in our rightful place when we fall. “Instruction” in II Tim. 3:16 and “nurture” in Eph. 6:4 are the same word in the original. It means chastisement or discipline.

The Scriptures are able to make the man of God “perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” That which is perfect (I Cor. 13:19; Jude 3) is able to make us perfect. We, as well as Timothy, must continue in that which is complete (God’s word) in order that we might be complete. God’s word is able not only to fit us but also to outfit us for every good work.

CONTINUE THOU IN THE THINGS WHICH THOU HAST LEARNED

BEN F. VICK, JR.

          With the pen of inspiration the apostle Paul dipped into the ink-well for his last recorded lines to a young man and wrote the book of II Timothy. He records: “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (II Tim. 3:14-17.)

It makes no difference if one is in the spring or autumn of life, there is profit to be gained from these lines. The one who had endured afflictions, did the work of an evangelist, made full proof of this ministry, was writing inspired advice to another who was actually just beginning “to spend and be spent” for the cause of Christ. One who had “fought the good fight” was writing to the other who would “fight the good fight of faith.” The aged Paul, who had “kept the faith” was writing to the young Timothy to keep the faith.

“But continue.” “But” is a conjunction of contrast. Rather than being like the evil men and seducers waxing “worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (v. 13), Timothy was to continue in what he had been taught. “Continue” is present tense and imperative mood which has to do with action which is in progress. It means you keep on continuing or abiding in what you have learned! Timothy was to continue to persevere, to cleave, to hold fast to what he had been taught.

As Christians we must continue to be faithful and not give up. In 1917 the home of Brother Gus Nichols was destroyed by a tornado, along with many other homes and crops in Carbon Hill, Alabama. But they did not quit. The next spring they planted another crop. They started again.

“When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you’re treading seems all uphill

When the funds are low and the debts are high

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit—

Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.”

Timothy was to continue in the things which he had learned. It is interesting to note that Paul says, “...that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures,…” Learning God’s word should begin when one is a babe. Parents sometimes try to excuse themselves from this responsibility by saying the child cannot understand. The inspired apostle stated that Timothy knew the holy scriptures when he was a child, partly grown, a babe. The most impressionable years of one’s life are the first five to eight years. The same word translated “child” in II Tim. 3:15 is translated “infants” in Lk. 18:15.

We learn in two different ways: (1) by word or precept; (2) by deed or example. Children learn in the same manner, except much more quickly. The word “learned” in our text means “to learn, be taught, to learn by practice or experience, acquire a custom or habit, to ascertain, be informed, et al., to understand, comprehend.”  (Bagster, p. 257.) What are our children learning by our actions and words?

The young man learned the holy scriptures when but a child. What is learned by boys and girls today? Many can name the professional football teams, but cannot say the books of the Bible. Many can name some of the greats in the basketball and baseball Hall of Fame, but cannot list the faithful few in the Bible’s Hall of Fame. (Heb. 11.)

What are our children learning from us? Do they learn how to drink? Or how to hate and refrain from such poison? The majority of young people with drinking problems learned such from the home. (Prov. 21:1.) Do our children learn how to argue and fuss? Or how to treat each other with kindness? (Eph. 4:32.) Do our children learn how to make excuses and be unfaithful when we keep them home because they have a slight cold or we, a “terrible headache,” or because of “bad weather” rather than go to worship? (Rev. 2:10.) Will our children continue in the negativism which we began by our constant harping on “what’s wrong with the church”? (Eph. 4:29.)

Several years ago the Boulevard Church of Christ in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, engaged in a study of “Why Are We Losing Our Young People?” They studied their own congregation and a cross-section of others across the brotherhood. Their figures were staggering. They averaged losing 36 percent of their young people over the years. One year it was as high as 73 percent. It was discovered where both parents were “reasonably faithful,” but inactive in the Lord’s work, 54 percent of the children remained. Where the parents only darkened the doors occasionally, the children remained faithful in only 6 percent of the cases! What’s wrong? Parents put other things before the Lord. (Matt. 6:33.)

Would Paul tell our children to continue in what we have taught them?

To Be Continued

CALVARY

BEN F. VICK, JR.

“And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left” (Luke 23:33).

A number of our songs refer to Calvary: “Lead Me to Calvary,” “On the Cross of Calvary,” “Jesus Paid It All,” “The Old Rugged Cross,” “Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross,” and others. The King James and New King James Versions use “Calvary,” as found only in the above-quoted verse. In old English translations, it is found in Wycliffe’s (1388), Tyndale’s (1526), Cranmer’s (1539), and Geneva’s (1557,1560). Interestingly, most of the modern versions do not have the word “Calvary” in them but translate the Greek literally as “The Skull” (ESV, LEB, NASV, NET, NIV).

“Calvary” is from Latin and means “the place of the skull.” “Calvary” connotes preciousness and love in my mind. Matthew and Mark refer to “Golgotha” (Matt. 27:33; Mark 15:22). Golgotha is a transliterated word, that is, rather than the Greek word being translated, the Greek letters are carried over into English (Γολγοθά). At least in my mind, Golgotha connotes gruesomeness, cruelty, ugliness, and hatred. Both are scriptural terms, but each depicts the cross of Jesus from different perspectives.

There is no certainty as to the exact location of Calvary today. The writer of Hebrews tells us Jesus was crucified outside the wall of Jerusalem: “Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach” (Heb.13:12-13). Some of our songs refer to Mount Calvary or the hill of Calvary, but it is not a hill nor a mountain. Jesse Lyman Hurlbut says, “Calvary was not a mountain, but merely a place outside the city where the crucifixion of Jesus took place” (The Bible Atlas, p. 63). However, it must have been located in a prominent place for people to stop and observe or passers-by to see those crucified.

The word “Calvary,” as I stated earlier, is precious because it reminds us of God’s love for the world (John 3:16; Rom. 5:6-8). It reminds us of the sacrificial love that Jesus Christ had for each of us. The word is precious because the Lamb of God’s blood was shed there. Peter wrote, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19). The name is precious because Jesus paid the ultimate price for the church, his flock (Acts 20:28). Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). John wrote, “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

Jesus’ love for us on Calvary’s cross reminds us of how we should love him. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Loving God is demonstrated by keeping his commandments. John wrote, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:3). God’s commands are not so burdensome that we cannot obey them.

The matchless love demonstrated by the Father and the Son for us should motivate us to love each other. The Apostle of Love penned these words: “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him” (1 John 4:7-9). Peter wrote, “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently” (1 Peter 1:22). We are admonished, “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18).

“Golgotha” brings to mind envy, cruelty, and hatred. Jesus knew what awaited him. In sorrowful Gethsemane, Jesus prayed. Matthew records,

Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt (Matt. 26:36-39).

Jesus was hated. The Psalmist wrote, “Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: Neither let them wink [that is, “wink maliciously”] with the eye that hate me without a cause” (Psa. 35:19). Again, he said, “They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: They that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty….” (Psa. 69:4). Jesus said these prophecies were fulfilled: “But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause” (John 15:25).

Think of the cruelty and hatred of the Jews for the sinless Son of God. Death by crucifixion has to be one of the worst ways to die. The Romans had perfected the practice of the Persians. They looked for false witnesses. They cried out over and over to crucify him. Pilate knew that the Jews delivered up Jesus because of envy. The soldiers of the governor scourged him. They took him, stripped him of his raiment and put a scarlet robe on him, plaited a crown of thorns on his head, put a reed in his right hand, bowed before him, mocking him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews.” They spat upon him. They took the reed out of his hand and hit him on the head. They led him to be crucified. The soldiers divided his garments among themselves and cast lots for his vesture. Then, think of the callousness and cold-heartedness expressed in this verse: “And sitting down they watched him there” (Matt.27:36). Yes, Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God, was hated: 

And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God (Matt.27:39-43).

Lest I forget Gethsemane;
Lest I forget Thine agony;

Lest I forget Thy love for me,

Lead me to Calvary.

THE MOUNT OF TRANSFIGURATION

BEN F. VICK, JR.

          “And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead” (Matt. 17:1-9).

The gospel accounts do not tell us on which mountain our Lord was transfigured. McGarvey comments on this:

A tradition dating from the fourth century fixes upon Mt. Tabor as the site of the transfiguration, but this is unquestionably a mistake. Mt. Tabor is in Galilee, while Jesus was still the region of Caesarea Philippi (Mark 9:30). Moreover, there is little doubt that at the same time for centuries previous there was an inhabited fortress upon Mt. Tabor (Josh. xix.12; Jos. B.J. I, 8,7; Vit. 37). Moreover, Tabor is not a high mountain, its elevation above the sea level being but 1,748 feet. Hermon, on the contrary, is the highest mountain in Palestine, its elevation, according to Reclus, being 9,400 feet. It was Jesus’ custom to withdraw for prayer by night (Matt. xiv.23,24; Luke vi.12; xxi.37; xxii.39), and the transfiguration took place at night (The Fourfold Gospel, p. 418).

As Jesus prayed, “the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.” Mark says, “And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them” (Mark 9:3). Matthew says Jesus was “transfigured” before Peter, James, and John. The word “transfigured” (μεταμορφόω) means to change one’s form. I like what McGarvey said: “We may conceive of the body of Jesus becoming luminous and imparting its light to his garments. The Christian looks forward to beholding such a transfiguration and also to participating in it - I John iii.2” (p. 419).

McGarvey indicates this event took place at night. Following Jesus’ transfiguration, Luke tells us, “And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill [or “mountain”], much people met him” (Luke 9:37). McGarvey’s opinion that it was night might also be based on the fact that Peter, James, and John were “heavy with sleep” and were awaken to Jesus’ glory and the two men who stood with him.

Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus. Both were great men. They represented the Law and the prophets, the Old Testament. The Law came by Moses (John 1:17). Moses had died 1500 years before on Mount Nebo and was buried in a valley in Moab in some unknown grave. He was Israel’s great leader for forty years. The record says, “And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face” (Deut. 34:10). He wrote by inspiration the first five books of the Bible, called the Law. He is still heralded today as the great lawgiver.

Elias, or Elijah the Tishbite, was also a great Old Testament person. “A character whose rare, sudden and brief appearance, undaunted courage, and fiery zeal – the brilliancy of whose triumphs – the paths of whose despondency – the glory of whose departure and the calm beauty of whose reappearance on the Mount of Transfiguration – throw such a halo of brightness around him as is equaled by none of the composers in the [O.T.] sacred story.”  He demonstrated courage in the face of Ahab, the wicked King of Israel, and his wife Jezebel (1 Kings 17). His confrontation with the false prophets on Mount Carmel and his flight to Mount Horeb demonstrate the highs and lows in one’s life. The scene of his departure is when he is separated from Elisha by a chariot of fire and horses of fire and taken up in a whirlwind.

What were Jesus, Moses, and Elijah discussing? If you or I could only have been there, we could eavesdrop. We are there in mind, for Luke tells us:  They spoke of Jesus’ “decease.” Interesting word. The word from which we get the name of the second book of the Bible:  “Exodus” (ἔξοδος). It means exit, departure. It is a reference to Jesus’ death. Imagine that. Moses was never allowed to enter the land of promise but died on Mount Nebo, yet he was now with our Savior and Elijah. The latter would not have been speaking from experience because he did not die.

When the apostles were fully awake, they saw the glory of the Lord. As they departed, Peter spoke. “Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”  Peter wanted to honor all three, placing all on the same level. Mark records, “For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.” “Peter’s fears overcame his discretion, but did not silence his tongue” (McGarvey). “While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid” (Matt. 17:5-6).

Our authority today is not the Law and the prophets, the Old Testament, but Jesus. He has all authority (Matt. 28:18; Col. 3:17). We are to hear him concerning the one church, salvation, approved worship, the work of the church, and Christian living. Our authority is not our “think so’s,” philosophy, psychology, schools, scholars, elders, preachers, traditions of men, or the church. We are to hear Christ (Heb. 1:1-3). Inherent in the word “hear” is to obey (Acts 3:22-23; Heb. 5:8-9).

MOUNT CARMEL

BEN F. VICK, JR.

          “Mount Carmel rises from the [Mediterranean] sea as a promontory about 500 feet high, with a narrow beach at its foot. Thence, it stretches away to the southwest about twelve miles. It rises to a height of 1800 feet about eight miles from the shore, and then descends to 1600 feet at its farther extremity” (McGarvey, Lands of the Bible, p. 511). In 1978, I stood upon Mount Carmel and considered what had happened there centuries before.

The event that came to my mind was the confrontation the prophet Elijah had with Ahab and the prophets of Baal. King Ahab was the wicked king of Israel at the time. He had married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians. The sacred historian wrote:

And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him (1 Kings 16:30–33.)

The wickedness of Ahab caused Elijah to pray that it would not rain. The rain ceased for three and a half years. Then, the prophet prayed for it to rain, and God sent it. However, before the rain, Elijah challenged Ahab and the 450 prophets of Baal, plus the prophets of the groves, to a match on Mount Carmel. The people of Israel gathered there as well. Elijah said to the people, “How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word” (1 Kings 18:21).

Elijah made this proposal to the people: “Let them [the 450 prophets of Baal]  therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God” (1 Kings 18:23–24). All the people agreed.

Elijah allowed the Baal prophets to go first because they were many. So the false prophets dressed their sacrifice, put it on the altar, and began calling upon Baal from morning until noon. They prayed, “O Baal, hear us.”  But there was no voice nor answer. They leaped (marginal note says they “limped about”) upon the altar. We are told, “And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked” (1 Kings 18:27). So, they “cried aloud, cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.” This went on till the evening sacrifice. Nothing came from Baal.

Then, Elijah took twelve stones representing the 12 tribes of Israel, and he built an altar in the name of the Lord. He had a trench dug around the altar that would hold approximately three gallons of water. He put the wood on the altar, cut the bullock, and placed it on the altar. He said to fill four barrels with water and pour it on the sacrifice and the wood. This was done three times. The water soaked the sacrifice, and the wood, even filling the trench. At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah prayed, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again” (1 Kings 18:36–37).

God answered his prayer: “Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench” (1 Kings 18:38). When all the people saw this, they fell on their faces and cried, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”  Elijah then commanded all the prophets of Baal to be taken down to the river Kishon; there, they were slain.

Then Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel and fell on the ground with his face between his knees and began to pray. He sent his servant to go up and see if he saw the sign of rain. The servant came back and said, “There is nothing.”  Elijah told him to go seven times. On the seventh trip, the servant saw a small cloud of the sea like a man’s hand. He told Elijah, who commanded him to tell Ahab to prepare his chariot and go lest the rain stop him. The heaven “was black with clouds and the wind, and there was a great rain.” Ahab rode, but the hand of the Lord was with Elijah, who girded up his loins and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel, twenty-five miles from Mount Carmel.

So, what lessons can we derive from this Old Testament story (Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:11)? First, God is a jealous God who demands our love, loyalty, and lives. He wants us to worship and serve him only (Ex. 20:3-6; Deut. 6:13; Matt. 22:37). Second, and closely kin, one cannot serve two masters. “And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word” (1 Kings 18:21). The New King James Version says, “How long will you falter between two opinions?”  Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matt. 6:24). How many today try to serve at the same time God and the world? God and pleasure? God and sports? God and money? It is impossible. As Joshua said, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve.” Third, the value of prayer (James 5:13-17). Fourth, one can see the clear contrast between the impotence of the gods as opposed to the omnipotence of God.

So, whom will you serve?