CURRENT RADIO SERIES Knowing God   CURRENT TV SERIES A Life That Pleases God

There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. --Acts 4:34-35 I know many people whom God has blessed with financial abundance. While they were in that mode of growing and developing their young family and getting their business started, they were faithful to the Lord, serving the Lord, and living for Him. So God gave them success. But before long, many of these people began to remove themselves from the presence of God’s people. Then, they stopped serving the Lord and became more concerned with making money than they did doing God’s work. And before long, their success had changed them for the worse.  This story is far too often repeated among God’s people today. And here in our culture, at the most financially blessed time in human history, so many are dying in spiritual poverty. It’s affecting their families, their relationships with others, and their service to God. Now, whether you’re blessed with financial abundance or not, the eternal principle never changes: serve God with what He’s given you. If it’s abundant wealth, serve Him. If it’s a great family, serve Him. If it’s good health, give your life to His purposes. God’s greatest desire for you is to be obedient and faithful with what you have today! NO MATTER WHAT GOD BLESSES YOU WITH, BE OBEDIENT AND FAITHFUL WITH WHAT YOU HAVE AND LIVE YOUR LIFE FOR HIS KINGDOM PURPOSES. The Reward of Faith Thursday, November 07, 2019 by Dr. Paul Chappell “And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:” Hebrews 11:36–39 God always blesses faithfulness. We see this truth demonstrated over and over both in Scripture and in history, yet God’s blessings do not always align with what we would prefer. Many through the years who were faithful and committed to doing what was right suffered greatly. Even today around the world Christians are being martyred for their faith. Has God failed to keep His promises? Of course not. We should never allow temporal circumstances to control our belief in God’s love and provision for His children. John Bunyan spent years in jail in England because of his refusal to take a license to preach from the Church of England. He recognized the heresy and corruption that had taken over the church, and would not be part of it. It was in that jail cell that he began the masterful Pilgrim’s Progress which remains one of the best-selling books in history. Bunyan said, “In times of affliction we commonly meet with the sweetest experiences of the love of God.” It is a mistake to focus only on the things of this world. Eternity is much more important. While there are rewards in this life for obedience, the greatest rewards are yet to come. “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). Today's Growth Principle:  Whether we see rewards on earth or not, God is faithful and never fails to honor those who honor Him.

CURRENT RADIO SERIES The Power of Love   CURRENT TV SERIES A Life That Pleases God

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”        --1 Samuel 16:7 I was reading awhile back about a man who worked for a bank in a large city. On the ground floor of this bank building, there was a cafeteria. Day after day, this man would get a two-cent pat of butter and hide it under his roll so that he wouldn’t have to pay for it when he got through the line. Now, this went on for a month or so. And eventually, people began to watch him and noticed him stealing the butter. So it was reported to the bank president, who subsequently fired him on the spot saying, “If I can’t trust a man with a two-cent pat of butter, how can I trust him with thousands of dollars?” I wonder how many believers God doesn’t use because they’re not faithful in the little things. Yes, they may go to church, serve on a committee or two, sit in the front row, and bring the best dish to the picnic. But when it comes to actual obedience, they’ve strayed in the little things. Today’s passage couldn’t be clearer. While the world defines the outward appearance as important, God looks beyond that and into your heart. So if you want God to do something great in your life, be obedient in the little things and He’ll bless you beyond your imagination! BE OBEDIENT IN THE LITTLE THINGS OF LIFE AND GOD WILL DO BIG THINGS IN AND THROUGH YOU! Use All the Stones Wednesday, November 06, 2019 by Dr. Paul Chappell “And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.” 1 Kings 18:30–32 The story of Elijah confronting hundreds of false prophets on Mount Carmel is one of the most dramatic in the entire Bible. After three years without rain, the people of Israel gathered. The prophets of Baal, a god who was claimed to control the weather, cried out for fire to come down and burn the sacrifice. Nothing happened. Then it was Elijah’s turn. Before his brief prayer which was answered by fire, Elijah took twelve stones to make an altar. This was the custom laid down by Moses and followed by succeeding generations. But at the time of Elijah, Israel had been divided into two nations for more than sixty years. Elijah still used twelve stones to represent all the people. If we want to see God’s power fully displayed, then we must be united in our work for Him. Many churches have their work hindered because the members are not all on the same page. We need what each person has to contribute to accomplish God’s purpose. “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:16). If we allow divisions within the church, we are forfeiting the blessings of unity. Today's Growth Principle:  If a church is not united, it cannot accomplish the mission God has called it to carry out.

CURRENT RADIO SERIES The Power of Love   CURRENT TV SERIES A Life That Pleases God

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. --2 Timothy 2:15 I remember when I was a student at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, and there was a group of young men who were preparing to go into ministry. They had come in as ministerial students and they liked to talk about how they pictured themselves up on platforms and in pulpits, preaching and winning people to Christ. But so often when Sunday morning would roll around, these same guys who wanted great public ministries wouldn’t even get out of bed to go to church. And then they wondered later why God couldn’t use them. It’s because they weren’t prepared! You see, God wants to use you to do something great. But you have to make yourself available to Him if you want to be used! It seems like there’s a prevailing attitude among so many Christians today that God will excuse and compensate for their laziness. But today’s passage couldn’t be clearer… preparation is key! Are you currently preparing yourself for the next great way God wants to use you? Or are you content to simply sit and wait, hoping God will bless your non-efforts? Do your best to be prepared so when the time is right, God can look at you and say, “Now, let’s go!” CHRISTIANS SHOULD ALWAYS BE PREPARING FOR HOW GOD WILL USE THEM NEXT. SO AS YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE, GROW IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN HE’LL CALL! Do You Really Mean It? Tuesday, November 05, 2019 by Dr. Paul Chappell “And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.” Mark 10:17–20 When the man we sometimes refer to as the “rich young ruler” came to Jesus with his question about the way to eternal life, he called Jesus “Good Master” before asking what he could do to inherit eternal life. Rather than answering his question, Jesus asked him a question in return. Jesus was probing the sincerity of this man’s interest (though of course He already knew) so he would be forced to confront the roadblock to his faith—his reliance on his great wealth for his standing with God. Jesus interrogated him to show whether he really meant what he said or not when he called Jesus “Good Master.” Since only God is good, if this young man wanted to call Jesus good, he would have to confess Jesus’ divinity and his own inability to get to Heaven by good works. But there is another implication for us who have already trusted Christ as our Saviour. To confess Jesus as God requires submission and obedience to Him. He has the right to tell us what to do and what not to do, and we have the responsibility to obey. The young man was unwilling to do what Jesus said. “And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions” (Mark 10:22). As Christians, when we profess our intention to do what God says, we must follow through with our actions. Christianity is a life religion, not a lip religion. If we profess our submission to God but live in rebellion, we are demonstrating that our obedience is only on the surface. Today's Growth Principle:  It is not enough to say the right things about God. We must also demonstrate our sincerity by our actions.

CURRENT RADIO SERIES The Power of Love   CURRENT TV SERIES A Life That Pleases God

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.          --2 Timothy 3:16-17 Even with the rise in atheism in recent years, we still live in a very religious world. In fact, people are finding more ways than ever to connect with “god” or some kind of “life force” that promises to give them the kind of inner peace they’re really seeking. But can their views be considered truth? Well, many, if not most, “spiritualists” today would say that all paths are essentially valid when it comes to connecting with God. But if that’s true, that would mean the person who believes in his heart God told him to strap a bomb to himself and kill people is actually connecting with God. Spiritual truth exists… and it’s not found in pick-and-choose spiritualism. In fact, it’s not even found in pick-and-choose Christianity. We can’t treat the Bible like a buffet line where we take this and leave that. It’s either all or none! God has given us a deposit of solid, spiritual truth in His Word. And as we read it, our eyes are opened up to who God is, what He is like, and the fact that He loves us immensely. So when it comes to building your beliefs, base them on the rock-solid foundation of the Bible! AVOID PICK-AND-CHOOSE SPIRITUALISM BY BUILDING YOUR BELIEFS ON THE SOLID FOUNDATION OF THE BIBLE. New Life, New Light Monday, November 04, 2019 by Dr. Paul Chappell “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” John 3:19-21 When Nicodemus came to Jesus, he struggled to understand the necessity and nature of the new birth. He thought of it in natural terms, commenting on the impossibility of being physically born for a second time. Jesus pointed his attention to the fallen condition of man. We are not born basically good. We are not capable of obedience to all that God has commanded. We are born as sinners—born into darkness and in desperate need of being changed into light. This is somewhat ironic because Nicodemus came to Jesus under the cover of darkness seemingly for fear that his position as a leader of the Jewish people would be undermined if they knew he was talking to Jesus. The transformation that takes place when we are saved is complete. It is a total shift, not just of our eternal destiny, but of the power we have to live a new life day by day in this world. The old nature of darkness was once our condition, but a new nature has come. Paul wrote, “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). God does not just enlighten us so that we can avoid Hell, but so that we can walk in His way through a dark world, shining as lights to those around us. The light of salvation we receive freely from God is not just meant for ourselves. We are to make it visible to all those around us. Today's Growth Principle:  God does all the work of salvation, but it is up to us to live in the light of our new nature by the power of His Spirit.

It Is Finished

It Is Finished
Sunday, November 03, 2019
by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

Hebrews 9:25–28

Most of the religions of the world teach that man’s relationship with God or a multitude of gods requires repairing. The difference between Christianity and the others is where the focus and responsibility of that repair is placed. Most of the people living in the world today are attempting to do something so that they can be accepted by God, however they may conceive of Him. But the Bible tells us that the work of salvation has already been completed. That is what Jesus declared just before He died on the cross. “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost” (John 19:30).

There is nothing we can do to earn or deserve salvation. And indeed anything that we insist on doing ourselves, whether that is joining a church, getting baptized, doing good works, or turning over a new leaf, takes away our ability to receive salvation on God’s terms. We must trust Him alone to save. The English reformer Thomas Cranmer said, “This is the honour and glory of this our high priest, wherein He admitteth neither partner nor successor. For by His own oblation He satisfied His Father for all men’s sins, and reconciled mankind unto His grace and favour.”

Today's Growth Principle:
Since Jesus has done all the work for salvation, we only need to accept His offer by faith alone.

Defending Against Deception

Saturday, November 02, 2019

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.”

Ephesians 5:5–7

The first-century church at Ephesus was a body of believers surrounded by a godless and immoral culture. When Paul wrote to them, he warned them of a particular danger—that people would try to paint sin as not really being all that bad. We face much the same problem today. All around us there are powerful voices being raised to deceive people regarding what is acceptable to God. His standards have not changed, and no human opinion—in either the church or the culture—will change them.

Our responsibility is to follow God no matter who tries to deceive us into doing wrong. The ability of people to try to rationalize or justify sinful behavior is profound. Often those who are doing wrong attempt to either convince others to join them in their sin, or at least convince them that it isn’t so bad. We see the “gospel” of acceptance being preached in schools, media, entertainment, politics and even in some churches. But it is a false gospel with deadly consequences.

This downplaying of the destructiveness of sin may appeal to those who desire an excuse for disobedience, but it does not change the reality. Sin is still wrong, and it still brings disastrous results. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). Rather than allowing our hearts and minds to be filled with the lies of the world, we must fill them with the Word of God. Only in the Bible do we find the wisdom and strength to identify and overcome temptation.

Today's Growth Principle: 

We must allow what God says to carry more weight than popular opinion does to defend against deception.

The Rescuer’s Mindset

CURRENT RADIO SERIES The Power of Love   CURRENT TV SERIES Invisible

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. --Romans 8:18 Not long ago, I was boarding an airplane when I looked up and noticed some very scary looking clouds over us. So I took my seat and the flight attendant began the normal procedures for getting ready to take off. I looked outside again at the clouds… and they weren’t moving. “Surely,” I thought, “they’re not going to take off with those clouds overhead.” But sure enough, we were airborne within a few minutes, headed straight for those daunting clouds. Rain began to fall and the plane began to shake because of the turbulence as we entered those clouds. I clutched the armrest for a minute or so when all of a sudden, I saw the sun. Those clouds that looked so scary were now under us and we were flying without a single bump! That experience reminded me a little of the Christian life. God takes us through dark days when it looks like nothing but clouds. But when we move forward, we discover a new perspective as we place those tough circumstances under our feet and bask in the glow of God’s good pleasure. Whatever dark clouds are over your head today, push through them. Move onward and upward with God through your difficult days and look forward to the breakthrough ahead! RISE ABOVE HARD TIMES BY MOVING ONWARD AND UPWARD WITH GOD.

The Rescuer’s Mindset

Friday, November 01, 2019

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”

1 Corinthians 9:19–22

In September of 2019, US Air Force Sgt. Kenneth O’Brien was on his way from Japan to the United States. O’Brien had been selected to receive the “Outstanding Airmen of the Year” award to recognize his heroism. He had saved the life of a motorist trapped in a burning car while he was stationed in Korea. That incident happened not long after he took part in supporting the effort to rescue the youth soccer team trapped underground in Thailand. During that effort, he also saved the life of a Thai Navy SEAL team member.

On the flight, a young boy started choking and lost consciousness. O’Brien cleared his airway and after about a minute the child began breathing on his own and regained consciousness. He said, “If someone needs to go do something dangerous, I volunteer. If someone needs a leader, I volunteer. I happened to be in the right place at the right time and that’s what helped me stand out because I sought out key positions or responsibilities.” We need a new generation of Christians who are reaching the lost with the gospel even if it means sacrifice. This was the mindset of Jesus, and we need that thinking toward those around us.

Today's Growth Principle: 

We need to be aware of the spiritual condition of those around us and respond to their needs.