Defending The Faith #49: TRUSTING IN GOD WHEN YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND

FREE DOWNLOADS

MESSIANIC JEWS AND THE LAW OF MOSES
Free Word Document
Free Rich Text Document

THE CROSS, SELF-DENIAL AND
THE MANIFESTATION OF THE SONS OF GOD
Free Word Document
Free Rich Text Document

DEFENDING THE
FAITH APOLOGETIC ARTICLES [Archive ]

Bill Nugent currently writes a series of articles called "Defending the Faith" which, as the title suggests, defend the Christian faith from the many attacks leveled against it in our postmodern world.

Defending the Faith articles deal with such topics as evolution, UFOs, cults, modern/postmodern philosophy, liberal theology and popular culture. At the end of each article is an invitation to receive Christ as Savior and Lord. These articles are sent out over the Internet to several opt-in email lists. People who receive these articles are encouraged to resend them to their own lists and in this way reach their own unsaved relatives and friends with the Gospel.

To receive these articles which are sent out once per month fill in your email address below and click the SUBMIT button. (Articles are sent from b1e1nugent@aol.com, please make sure you add this to your address book)

FREE DOWNLOADS

MESSIANIC JEWS AND THE LAW OF MOSES
Free Word Document
Free Rich Text Document

THE CROSS, SELF-DENIAL AND
THE MANIFESTATION OF THE SONS OF GOD
Free Word Document
Free Rich Text Document

DEFENDING THE
FAITH APOLOGETIC ARTICLES [Archive ]

To receive these articles which are sent out once per month fill in your email address below and click the SUBMIT button.

DEFENDING THE FAITH #49

TRUSTING IN GOD WHEN YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND

The young father tried in vain to console his twin four year old sons. The boys were upset because a veterinarian had visited their Wisconsin dairy farm and had "put down" (i.e., killed) the entire herd of dairy cows. The boys were fuming with bitterness toward the "evil man" who had killed their beloved dairy cows. Their Dad explained that the cows had a serious infectious disease and if they weren't destroyed all the cattle in the state were at risk of getting it.

The boys countered "But only one cow was sick!" Their Dad explained "Only one had symptoms but all were exposed to the infection, that's why I had to call the vet and had him destroy the herd." The boys exclaimed "You called the vet! You asked this evil man to come and kill our cows!" The Dad explained that he didn't want to do it but he had to. The boys cried "It's just not fair to kill the herd because one cow is sick!"

The Dad realized that their young minds were not able to grasp the finer points of epidemiology. He sighed and said to the boys "I love you and I love all our animals.....I had to do what I did....just trust me, just trust me."

In the same way, God, our heavenly Father also asks us to just trust Him regarding things we do not fully understand. For instance the Bible explains why God created hell yet it seems beyond our grasp to understand it. Why must there be condemnation of sinners in hell? Why must God punish sin?

God implicitly says "just trust Me. Choose life. Choose heaven and not hell."

God sent His Son Jesus to take upon Himself the condemnation due us for our sins. Jesus paid it all when He died for our sins. Heaven's gates are open wide. Jesus paid a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay. Just turn to Him in repentance!

Does it seem unfair because some people haven't heard a clear presentation of the Gospel like you and I have? Romans 1:18-21 explains that the creation itself gives visible evidence for God and also that the conscience within each person reveals God to the person. The Bible therefore teaches that all have seen and heard and are without excuse! God's ways are fair! "Therefore choose life" (Deuteronomy 30:19).

The Bible is scientifically accurate! Find the evidence at www.icr.org.

Steps to salvation: Jesus said "Ye must be born again." (John 3:7)

Believe that God created you and loves you and sent the Messiah (Messiah is Hebrew for Christ) to redeem you.
Believe that Jesus the Messiah came in fulfillment of over 300 Bible prophecies to die for you to take upon Himself the penalty for your sins. (Isaiah 53:5-6, John 6:29, Romans 4:5, First Peter 3:18)
Turn from sin and call on the name of Jesus to receive forgiveness. (Romans 10:13)
Receive Jesus as Savior and experience the new birth. (John 1:12, Acts 2:38)
Follow Him as Lord. (John 14:21)

"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13)

To receive the salvation that Jesus purchased for us at the terrible cost of His suffering and death on our behalf I invite you to pray this simple prayer:

"Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus, the promised Messiah, to die for my sins. I admit that I am a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness on the basis of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit to empower me to serve you under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Amen."

If you prayed that prayer in the humble sincerity of your heart then you have received everlasting life, which includes power to live right in this life and entrance into heaven in the afterlife!

Bill Nugent, Overcomer Ministries of West Harrison, New York, USA

Read Bill Nugent's award winning Christian book, Lawful or Legalistic: How New Testament Believers Must Understand Old Testament Laws. For more information and to order click here.

Return to the Defending the Faith Archive

< DEFENDING THE FAITH
APOLOGETIC ARTICLES
Bill Nugent currently writes a series of articles called "Defending the Faith" which, as the title suggests, defend the Christian faith from the many attacks leveled against it in our postmodern world.
The articles deal with such topics as evolution, UFOs, cults, modern/postmodern philosophy, liberal theology and popular culture. At the end of each article is an invitation to receive Christ as Savior and Lord. These articles are sent out over the Internet to several opt-in email lists. People who receive these articles are encouraged to resend them to their own lists and in this way reach their own unsaved relatives and friends with the Gospel.
All Defending the Faith articles are © 2009 William P. Nugent, permission is granted to email or republish if credit given.
To receive these articles which are sent out once per month fill in your email address below and click the SUBMIT button.

*Security: This Is CAPTCHA Image
Write the characters in the image above (Case sensitive)

LAWFUL OR LEGALISTIC

HOW NEW TESTAMENT BELIEVERS MUST UNDERSTAND OLD TESTAMENT LAWS

Published by Xulon Press, Longwood, Florida USA, this book is available in soft cover at xulonpress.com at a reasonable price. It is similar to our free eBook #1 (Messianic Jews and the Law of Moses) but is written more from a Gentile perspective. Winner of the Best Christian Biblical Book of the year 2008 award given by Christianstoryteller.com.

Grace versus law is an issue of supreme importance to every follower of Jesus the Messiah. Finding the proper balance between grace versus law is a major key to a joyful, victorious lifestyle that glorifies God. The on-line book titled Messianic Jews and the Law of Moses and the new paperback Lawful or Legalistic: How New Testament Believers Must Understand Old Testament Laws tackle the subject of grace versus law from a whole new perspective.

The author, Bill Nugent, a gifted Bible teacher, approaches grace versus law by giving a proper understanding of how the Old Testament law is a prophetic picture of the New Testament walk by the Spirit. For instance the Sabbath was a day of rest on which the people were commanded to cease from work. Under the New Testament we observe not a literal cessation from work every seventh day but rather we observe the spiritual fullness of resting in Christ whereby we cease striving and simply flow in Christ's strength and joy to work in such liberation that it hardly seems like work.

Other aspects of the Old Testament Law such as tithing and the dietary laws are also discussed from this perspective. Issues such as Jewish believers' Torah observance are discussed. The prophetic issues pertaining to the millennium in which some teachers claim that animal sacrifices will be offered in a rebuilt temple are also discussed at length. Other chapters contain some extremely helpful teaching on laying down the self-life and how to walk in continued guidance by the Holy Spirit.

You will enjoy reading this timely, insightful, practical and thought provoking book. What follows are short descriptions of each chapter:

THE TEACHINGS AND LIFE EXAMPLES OF THE APOSTLES REGARDING THE LAW: The whole concept of covenant and covenant law is defined. The New Testament apostolic teaching on the Abrahamic and Sinaitic covenants is explained as a foundation for the central premise of the book. The fact that we fulfill the Law by walking in the Spirit is shown. Voluntary keeping of the literal Law of Moses is permitted but not biblically required. The apostles’ teachings in the epistles are studied in the context of their godly lifestyles which are recorded in the book of Acts. It is important to understand the lifestyle and cultural context of the apostles' teachings. The emphasis in this chapter is why we must walk in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
THE NEW WINESKIN INSTEAD OF THE OLD" Specific examples of literal Mosaic laws (Sabbath, dietary laws etc.) are given in order to show how these laws find fulfillment in Christ. The emphasis in this chapter is on how to walk in the Spirit to keep the law in substance rather than shadow.
WILL ANIMAL SACRIFICES BE OFFERED IN A MILLENIAL TEMPLE? The eschatological question as to whether or not animal sacrifices will be offered in a stone temple during the millennium is dealt with here. This chapter explains why a reinstitution of the animal sacrifice system is not at all intended by the prophetic passages often cited to make this claim. A correct understanding of the prophetic passages is given.
ARE GENTILES UNDER THE COMMANDS OF NOAH? There are some teachers who put Jewish believers under the literal Law of Moses who also attempt to put Gentiles under a separate legal system based on the Noahide covenant of Genesis nine. This chapter explains that Gentiles are free from this obligation because the commands given to Noah also find their fulfillment in Christ. Each of the commands of Acts 15:29 (alleged to be derived from Noah) are analyzed in depth.
THE LAW OF MESSIAH: We are under grace and not under law yet the New Testament is full of commands. This chapter analyzes the commands Jesus gave in the Sermon on the Mount and the commands given through the apostles in the epistles and explains how we are to understand and obey them. Specific examples of how the apostles understood and obeyed these commands are given. Examples from modern day life are also given to shed light on how we must walk by the Spirit to obey New Testament commands.
Click Here to Order

Website Design and Search Engine Optimization by Webbers Communications