 |
|
Vol. 12 No. 2 February 2010 |
Page 13 |
|
|
Vol. 12 No. 2 February 2010 |
Page 13 |
Ernest S. Underwood
I have read where Houdini, the great escape artist, bragged that he could escape from any jail built by man. The story goes that a certain town built a jail and invited Houdini to try to escape it. He accepted. He entered the cell, the door was closed and he pulled a curtain across and began to use all his ability to show that he could indeed escape. Thirty minutes later, he had failed. It was then that the jailer stepped to the door, and without using a key, simple pulled the door open. It had been unlocked all the time. There is a moral to this story.
We imprison ourselves in sin by choice. Despite our efforts, we cannot free ourselves by ourselves. We find ourselves caught in the web of sin, a prisoner of our own devices. By going to the cross, Jesus paid the price to set us free from sin. There are requirements given by God for us to be free – obey the Gospel! Once free, we must continue to walk in His Word. Are you imprisoned?
Ernest S. Underwood
The Bible has much to say about the house of God. Isaiah stated that it would be established on the top of the mountains. Paul wrote to Timothy to tell him that the house of God is the church of the living God. He also told the Ephesians that there is one body, and that body is the church.
However, in our world today there are hundreds of religious organizations. Who established them? Jesus shed some light on this when He taught about the two builders. One builder heard the Lord’s words and obeyed them, and in doing so built upon the sure foundation of the solid rock. The other builder heard, but did not obey. This one, according to Jesus was a builder, but one who was building on the foundation of sand and was destroyed. This reminds us of two passages of Scripture. Psalm 127:1 reads, “Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it…” Then in Matthew 15:13 we read, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.”
Who built your religious organization? If you answer that it was the Lord Jesus Christ, can you prove it by the Scriptures?