by Jimmy Jividen

It is cowardly not to stand up for your convictions. If you believe a thing is right and true, by all means, say so! The silent majority cannot change things unless they have the courage to stand up and be counted.

John speaks of a group of Jewish leaders who practiced silent compromise:

"Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue" (John 12:42).

Those Jewish leaders believed in Jesus but they compromised their faith by saying nothing. They did not want the disapproval of the Pharisees or to be cast out of the synagogue, so they kept silent. They were afraid.

All it takes for error to prevail is for those who know the truth to say nothing.

Thanks to The Voice of Truth International, Vol 8, p. 33.

by Hollis Miller

Some important lessons for modern times can be learned from Paul's words recorded in 1 Corinthians 1:28-2:16. What the apostle wrote by inspiration certainly ranks among the most instructive verses in the Bible. In them he declared that the message of the cross of Christ is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to all who are being saved.

The philosophers known to the Corinthians had been unable through their wisdom to deliver men from enslavement to moral and spiritual darkness. They had been unable to do so because their philosophic eyes were incapable of penetrating beyond the boundaries of human thought.

Had philosophy been able to deliver men from the realm of darkness into the realm of light surely the Greeks would have supplied the bridge. They could boast of some of the greatest thinkers ever to walk the earth. Yet their genius had utterly failed to provide men with the truth that sets them free.

In the scripture cited above, Paul declared that the cross of Christ is God's wisdom, the wisdom which the wise of this world think is foolishness. The apostle's statement is by no means limited to the first century world. Many today rejoice when the faith of Christians is attacked by theorists of various descriptions, slandered, or laughingly ridiculed. Yet Paul declared that it is these very people who are themselves acting foolishly.

What should the church today learn from 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:16? One obvious lesson is that when the Gospel is rejected, nothing can be gained either for God or for men by turning to human wisdom for a substitute message. Another is that worldly wisdom and heavenly wisdom do not equal each other. It is therefore a dangerous thing to assume that worldly learning within itself will better equip one to either proclaim the Gospel or to lead the church. Unless the wisdom gleaned from the wise of this world is supervised by heavenly wisdom one is poorly prepared to lead others into total faith in the sufficiency of the cross of Christ.

At Corinth the Gospel made its greatest appeal to those who were not enthralled by their own wisdom, power, and riches. Paul stated it thusly: "For see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called." Just how this stated fact applies to different societies in different times may be a flexible matter, but experience seems to teach us that even today biased worldly wisdom, power, and wealth do not equip many for reception of the Gospel. God's ways are not worldly man's way, and it still remains true that the cross of Christ is foolishness to those who think more highly of their own wisdom than they do of God's wisdom.

Thanks to The Voice of Truth International, Vol 20, pgs. 13-14.

by Warren Baldwin

Many Americans have recently received an Email from the prestigious Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, known as the FDIC. Or have they really?

The fraudulent e-mail claims to be from the FDIC and informs recipients that their bank account has been denied insurance as a result of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. David Barr, a spokesman for the FDIC, said that the letter is mostly free of the grammatical and spelling mistakes that usually act as a sign that the message is not genuine. The scheme is only the latest attempt to get personal and financial information through fraud, a criminal activity known as "phishing."

The letter states that unless recipients confirm their personal information by going to what looks like an FDIC web site, their account will lose its protection. The address bar in Internet Explorer displays "www.fdic.gov," while the actual Web site is at a different address in Pakistan.

If there is a way to cheat someone, someone will think of it.

I thought this information would be good to share with you because, for one thing, you might get that e-mail! I don't want any of you to have your personal and financial records nosed through by some criminal, and possibly have money diverted from your account to theirs. (That is still known as "stealing.")

Second, this story reminds me of how EASY it is for us to be deceived by "wolves in sheep's clothing." An e-mail from a "concerned" source wants to help protect us from financial and personal predators, yet the "concerned" source is the actual predator! And since they work out of or through Pakistan, we can't even track down or identify who the predators are!

Sadly, there are other predators like these, only more sinister and devious.

"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves" (Matt. 7:15).

"There were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord" (2 Pet. 1:11).

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith" (1 Pet. 5:8,9a).

The work of these spiritual predators may take several tacks:

• to get us away from the sound doctrine of the Bible.

• divert our attention from the eternal God to some lesser god.

• get is to settle for the deceiving pleasures that last only a season.

• fill us with pride and arrogance.

• lead us to never think of eternity. What matters is "right now."

I've seen spiritual bank accounts robbed by predators gaining access to a Christian's heart. Hope lost. Faith lost. Salvation lost.

But the good news is ... it doesn't have to happen. Heed the warning: "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (Jas 4:7).

God PROMISES VICTORY to those who remember the source of the true life... God himself.

By Michael E. Brooks

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal" (Matt. 6:19,20).

I am just returning from a preaching trip to Ramgar, in Kagrachary district in the Hill Tracts of Eastern Bangladesh. This is a region with separatist groups who have longstanding conflicts with the national government and is considered a dangerous part of the country. Travel has been restricted, especially by foreigners, but I was finally allowed to visit the area.

Among several new experiences on this trip was my first opportunity to be provided with armed security. Upon our arrival in Ramgar we checked in with the local police station and were assigned four armed policemen who were to stay with us and protect us throughout our visit. Needless to say that impressed me with the official assessment of potential danger. It also gave me a rather welcome feeling of having my safety valued, and of being well protected.

Security is one of the great pursuits of mankind. By putting locks on our doors, hiring guards for our person, and acquiring investments and insurance against our future, we seek the feeling of safety. And yet this is one of the most difficult of all goals to attain. No matter how hard we try we cannot guarantee that we will not be robbed, or attacked, or become ill, or have any of hundreds of bad things occur in our lives. In fact, we can guarantee that bad things will happen, eventually.

Yet in spite of this gloomy situation, there is hope. For the lack of true security is only a physical problem. While we cannot be sure of good health, long life and prosperity for our bodies, we can absolutely guarantee eternal prosperity for our souls. Jesus' description of heaven as a place secure against thieves and corruption assures us that God is able to protect us against any threat and secure us in any situation. This is true not only after death and judgment, but in our spiritual welfare while we live on this earth as well. Consider these wonderful promises given through Paul.

"If God is for us, who can be against us?... Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?... No in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:31,33,37-39).

Security is possible, but only by seeking it through obedient faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus taught, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me" (Jn. 14:6). And Peter proclaimed, "…there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Whereas there is absolutely nothing we can do which will ensure longer life, continued prosperity, or physical safety, God can keep us safe from all things. And, though he has made us mortals in terms of our physical bodies, he has made our souls immortal, able to live forever with him. That is true security and is sufficient for all our needs.

by Tim Hall

The crowds that follow Tiger Woods around the golf course are enormous. Television cameras are everywhere when Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers come to town. Fathers and sons come to the ball park early to see Alex Rodriguez take batting practice. In the minds of those who watch such superstar athletes is this question: "How do they do it?" What enables this performer to hit the ball so far, to putt so accurately, to hit free throw after free throw?

My own layman's opinion is that there must be a certain degree of inborn ability. That's pretty obvious in basketball, for example. If you're less than six feet tall, it's going to be nearly impossible to make the pros. But it takes more than genetic luck of the draw. The main ingredient behind all of these sports elites is practice. Those who spend hours in the gym or on the playing field preparing themselves for the competition are the ones who excel. Take away the practice, and a person is rarely going to make a name for himself.

Spiritually the principle is the same. Most of us would consider Daniel a superstar. What courage he displayed when King Darius signed the order prohibiting prayer to anyone other than himself! Instead of obeying a sinful command, Daniel put his trust in God. He chose a night with the lions instead of a month away from God.

What enabled Daniel to take such a courageous stand? The answer is found in Daniel 6:10: "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days" (NKJV).

"As was his custom": That explains Daniel's superstar performance that day. Had it not been for the many hours of practicing his faith toward God, he surely would have failed this test.

Jesus also demonstrated the principle. As the time of His arrest and persecution drew near, Jesus was fully aware of what lay ahead. But in spite of His foreknowledge of what He was about to face, He kept moving forward with no hint of retreat. What gave Jesus such courage in the face of trial?

The answer is in Luke 22:39: "And coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him." Luke went on to record that Jesus prayed, the activity to which He was accustomed. Many other statements in the other gospels attest that prayer was a daily habit with Jesus. Without that, could He have stood the test?

Many of us avow that we want to be bold and courageous for the Lord. But are we willing to make spirituality our daily custom? Can we turn away from the distractions of life to be nourished by the Father above? Why do we expect to be strong in the trying moments when we fail to look to God in the mundane moments?

We should meditate longer on that phrase in Luke 22:39: ". . . and His disciples also followed Him." To be strong like Daniel and Jesus, we'll have to spend hours practicing our faith like Daniel and Jesus.