| The Grapevine Number 29 December 8, 2002 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth. II Timothy 2:15 One True God By Jack Northart Today, there is a haze surrounding and shrouding the greatness of who God really is. So often we hear the mainstream media or Hollywood or even some prominent leader speak about "a higher power" or "the great spirit" or even mention the name of God. It is important for us as Christian believers to get ourselves lined up with what the Bible says about OUR God and who He is to us. Just because someone mentions the name of God does not necessarily mean that he is talking about the same God that we love, worship and serve. Other religions claim to believe in God. People say that there is no real difference in the great religions of the world, for all worship the same God. Yet the acid test to determine whether they worship the one true God is to ask if their God is the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. If He is the God that they worship, then they will believe what the Bible teaches about Jesus Christ - that he is lord and that God raised him from the dead. Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Since the day of Pentecost, our God is referred to as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, God was referred to as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the God of Israel. In dealing with who our God really is, we must understand that there are many other gods in the world today just as there were in the times of the Old Testament. And whatever the names are attached to these gods, the bottom line to who's behind them is Satan. The devil's primary motive was and is to be like the Most High God, and to be His co-equal and to sit on God's throne getting people to worship him in place of the true God. Isaiah 14-12-15 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. The devil even tried to get Jesus to fall down and worship him. Luke 4:7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. Satan has been very successful in our day and time of convincing the world that he doesn't exist, and that we can call God by any name of our own choosing and pray and worship that god, and it is all the same God that we are praying to and worshiping. Pick a name or pick a "higher power," and as long as you are sincere about it, it must be the right God. WRONG! II Corinthians 4:3-4 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost; In whom the god of this world [Satan] hath blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. The value and delusion of any counterfeit is increased by its nearness to the likeness of the genuine. Everything that God has done the devil tries to counterfeit. He is in no way original. He may even promote a good cause, but not the true God's BEST cause. The less people know about the devil and his hosts operation within his snare, the more valuable the counterfeit is to him. He always adapts his methods to the current times and conditions. He is a parasite in nature, and he uses just enough good to satisfy hunger but any "good" his hosts utilize must be paid for in terms of bad. He endeavors to hinder the purposes of God. Evil is present in the world today because of Satan. He is the author of evil and the father of lies. But when God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, he became an eternal loser. And the Christian believer today has been given the spiritual authority over Satan and his methods of evil. Ephesians 6:11-13 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles [methods] of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places [from on high]. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, stand. We stand against the devil with the spiritual armor of God's Word, not with literal body armor. We are to make a firm resolve in our minds with the power and authority of God's Word in the name which is above all names, Jesus Christ. II Corinthians 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices. Let's not be fooled by the modern-day jargon that is so popular today about our God being everybody's God. He is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and He is our Heavenly Father. He is the Father of His own children. Just like I am the father of my own children and not somebody else's. In order for someone to believe that our God is their God, they must believe that Jesus is Lord and that God raised him from the dead. Then they will be on the right track of loving, worshiping and serving the One True God. |
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