God is particularly interested in what is going on within the heart of man. Specifically, He seeks for, and desires to find, TRUTH.
When men choose to reject the truth, God tends to withhold further truth from them. The result is spiritual and intellectual darkness.
Sin affects men in various ways, but it attacks them in every facet of life. It hinders their walk with God and hurts their ability to reach others for Christ.
Most people view sin as a private or earthy matter. Yet, every sin is against the Lord. In truth, men can sin against the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
Increasingly, the world is driven by the desire for more perceived outward beauty. Some people have gone so far as to change everything concerning their appearance in hopes of turning out more beautiful than previously perceived. Beauty, however, is an area where God and man think quite differently. God sees beauty as a matter of the heart, while man thinks beauty involves the putting on of more makeup (2 Kings 9:30), or changing hair color or hair style, or having some cosmetic alteration done to the teeth or body. In the end, the Lord says that man’s idea of beauty is actually quite vain. While men praise outward beauty, the Lord says that “a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.”
We are promised that the word of God works effectually in those that believe (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Yet, the Devil works hard to choke out the fruitfulness of the word. In order to achieve his ultimate objective, the Devil uses any means within his arsenal. Pleasure-seeking serves as one of his choicest weapons. In order to convince people that they do not need the Lord or His word, the Devil convinces people that they have everything they could possibly ever want or need without Him. The Devil convinces them that they are happy or satisfied and there is nothing better than their lot in life. He keeps them preoccupied so that they do not take time to reflect and recognize that they are “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17) apart from the Lord.
With the need so great, Christians frequently wonder why they are not used more in the Lord’s service and work. They fail to realize that their reputations have limited many of their opportunities. Until their reputations are repaired, their opportunities will remain hindered. In the early church, a problem came to the attention of the apostles when the “widows were neglected in the daily ministration” (Acts 6:1). As the apostles gave counsel for a solution, they suggested that the believers look out among them “seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom” (Acts 6:3). Why was it so important to consider the reputations of those men who were potential candidates? The apostles knew that the reputation of man hinders or helps in the service of the Lord.
In the most basic sense, punishment is directed toward those who have done wrong. Though any particular punishment may seem harsh by those receiving the punishment, God intended it to be a calculated response toward wrongdoing. Though there are some passages in the Old Testament that indicate punishment was directed toward the people of God (Ezra 9:13; Hosea 12:2), the vast majority of references demonstrate that it was intended for the enemies of God (Psalm 149:7; Proverbs 11:21; Isaiah 10:12; Isaiah 13:11; Isaiah 24:21; Isaiah 26:21; Isaiah 27:1; Jeremiah 25:12; Jeremiah 46:25). A careful study of the New Testament will strengthen the distinction as there are no references to God punishing His people.
The church at Antioch sent out Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:1-4). These men were missionaries seeking to win the lost and edify the children of God. They travelled far and wide on their first missionary journey and then returned to Antioch to offer the believers a report of the work (Acts 15:30). Soon thereafter, Paul determined that he and Barnabas should make a second trip to check on the growth of those to whom they previously ministered (Acts 15:36). Barnabas sincerely desired to accompany Paul but also thought it wise to take John Mark (who had previously quit on Paul and Barnabas). Paul disagreed with taking John Mark and the Bible describes that the “contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other” (Acts 15:39).
God’s people should conscientiously cover themselves so that the shame of their nakedness does not appear to others. Yet, it is also important that their choice of covering be acceptable in the sight of the Lord. Some people have wrongfully assumed that the Lord does not give any thought to the attire of His people. God's word emphasizing the inward man does not reflect a lack of concern for the outward adornments. The assumption that it does is sometimes based upon a misapplication of 1 Samuel 16:7 where the Bible says, “for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” Truly, man is generally limited to looking upon the outward appearance, but God sees both the outward appearance and the inward man. In fact, Proverbs 7:10 testifies to the validity of this truth. In that passage, the Holy Ghost plainly indicated that a woman’s clothing was representative of a harlot’s attire. Apparently, the Holy Ghost was keenly aware of what was seen on the outside.
