By His Stripes – Broadcast for May 22,2013

Which would be more important? Healing from a sickness that caused suffering or death; or healing from a sickness which would doom you to eternal fire? The right answer is: “let’s stay out of the fire!

In 1 Peter 2:24 we read: Christ Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness— by whose stripes you were healed. (I Peter 2:24 NKJV) This verse is often quoted in regard to physical healing, that Jesus was beaten and tortured so that we could be free of illness. But, the stripes came from the beating Christ took not for His wrongdoing but for mine, and for yours. The healing offered is for sin.

Jesus bore our sins and thus we can be dead to sin and live righteously. We are freed from the penalty of sin; given life to live for righteousness. Instead of being a slave to sin we are freed from the hold sin had upon us. Therefore we can do good even when mistreated by others including those in authority. We are healed of the need to strike back but can trust God to get us through.

The outcome of Christ’s death and our new life because of His sacrifice is that we can trust God through undeserved persecutions and know that God will never fail us.

_{Notes and comments © 2013 by Ronald C. Reed All rights reserved.}

Trusting God Through Suffering – Broadcast for May 21, 2013

In 1 Peter 2:23 we read: who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; (I Peter 2:23 NKJV)

Christ is our example of one who suffered under the hand of authority but didn’t not strike back at them. He did not threaten them. He submitted even to the point of death. In each situation, Jesus committed Himself to God who judges righteously.

When we are hated, mistreated, threatened and suffer wrong, we can trust the One who judges righteously. It may be that the unrighteous treat us unrighteously but God always sees us and will help us in all situations. He gives grace for the suffering and a crown to the overcomer. Christ suffered more than any other and His way through the suffering was unwavering trust in God.

Our faith will be tested. The defeated enemy is still trying kill and destroy God’s people. Persecutions may come but we can trust God through each difficulty. Sometimes life is dark and hope seems distant but even when hope seems lost we can have faith in God knowing that He never changes, always sees us and knows the outcome. We can trust God no matter what may come.

_{Notes and comments © 2013 by Ronald C. Reed All rights reserved.}

No Sin or Deceit – Broadcast for May 20, 2013

Do you remember Goofus and Gallant? They were characters in the Children’s HIghlights magazines I used to read at the doctors office. Goofus was the guy who always got it wrong and Gallant was the the kid who always knew what to do in a most polite and proper way. The point for us kids was we were supposed to follow Gallant’s example and behave correct and proper all the time. The underlying question was: “Whose example will you follow?”

In 1 Peter 2:22 we read: Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: ​​“Who committed no sin, ​​Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; Jesus was terribly abused and persecuted; He was beaten and crucified in spite of His sinless nature and loving kindness toward all. Jesus was not a deceiver. He was truth and every word He spoke was truth.

He suffered, leaving us an example to follow. We should start with living apart from sin and walking in truth. This will in itself set us apart and may lead to rough treatment from the world. Jesus also submitted to authority even when that authority mistreated Him.

Submission is not a popular idea but it is the example Christ gave us. We should follow Christ as rebellion is the opposite of Christ!

_{Notes and comments © 2013 by Ronald C. Reed All rights reserved.}

Fear God – Broadcast for April 12, 2013

What is the difference between fearing God and loving God? To fear is to have a reverence for and also to be afraid of. To love is to have affection for and also to have a commitment toward. We should both love God and fear God. I had a great dad who I loved very much but I also would tremble with fear if I thought I had done something I shouldn’t. He never abused me but he certainly disciplined me. I was fearful of my dad but I loved him very much.

In 1 Peter 2:17 we read: Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. (1 Peter 2:17 NKJV) Our proper relationship with all people should be that we honor them, that is show them kindness and respect regardless of whether they deserve it. Our proper relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ is to love them. Not just have affection for them but to have a bond of commitment to them that goes beyond the needs of today. Our proper relationship with God is to fear Him. To have reverence for God. To be in awe of Him. But also to fear God, knowing what He will do with those who refuse His grace and kindness.

I have observed families where the children were too afraid of their dad. It was quite unhealthy as the children had no concept of grace or love only of the terrible punishment that would fall upon them it they stepped out of line. I have also observed families with completely lack of discipline. The result was children who had no respect for authority of any kind. It fell to their teachers in school or sunday school to teach them to be respectful. God is our Father and He is perfect. If we learn to respect God, to fear Him then it will be no problem to show respect for others as must.

A healthy fear of God will also keep us from sin. Jesus said: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! (Luke 12:5 NKJV) We should take this warning to heart. Fear God. Revere Him.

_{Notes and comments © 2013 by Ronald C. Reed All rights reserved.}

Who is My Brother? – Broadcast for April 11, 2013

When we ministered in India several young men I met called me uncle. In Israel I expressed friendship with an Arab man and he immediately kissed my cheek and called me brother. Then he held my hand. I am not used to men holding my hand but it was such a sweet gesture. In Russia I had to think quick when the Russian pastors were giving Holy Kisses. I wasn’t quite ready for that so they all settled for a holy handshake.

In 1 Peter 2:17 we read: Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. (1 Peter 2:17 NKJV) Who is my brother as written here by Peter? My brother is every other believer of all time who has come to Christ as savior and trusts in God. The brotherhood is the family; we are together in the kingdom of God that transcends time and will be ours for eternity. When we are all together in eternity with the Lord, we will understand this completely. We will love each other with great affection.

How can we have that now? How can we have the warmth of friendship with other believers without waiting for the sweet by and by. We must be filled with love, learn to express that love and learn to be comfortable in those expressions. It starts with being friendly and continues with really caring about others. The deeper you go into fellowship with other believers the easier it will be to form these bonds of love.

We are so separated by doctrines, denominations, politics and race but we must all come together and love one another. What is our common bond? It is that we are all born again of the same Father. God has called us and made us acceptable and now we must accept and love each other.

_{Notes and comments © 2013 by Ronald C. Reed All rights reserved.}

The Spirit of Jonah – Broadcast for April 10. 2013

God said to Jonah: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you.” (Jonah 3:2 NLT) Jonah finally went and declared the word of the Lord and then waited for God to destroy them. They were wicked and evil and had done much harm to Israel. Perhaps Jonah had friends or family that had been killed or abused at the hand of the Ninevites. Jonah wanted God to destroy those people.

In 1 Peter 2:17 we read: Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. (1 Peter 2:17 NKJV) As we look at this verse we can see the command that we honor all people and then realize just how difficult this can be. Many have segregated people into groups that they like or dislike. Then we can label them as liberals or conservatives or illegals or gays or whatever label we chose. Once labeled it seems ok to say harsh and mean things about them, all of them. They are no longer individuals, they are now a group to be despised.

I’ve watched people leave a church because of this. Absent is the love that holds us together, present is the anger that drives us apart. I rather think that many have the spirit of Jonah, waiting for justice to fall on this group or that. Instead of honoring all people; we are more likely to honor someone like us who likes us and who will perhaps honor us back. But look at the scripture: we are pilgrims and sojourners. We may be legal citizens of one nation or another but because we are now born of above by the will of God, we are just passing through this life. This is not our home.

Jonah was reluctant to preach because he feared that God would have mercy; and God did have mercy. If we live in the spirit of Jonah it is impossible to honor all people or to love the brotherhood or to fear God or to honor the king; because we have no love in us only anger and fear. What must we do? We must repent of our sin and be cleansed and filled with God’s love so that we can love those who can’t or won’t love us in return.

_{Notes and comments © 2013 by Ronald C. Reed All rights reserved.}

Honor All – Broadcast for April 9, 2013

Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. (1 Peter 2:17 NKJV) This is the instruction given by Peter the Apostle. To honor is to give value to, to esteem, to show reverence. You know what that is like when someone takes the time to be kind toward you and to be interested in you simply because you are you. You also may know what it is like to not be honored by someone. They treat you like an object or like you are invisible. You feel like you don’t matter to them or worse like they don’t like you.

I think it noteworthy that Peter starts with a command that we honor all. Not just other believers or people of importance, we are to honor all. Every person is to be valued, to be esteemed, to be treated with reverence, imagine such a thing. The command is ongoing, we must always honor all people.

Now that’s hard isn’t it? It kind of goes against the grain, but we must do this. This starts with humility; If I will simply humble myself and get my view of self out of the way and see people through God’s eyes as worthy of the death of His Son to save them, then I can honor them. Then I begin to have the compassion of Christ and the heart of a soul winner.

Honor All, for this is the will of God!

_{Notes and comments © 2013 by Ronald C. Reed All rights reserved.}

Honor and Submit – Broadcast for April 8, 2013

I was a single parent with four young children. The boys were a bit of a handful at times and I would admonish them everytime I took them somewhere: be good. Sometimes I think they took that as a challenge. I spent a lot more time in the principal’s office as a dad than I did when I was a kid.

In 1 Peter 1:15-16 we read: For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. (1 Peter 2:15-16 NKJV) The good spoken of here is the good of living honestly and submitting to authority. If we do this then those who may accuse us will speak empty meaningless words that will never hold up to scrutiny. We will overcome evil with good by doing good.

I have observed a change in my lifetime from excessive patriotism and acceptance of everything the government did to excessive complaining about what the government does or does not do. But it is the will of God for us is to submit to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, from the top to the bottom. This is the good that we can do. We have liberty in Christ: not to cover up our own evil but to live as free from sin and the burden of sin. Peter said in 1 Peter 2:1: laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, We must take off the way of the world and put on the way of Christ. Our liberty enables us to serve as bondservants of Christ. We give ourselves to serve Him to His glory.

_{Notes and comments © 2013 by Ronald C. Reed All rights reserved.}

Therefore Complain – Broadcast for April 5, 2013

One day someone asked me how I was doing, so I told him. He asked again the next I saw him and I told him again, all my troubles. He quit asking me after that. I realized that I was complaining a lot and it was not helpful to my friends.

In 1 Peter 2:13 we read: Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. (I Peter 2:13-14 NKJV)

Therefore complain about every ordinance of man, and the president and the governor. That’s not what is says but that is what we do. Instead of have a good witness as honorable men and women, we are quick to blame, accuse, condemn and disobey those who rule over us.
But we are supposed to submit for the Lord’s sake. If we defy those who govern we do so to the discredit of God and to our testimony. Instead we should be excellent examples of what happens when a life is submitted to God.

Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake; this is different than what most of us do but if we are submitted to God first then we can do this too!

_{Notes and comments © 2013 by Ronald C. Reed All rights reserved.}

Honorable Conduct – Broadcast for April 4, 2013

Saeed Abedini has been imprisoned in Iran for converting from Islam to Christ. He has been given opportunity to deny Christ but He has refused. In his trial Saeed has conducted himself honorably and puts his persecutors to shame. Please pray for him and his family.

In 1 Peter 2:12 we read: having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. (1 Peter 2:12 NKJV)

We will be tested and in that testing our honest living will cause those who observe and accuse to give glory to God especially when all is revealed. If the persecutors don’t understand now they certainly will then.

Some may wonder why God allows his own to suffer. But He spared not His own Son but sent Him to the cross to ransom us from sins deathly grip. Our suffering, great or small serves as a witness of God’s grace. It amplifies the gospel and turns the head to hear and the heart to change.

As we live as pilgrims let us live with honor regardless the hardship we may suffer. There is nothing like this to cause men to ask us a reason for our faith. It is because Christ has changed us that we can now live this way.

_{Notes and comments © 2013 by Ronald C. Reed All rights reserved.}