Just recently news outlets on a local and national level revealed that Vanderbilt hospital has disclosed questionable motives behind its pediatric gender treatment department. In most cases, people who work in the medical professions serve in a decidedly altruistic manner. During the pandemic, doctors and nurses worked for the welfare of their patients in an admirable, sacrificial way.
        That having been said, it is alleged that some working in the pediatric gender department at Vanderbilt are doing it for debased gain and greed. Notice what one doctor was recorded as saying,

Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Clinic for Transgender Health physician Dr. Shayne Taylor describes how she persuaded the hospital to “get into the gender-transition game,” ...The doctor emphasizes that gender transition is a “big moneymaker.... The female-to-male bottom surgeries, these are huge moneymakers,” Taylor says in the video. “They make money,” she adds of the transgender surgeries. “They make money for the hospital.” 1

        It is hard to imagine that a physician who has taken an oath to “do no harm” would even consider making such a statement. Many adults who have “transitioned” expressed troubling regrets over the decision to change sexes. What of children who do not have the maturity to make such a decision? 2
        If these statements made by representatives of Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital were not worrisome enough, certain states have taken steps to remove the power of parents to protect their children from life altering decisions. Notice what a recent decision from California does:

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law last week a bill that makes the state a “sanctuary” for gender-confused children who want to transition medically without the knowledge or consent of their parents. It is a monstrous law that undermines parental rights and puts at risk the mental and physical well-being of vulnerable children who are too young to see past the immediate consequences of their decisions ... The legislation is geared toward out-of-state residents, especially those who live in red states where medical and chemical sex-change treatments are restricted. It includes a number of provisions to shield California’s medical industry from prosecution, including one that prohibits state agencies and law enforcement organizations from enforcing subpoenas by other states regarding where, when, and on whom sex-change treatments are performed. In other words, the law allows California doctors to alter children’s bodies permanently, regardless of parental consent, without fear of consequence. This is exploitation, plain and simple. 3

        The simple fact of the matter is that people within our nation want to take away our parental rights. Imagine a scenario where your child decides to run away to California for a gender reassignment surgery. You find the child and attempt to bring him or her back home and the state of California refuses your parental rights. This is simply horrific!
        Suffice it to say, these positions fly in the face of God’s plan for the sexes, families, and the raising of children. There are wicked, debased elements within American culture who want to totally redefine God’s plan for these elemental parts of the society. What does God’s word say about these things?
        God only created two sexes. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” There are situations where one is born with ambiguous genitalia, but these are extremely rare. 4 In cases where such things happen, some determination is made to affix the gender that is most complimentary to the physiology and DNA of one who is “intersexed.”
        Families are to be headed by a man and a woman who then introduce children (1 Tim. 5:14) to the union. Matthew 19:4-5 says, And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?” This being the case, God has located marriage and family within the confines of a male and female unity that is scripturally married (Matt. 19:9).
        Those children, whether adopted or born into the family, are to be raised by their parents and no other entity. Moreover, children are to obey their parents. Ephesians 6:1-4, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” It is not the God-given right for the culture to raise children, but this is exactly what many within our government and culture want to do.
        The values of our nation have been perverted by individuals who want to promote an agenda endorsing alternative, ungodly lifestyles. Christian families must be strong and stand firm in their belief that God’s word is the only source that provides direction for successful training of children.
        ------------------------------------

 ENDNOTES:

        1 Olohan, Margaret Mary (2022). “Vanderbilt University Medical Center Under Fire After Videos Expose ‘Big Moneymaker’ Allegations About Transgender Surgeries on Kids.” The Daily Signal. Vanderbilt Under Fire for Allegations About Transgender Surgeries on Kids (dailysignal.com).
        2 Newgent, Scott (2021). “We Need Balance When It Comes To Gender Dysphoric Kids. I Would Know.” Newsweek. (newsweek.com) “I am a 48-year-old transgender man. I was thrilled when the medical community told me six years ago that I could change from a woman to a man. I was informed about all the wonderful things that would happen due to medical transition, but all the negatives were glossed over. Since then, I have suffered tremendously, including seven surgeries, a pulmonary embolism, an induced stress heart attack, sepsis, a 17-month recurring infection, 16 rounds of antibiotics, three weeks of daily IV antibiotics, arm reconstructive surgery, lung, heart and bladder damage, insomnia, hallucinations, PTSD, $1 million in medical expenses, and loss of home, car, career and marriage. All this, and yet I cannot sue the surgeon responsible —in part because there is no structured, tested or widely accepted baseline for transgender health care.”
        3 White, Kaylee McGhee (2022). “California Becomes First Sanctuary State for Child Exploitation.” Washington Examiner. www.washingtonexaminer.com
        4 Most individuals are born with normal genitalia. Experts have determined that only 0.018% of the population are born with ambiguous genitalia. This is much lower than some would have us to believe. One writer says,

Many reviewers are not aware that this figure includes conditions which most clinicians do not recognize as intersex, such as Klinefelter syndrome, Turner syndrome, and late onset adrenal hyper plasia. If the term intersex is to retain any meaning, the term should be restricted to those conditions in which chromosomal sex is inconsistent with phenotypic sex, or in which the phenotype is not classifiable as either male or female.

        Sax, Leonard (2010). How Common is Intersex? A Response to Ann Fausto-Sterling. The Journal of Sex Research. How common is lntersex? A response to Anne Fausto Sterling: The Journal of Sex Research: Vol 39, No 3 (tandfonline.com)
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Atheism and evolution demands that order comes from disorder, design comes from chaos, organization comes from randomness.

        Atheism demands that order and design came from disorder, no design, and is continuing to do so —that man is still evolving into a higher form of life. They put themselves in a dilemma from which they cannot escape. All we have to do is ask a little five word question. “Where did that come from?” They tell us man came from an ape. “Where did that (ape) come from?” They say it came from a lower life form. “Where did that (the lower form) come from?” Just keep asking that simple question no matter how many times they attempt to answer it. In a very short time they will close the conversation and try to make you feel like an idiot for asking it. They know they’re trapped! They know they can’t answer it. They trip over themselves and fumble around with no place to go. They will say you’re not educated. You’re not in the elite class. You’re not “up” to their level. But truth be told, we’re not stooping “down” to their level. Where’s the evidence?
        Atheists are in a prison from which they cannot escape. In order for them to prove there is no God, they would have to logically prove that:
        1) matter (material, substance, stuff) is eternal,
        2) life came from rocks and dirt,
        3) consciousness came from that which had no consciousness,
        4) conscience came from that which had no conscience,
        5) intelligence came from that which had no intelligence,
        6) humans came from that which was not human.
They cannot prove a single one of these points, yet they cling to their geologic time-table and hope that people won’t notice the illogical and disastrous position they’ve put themselves in.
        Notice the chart.1 Brother Thomas Warren used it in his debate with Wallace Matson in 1978. It clearly shows how ridiculous atheism’s position is. It illustrates the dilemma atheists have made for themselves by denying the existence of God. Brother Warren effectively showed them to be in a prison from which they cannot escape unless they can prove each point.
        Design and order (the universe and all that exists) does not come from disorder and chaos. The first and second laws of thermo-dynamics proves this to be the case. Thermodynamics is the study of the relations between heat, work, temperature, and energy. It is essentially the science of energy. The laws of thermodynamics describe how the energy in a system changes and whether the system can perform useful work on its surroundings. God is the one who established the laws of physics.

 

        The First Law Of Thermodynamics says that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Man cannot make or construct matter from that which does not exist. He can take that which already exists and make something out of it, but he can’t create matter itself. Nor can he take lifeless matter and give it life! This dispels the false theory of evolution and shows it is impossible —life does not and can not come from non-life. However, this law of physics (which God made) does not take into account that an all-powerful being (God himself) instantaneously created matter and then formed it into all that exists in the universe. Now that God’s creative work has ceased and He is creating things no more, His established laws of thermodynamics cannot be changed. Genesis 2:1-3, “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”

        The Second Law Of Thermodynamics says that everything is deteriorating, running down, wearing out. This process is called entropy. Entropy is the lack of order or predictability —gradual decline into disorder. Entropy is simply a measure of disorder and affects all aspects of our daily lives. In fact, you can think of it as nature’s tax. Left unchecked, disorder increases over time. Energy disperses, and systems dissolve into chaos. The more disordered something is, the more entropic it is considered. It is a measure of the disorder or randomness of a thing. Entropy is always increasing towards becoming less useful —deteriorating, decaying.
        Wouldn’t it be nice if our car or house never wore out —that nothing ever rusted or rotted or decayed? You would think that would be a good thing, but it’s not good at all! The whole world would be one big garbage dump. Think about it, every tree that ever fell would still be laying on the ground where it fell (unless man moves it). Every leaf of autumn that falls to the ground would never rot and be absorbed back into the soil. You couldn’t get rid of anything! Everything would last for ever. God’s great wisdom in the creation of this world made it so that everything is in the process of decaying —being recycled by God’s design.

        Entropy is increasing! Everything that exists is trending more and more toward disorder, disarray, randomness. The sun that sustains life on the earth is burning up. Every day that passes it is a bit smaller than it was the day before. It’s like a log on the fire that burns till it’s gone. It uses the substance/material from which it consists and transforms it into heat, smoke, and ashes. Evolution says the sun is about 4.5 billion years old and only has 5 billion years left before it burns out. That means the mass of the sun would have been significantly larger one billion years ago. In fact, it would be so large it would make life on earth impossible. For example, the surface temperature of Venus is approximately 850o yet it is only 28.5% closer to the sun. The larger the sun, the closer to earth, therefore the hotter the earth!
        The system of atheism demands the very opposite of entropy. They want us to believe that things are increasing (evolving) into that which is better and more complex. Atheism demands it to be so and that the process is continuing even now.
        Since Atheism demands there is no God, no supreme being who created the universe, they are left with the false theory of evolution. They can’t explain the universe, physical matter, objects like stars, planets, moons, comets, etc. And though they believe the first law of thermodynamics that says that energy is neither being created nor destroyed, they still claim the universe had a beginning in the far distant past which contradicts this law! They can’t answer the simplest question, if the universe did not exist until the “big bang“, where did the material (matter, substance) come from that exploded?
        Those who are willing to examine the evidence arrive very quickly at the conclusion that God created the universe and all that is in it. Genesis 1:7-2:22, v.7 “And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. ... v.16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. ... v.25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. ... v.31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. ... chapter 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. ... v.3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. ... v.4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,... v.9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. ... v.22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
        part 2 of 3
        The Warren-Matson Debate on the Existence of God (p.11) —a four-night discussion held in Tampa, Florida, Sept. 11-14, 1978. Book published by National Christian Press, Inc., P.O. Box 1001, Jonesboro, AR 72401.
    ------------------------------           
                “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God” (Psalm 14:1). “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts” (Psa. 10:4). “The wicked saith within my heart, there is no fear of God before his eyes” (Psalm 36:1). “Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice” (Exodus 5:2). “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, ...For the invisible things of him [God] ...are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:22,20).
               


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The marriage relationship superseded all other human relationships. There is a natural affection between parents and children, but it is our spouse that has the priority of our love.

        Marriage is not sin, neither is it an accommodation of sin; marriage is a God blessed relationship. A man or a woman may forego marriage, but that does not make either of them more holy than those who marry. When Jesus said, “...he which made them at the beginning made them male and female” (Matt. 19:8), he was referring to Genesis 1:26-28. Having created them male and female, “God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” This blessing implies a “physical relationship,” but men and women were not to be like the beast of the field. They were created in the image of God, and therefore there would be a “spiritual side” to this relationship that would be suitable for them as spiritual creations. Hence, God had Adam say, “Therefore shall a man leave his father, and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Gen. 2:24).
        It is common for friends and family to give gifts to those getting married. The physical relationship that enables man to replenish the earth is God’s gift to the married; it is his blessing. “God blessed them” (Gen. 1:28). This is a gift that is not to be opened until the marriage has taken place. Before marriage, and outside of marriage, this physical relationship is fornication. Paul wrote, “to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband” (1 Cor. 7:2). We read in Hebrews 13:4, “Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”
        In a marriage, a man gives himself to a woman, a woman gives herself to a man, and they receive each other as their own. Adam said of Eve, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh” (Gen. 2:22). Paul wrote, “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies, He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it” (Eph. 5:28-29). In another place he wrote, “Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife” (1 Cor. 7:3-4). When he touches her hair, he touches his hair; when she holds his hand, she holds her hand; when they look into each other’s eyes they gaze into their own eyes, for they are one flesh; they each belong to the other. “Wherefore they are no more twain but one flesh” (Matt. 19:5).
        We must not think that marriage is only for the accommodation of a physical relationship. Marriage also fills social and emotional needs. The marriage relationship superseded all other human relationships. There is a natural affection between parents and children, but it is our spouse that has the priority of our love. God said, “Therefore, shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife” (Gen. 2:24). We do not choose our parents, and though we may choose to have children, except for adoption, we do not choose our children. We choose our spouse. We are responsible for our choices.
        In God’s plan, men are to love their wives as Christ loved the church. The text says “Christ...gave himself for it” (Eph. 5:25). Jesus did not just die for his church, before he died, he lived for his church. In both living and dying, husbands are to give themselves for their wives. When a man marries, his life is not his own; it is hers. He has given his life to her; that is how a husband loves his wife. This love goes beyond affection. God put man in the garden to dress it and to keep it (Gen. 2:15). Then, he put the woman in the garden. Now, the husbandman was to be a husband. As he was to dress and keep the garden, he was now to dress and keep his wife. The New Testament says he “nourisheth and cherisheth her” (Eph. 5:29). That is, he provides for her and protects her. Men need to man-up and do this. As the garden was to thrive under the husbandman’s care, so also is the woman to thrive under her husband’s care. You can tell a good husbandman by the way his garden thrives, and you can tell a good husband by the way his wife thrives.
        In God’s plan, the wife is to submit herself to her husband. “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing” (Eph. 5:22-24). Husbands, hear this! The Bible does not say, “Husbands make your wives submit.” Submission is the woman’s responsibility. She submits to her husband as part of her submission to God. It is the husband’s responsibility to be worthy of her submission. Wives, hear this! God made woman because it was not good for man to be alone. God made her to be a helper suitable for man (Gen. 2:20). “Help meet” means “helper suitable.” That means, “She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life” (Prov. 31:12).
        We may laconically say that God made men because he knew that women needed to be loved, and God made women because he knew that men needed help! When a wife belittles and ridicules her husband, she is not helping him. She helps him by submitting to him and honoring him. It has been said that what a woman really wants is a man that she admires to love her, and that what a man really wants is a woman he loves to admire him. This is scriptural, for Paul wrote, “Let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband” (Eph. 5:33).
        God has given us two wonderful models for marriage. The first model existed before there was sin (Gen. 2), and the second is the model of Christ and his church (Eph. 5:22-33). Marriage is good for the man because it is not good for him to be alone (Gen. 2:18). It is good for the woman because she was made for the man (1 Cor. 11:8-9). It is good for children because they need parents (Eph. 6:1). It is good for a society because a stable and enduring society needs stable and enduring families (Exodus 20:12). And, it is good spiritually, if for no other reason, than that the relationship between a husband and a wife is to exemplify the relationship between Christ and his church (Eph. 5:32).
        Marriage is not sinful; God’s plan for marriage is good —“very good” (Gen. 2:31).
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The home of a Christian mother is filled with love, compassion, comfort, encouragement, forgiveness, and tranquility.

        The societal influences in the US have taught a different picture of the home than the one presented in the pages of God’s Word. Two people no longer have to get married. If they do get married, they do not have to marry the same sex. If they get married, they do not have to stay married for life. If a home is established, there are no basic roles to be found therein. In fact, we are told that men are weak and the woman is really the strength of the home. Children no longer have to be part of a home. There are many ways, including abortion, to keep from having children. If children are part of the home, they wield a lot of power. Parents who try to train, control, and discipline their children are looked upon as abusers. Today, State (government) wants to be the dominate agent in the child’s life until he/she reaches adulthood.
        Christians are battling against the culture when it comes to the home. We are told our Biblical values are irrelevant and out-of-touch with the 21st Century. Christians, however, cannot allow culture to win. Paul exhorts us with these words in Romans 12:2, “and be not conformed to this world...” The word “conformed” means “to be made fashioned like” and “to be formed into a pattern.” Paul exhorts children of God, saying: “Do not let the world mold you” and continues with these words: “...but ye be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” Our minds need to be “renewed” by the Word of God. The word “renewed” means “to be renovated.” Thayer tells us that it means “a complete change for the better.” Yes, Christians must go to the Good Book to learn how to live. Regardless of the mold the world seeks to pour us into, we must rebel against it. We must continue to be true to the precious truth (instructions) found in God’s Word. We must allow God’s Word to transform us into something much better than the world has to offer.
        The Bible teaches that it is important to have both a father and a mother in the home. When God created the home, he put a father and mother therein (Gen. 2:18-24). He gave each of them different roles in order for the home to function smoothly and in order for children to receive what they need to develop properly into adults. Both fathers and mothers need to understand, appreciate, and commit to their roles in the home. If they do not, the home will not be what God intends for it to be.
        Let’s notice the importance of a Christian mother in the home. We must emphasize the adjective “Christian.” A Christian mother is one who has put on Jesus Christ through the act of baptism (Gal. 3:26-27). A Christian mother knows God, Jesus Christ, the Word of God, the church, and the importance of living a Christian life. She has priorities that are different from mothers who are not Christians. She understands the importance of worship, service, Bible study, prayer, good works, morality, and love. She yearns for her home to be in harmony with God’s truth. She does all that she can to make her home a “heaven on earth” for all those who live therein. She makes certain that her “Christianity” is not just a lot of talk. Oh no! Her Christian life is the fabric of her home. Christian mothers who do not understand these things need to do a diligent study of Proverbs 31:10-31. To become a virtuous woman ought to be the mark for which every Christian mother strives.
        There are three things that every Christian mother needs to be within her home.
        1) She needs to be the “home maker.” Several passages of Scripture reveal the need of the mother to make her home her top priority. In 1 Timothy 5:14, Paul exhorts the young women with these words: “I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.” In Titus 2:5, Paul says the younger women need to be taught “to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.” The home is the woman’s kingdom. The husband is the king. She is the queen. She is the ruler, master, and manager of the affairs of the home. Can she work outside the home? Yes. But, she must never neglect her responsibilities as the steward of her home. This obligation is what brings health, stability, strength, and peace within the home. Proverbs 31:27 summarizes this aspect of motherhood. “She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.”
        2) The mother must be a teacher in the home. A father has this obligation as well (See Eph. 6:4). But, the mother is engaged with her children much more than a father is. The book of Proverbs indicates that mothers are instructors of their children. In many passages, the instruction of a mother is emphasized. Early in Proverbs 1, Solomon writes: “My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother” (v.8). In Proverbs 6:20, he writes: “My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother.” Mothers need to be laying down “the law” in their homes. The need to teach the basics of love. They need to instruct their children in the laws of morality. They need to make certain their children understand the fundamentals of Christian doctrine. Mothers can also instill within their children what it means to work hard and be respectful. They can make certain their children learn what it means to be self-disciplined. To teach these things, mothers will also have to boldly and carefully wield the rod. Proverbs 29:15 makes this point clearly to mothers. “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.”
        3) A Christian mother will make certain she is a good role model for her children. She knows “little eyes” are watching her. When those eyes are little, they look upon their mother as they would a princess. If the mother is true, sincere, and consistent in her manner of life, those eyes will still see her as a princess when they have matured into adulthood. “Her children arise up, and call her blessed” (Prov. 31:28). Her children see her as a provider (Prov. 31:14-15, 21-22). They see her as a hard worker (Prov. 31:16-19). They know she is a servant to others (Prov. 31:20). “Strength and honor are her clothing...She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness” (Prov. 31:25-26). She manifests to her children exactly what it means to be a Christian. Her children are glad to be able to call her “their mother.” Her life is so influential that all of her children strive to be like their mother in so many ways.
        Dear readers, the influence of a Christian mother in the home cannot be stressed too much. She makes her home. She guides and trains her children. She exhorts her household to walk in her footsteps. The home of a Christian mother is filled with love, compassion, comfort, encouragement, forgiveness, and tranquility. A home that has a good Christian mother is a “beautiful” home regardless of the size and style of the external dwelling place. Long after mom is gone, her children still remember and appreciate her. They are thankful they were blessed with a mother who refused to conform to this world, but was transformed by the power of God into a godly mother who intentionally fulfilled her role in her home.
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        In response to hearing the Truth upheld and false doctrine being refuted, some say, “Why don’t you just preach about love?” Some have the notion, and it is false, that you cannot declare and defend the Truth, and at the same time, have love. The thinking of some is that love will never condemn sin, and if one does so, he is unloving.
        Some are confused about what Bible “love” really is and how it is to be demonstrated. Preaching Bible “love” in no way precludes declaring, demonstrating and defending Bible Truth. If we are to preach “love” and we must, what is involved?
        To preach “love” is to preach the LOVE OF GOD. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). “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 4:9).
        To preach “love” is to preach LOVE FOR GOD. “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment” (Matt. 22:36-38). “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). It is not enough just to declare with our lips our love for God. Our love must also be demonstrated by and in our lives. Therefore, we will: 1) Spend time in prayer (Col. 4:2); 2) Search and study His Word (John 5:39; 2 Tim. 2:15); 3) Seek spiritual things first (Matt. 6:33); 4) Serve him in obeying His Word (John 14:15); and, 5) State and show our love for others (1 John 4:21).
        To preach “love” is to preach LOVE FOR GOD’S WORD. “O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). If we have a love for God’s Word, then that will be demonstrated in what we proclaim and practice. A love for God’s Word means that we will: 1) “preach the word” (2 Tim. 4:2); 2) “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15); and 3) “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). It also means that we will: 4) not “wrest” the Scriptures (2 Peter 3:16); 5) nor preach a perverted Gospel (Gal. 1:6-9).
        To preach “love” is to preach LOVE FOR THOSE WHO ARE GODLY AND THOSE WHO ARE GODLESS. We are to love all mankind, including our enemies (Matt. 22:39; 5:43-44). “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also” (1 John 4:20-21). We are to “love one another with a pure heart fervently” (1 Peter 1:23). Love for others means we will do what we can to help them physically and spiritually (Gal. 6:1-2, 10; 1 John 3:17; James 5:19-20; Jude 23). Proclaiming the Truth to others, praying for others, persuading people to give up their sins and to promptly obey the Gospel is demonstrating the proper kind of love for others.
        We cannot say we are preaching “love” and that we genuinely love others when we withhold the saving Gospel from them and refuse to “reprove, rebuke and exhort” (2 Tim. 4:2).
                Jerry Joseph
                PO Box 1385
                St. Peters, MO 63376


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        For His purposes and for His glory, God has used folks from a wide variety of backgrounds. If you and I are willing to be humble servants, He can use us, too.
        God used a shepherd by the name of Abel (Gen. 4:2; Heb. 11:4).
        God used an ark-builder by the name of Noah (Heb. 11:7).
        God used a man who moved around a lot by the name of Abraham (Heb. 11:8).
        God used a man whose brothers hated him by the name of Joseph (Acts 7:9).
        God used baby-hiders by the names of Amram and Jochebed (Heb. 11:23).
        God used an oft-forgotten older sister by the name of Miriam (Micah 6:4).
        God used an accurate javelin-thrower by the name of Phinehas (Num. 25:7).
        God used a helper of Moses by the name of Joshua (Josh. 1:1).
        God employed an ox-goad user by the name of Shamgar (Judges 3:31).
        God used a woman by the name of Deborah who gave judgment under a palm tree (Judges 4:4-5).
        God used a woman by the name of Hannah who prayed for a son (1 Sam. 1).
        God used a harp-player by the name of David (1 Sam. 16:21-23).
        God used an unnamed “little maid” to help Naaman learn how to be cleansed of leprosy (2 Kings 5:1).
        God used a widower by the name of Ezekiel (Ezek. 26:18).
        God used a man by the name of Daniel who was a government official in two different empires (Daniel 2 and Daniel 6).
        God used a man who was a shepherd by the name of Amos (Amos 7:14).
        God used a man who ate locusts and honey by the name of John (Mark 1:6).
        God used a fisherman by the name of Andrew. He used other fishermen, too (Mark 1:16-20).
        God used an encourager by the name of Barnabas (Acts 4:36-37).
        God used non-famous servants by the names of Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas (Acts 6:3-6).
        God used a garment-maker by the name of Tabitha (Acts 9:36-39).
        God used a tanner by the name of Simon to provide lodging for another man by the name of Simon (Acts 9:43).
        God used a soldier by the name of Cornelius (Acts 10:1).
        God used a young man by the name of Timothy who came from a mixed-marriage (Acts 16:1-3).
        God used the former chief ruler of a synagogue by the name of Crispus (Acts 18:8).
        God used a couple by the name of Aquila and Priscilla to provide a place for the church to assemble (1 Cor. 16:19).
        God used a doctor by the name of Luke (Col. 4:14), a lawyer by the name of Zenas (Titus 3:13), and a man who had been a runaway slave by the name of Onesimus (Philemon 10,11).
        Without doubt, the Lord can use You and me, too. Let us live for His glory.
                Roger D. Campbell
                120 Fawn Dr.
                Cleveland, TN 37412


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