Printable Activity: 8 page mini coloring book and full-sized pictures to tell the story of Peter preaching the gospel for the first time to Gentiles - Cornelius and his family.

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Ann Wielenga

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 The Person of Christ is a work by various authors about the most precious subject in all the scriptures - God's Son, Jesus Christ.  Some subjects include the Perfect Servant, the Eternal Sonship of Christ, the Incarnation of Christ, the Deity of Christ, the Impeccability of Christ, His Pre-existance, His Moral Glories, the Atonement  Work and others.

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Jane Aubry - I remember one day in the 1970's playing my guitar, looking up to heaven, and saying, “If there is a God, I want to know Him.” When I met Roger, my husband to be, he told me he was “saved”.  I had never heard the word before.  I had thought we could only “hope” to go to heaven. He told me how he was saved and that was the end of talking about it for a time. more...

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Don Panchito

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Binding Satan

Ministers who try to deliver people from problems often speak of binding Satan or binding a sickness or binding poverty or binding some other problem.  A prayer to “bind” Satan usually takes the form of something like this:

“In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, I come against you, Satan, the Prince of Darkness to bind you, paralyzing your power, forbidding you to come near this person and influencing her thinking.  I demand that you leave her immediately!”

By “binding” Satan, claims are made to be able to paralyze Satan or silence him or forbid him from influencing a person.  As powerful as this commanding prayer may sound, it is unscriptural.  Nobody in the history of the Bible ever spoke to Satan this way, nor are we commanded to speak to him like this. We resist Satan by teaching and obeying the truth of the Bible.

For a more detailed answer see the question:

Do Christians have the ability or the authority to bind Satan?

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What are the different names of God and what do they mean?  Is Jehovah the only true name of God?

"God" may be the first name that comes to mind when thinking about God, but his names throughout the Hebrew Old Testament teach us much more about his character than one name can contain.  Here is a list of many well known names of God and what they mean.

El Shaddai (Lord God Almighty) “The Mighty One of Jacob” (Genesis 49:24;" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 49:24; Psalm 132:2,5)." TARGET="_blank">Psalm 132:2,5).

El Gibhor (Mighty God) (Isaiah 9:6)" TARGET="_blank">Isaiah 9:6) – the name of Christ Jesus in the famous prophecy of the child to be born.

El Elyon (The Most High God) Deuteronomy 26:19" TARGET="_blank">Deuteronomy 26:19 – the highest point to which anyone can be exaulted.

Adonai (Lord, Master)  Genesis 15:2;" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 15:2; Judges 6:15." TARGET="_blank">Judges 6:15.  Usually translated as Lord with only the first letter capitalized.

Yahweh (Lord, Jehovah) YHWH Deuteronomy 6:4;" TARGET="_blank">Deuteronomy 6:4; Daniel 9:14" TARGET="_blank">Daniel 9:14 – Usually translated as LORD with all capital letters.  “I Am who I Am” (Exodus 3:14)." TARGET="_blank">Exodus 3:14).

Jehovah Nissi (The Lord My Banner) "The Lord Our Banner" (Exodus 17:15)" TARGET="_blank">Exodus 17:15) as in the colors under which the army marches.

Jehovah-Raah (The Lord My Shepherd or Jehovah-Rohi: " Psalm 23:1)" TARGET="_blank">Psalm 23:1)– David's most famous Psalm gives us the title of the ever-present Lord in our lives.

Jehovah Rapha (The Lord That Heals) Exodus 15:26" TARGET="_blank">Exodus 15:26 – “I am Jehovah who heals you".  God promised supernatural protection against the diseases that fell upon the Egyptians. God was called Jehovah Rapha after the bitter waters of Marah were cleaned by the tree thrown into the water.

Jehovah Shammah (The Lord Is There) Ezekiel 48:35" TARGET="_blank">Ezekiel 48:35 – Jerusalem was once the dwelling of the holy presence of God.  God abandoned the place for a while, but returned in Ezekiel 44:1-4." TARGET="_blank">Ezekiel 44:1-4.

Jehovah Tsidkenu (The Lord Our Righteousness) Jeremiah 33:16" TARGET="_blank">Jeremiah 33:16 – God is the giver of righteousness to sinful man.  Salvation through Christ is provided 100% by God without any merit or credit given to man.

Jehovah Mekoddishkem (The Lord Who Sanctifies You or makes you holy.  Leviticus 20:8;" TARGET="_blank">Leviticus 20:8; Ezekiel 37:28." TARGET="_blank">Ezekiel 37:28.

El Olam (The Everlasting God)  Psalm 90:1-3" TARGET="_blank">Psalm 90:1-3 – “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”

Elohim (God) Genesis 2:4;" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 2:4; Psalm 59:5" TARGET="_blank">Psalm 59:5 – a combination of YHWH and “Lord” making him the Lord of all Lords. “Creator, Mighty and Strong” (Genesis 17:7;" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 17:7; Jeremiah 31:33)" TARGET="_blank">Jeremiah 31:33) – the plural form of Eloah, which introduces the doctrine of the trinity.

Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide) Genesis 22:14" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 22:14 – Abraham called God Jehovah Jireh after he provided Abraham with a ram to offer in stead of Isaac his son.

Jehovah Shalom (The Lord Is Peace) "The Lord Our Peace" (Judges 6:24)" TARGET="_blank">Judges 6:24) – Gideon gave the Lord this name.  

Jehovah Sabaoth (The Lord of Hosts) Isaiah 1:24;" TARGET="_blank">Isaiah 1:24; Psalm 46:7" TARGET="_blank">Psalm 46:7 – The leader of hosts is the commander of all living creatures.

Shad David Sluiter

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Will there be more people in Heaven or in Hell?

Excellent question, and I will give you a hedged answer because the Bible doesn’t say for sure in so many words.  

What we do know is that of the people who live out their lives on earth a decidedly small number will “seek” and “find” God’s salvation.   Here is what Jesus said:  “Enter ye in at the strait[narrow] gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:   Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)" TARGET="_blank">Matthew 7:13-14)   

The reality is that finding life and ending up in heaven takes focus, effort, and purpose.   By default people will end up in hell if they are never saved by God, for that is where the curse of sin inherited from Adam will take us once we are old enough to understand we are sinners and then refuse to repent.  The good news is that God has made a way for us to escape through the blood of Jesus.  Once we have found salvation, we are rescued forever from Hell.  This is actually much better than what Adam and Eve originally had, being created on their way to heaven but with the ability to fall off that way and die spiritually.  But it does take earnest effort in this life to make sure we find and enter the right Door, which is Christ (John 10:9)." TARGET="_blank">John 10:9).

So that would leave us with “more people in hell than heaven”.

But this does not consider the reality of the huge number of infants that die, before or after they are born.  Yes, a person is a person from the moment of conception.  These will come into heaven by virtue of not having had the chance to sin, nor need to repent, protected by Jesus’ blood.  This group would also include those who grow up but whose brains never developed enough for them to be able to distinguish between good and evil.  They will all be there.  

So, especially with the modern outrage of abortion, I would switch the answer to “more people in heaven than hell”.  Only God knows for sure, but this would be a blessed fulfillment of the reality that the Lord Jesus “in all things <will> have the preeminence.” (Colossians 1:18)" TARGET="_blank">Colossians 1:18)  In the end He wins by every measure.

Alfred Corduan

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Is it scriptural to appoint Elders and Deacons in our assemblies by a system of voting amongst the brethren and sisters, the number of votes being counted up and determining the result?

Surely such a question only needs to be asked, to be answered in the negative, for what possible basis could be found for such proceedings in the Scriptures? If there be an instance or direction for such a thing in the New Testament, we do not know it, and should value the citation of chapter and verse.

The nearest approach to such a thing that could possibly be alleged would be the words of the apostles to the multitude of the disciples in Acts 6:3," TARGET="_blank">Acts 6:3, and yet even here, there is not a word about voting by the saints or even appointment by them—the word of the apostles was to the brethren: “Look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.”

It is to be noted that it was a question here of the appointment only of a certain kind of ministers, namely, managers of the daily distribution of monetary help to the widows in the assembly. They are usually called “deacons,” though the word is not actually used except in the substantival form, “diakonia,” in verses 1 and 4 (“ministration,” “ministry of the Word”). In verse 2 we have the verbal form, “diakonein”—to serve—(from a verb “diökein,” to pursue a course).

These seven were chosen to distribute the gifts of the saints to the needy widows, as the givers of the gifts had a right to a little part at least in looking out suitable men, to act as their almoners. But when it is a question of spiritual “deacons” (v. 4, “ministers of the Word”), such as evangelists, pastors and teachers, who are the gifts of the Risen Christ, only He, the Giver can “look out” and “appoint” such men.

As for elders, they come under a different category. They are quite distinct from deacons, it not being a question of exercising gift, in the technical sense, but of godly care, oversight, feeding and guiding the flock. In Acts 20" TARGET="_blank">Acts 20: Paul exhorts the elders, “Feed the flock of God, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers.”

We never read of a church appointing its elders, any more than of a flock appointing its shepherds. But we do read in Acts 14:20-23," TARGET="_blank">Acts 14:20-23, that when the Apostles Paul and Barnabas returned on their second visit to Lystra, Derbe, Iconium and Antioch, then and only then, “they ordained (or pointed out) elders in every church.” Why was this only on the second visit? were they not needed on the first? Surely, but it naturally took a little time for these men to come to the front, whom the Holy Ghost was fitting and calling to the work. The apostles, I take it, only recognised His work and endorsed it. In writing later to Timothy and Titus, the apostle gives the description of men called to the work of oversight or eldership. These chapters (x Tim. 3, and Titus i) form part of the sacred canon, and are to-day for the guidance of men, themselves leaders, who are to be on the look out for younger men, who are aspirants to eldership work, and encourage those who manifest the divine calling and qualification.

It seems clear, however, in all this that there is not the smallest precedent or direction for canvassing a church and registering the votes of the saints for certain men who are to take the place of “elders” and “deacons” of the church. Such a church will never fall “from its excellency,” it has already fallen. It has exchanged dependence on the Lord to give the needed gifts to His Church, for the carnal methods of a degenerate Christendom. May the Lord so encourage us all in the path of faith as that such devices of the flesh should not be so much as once named among us, as becometh saints!

W.H.

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Is it scriptural to call the whole assembly together to discuss business matters in the assembly?

I do not know of any Scripture which would favour such a custom, and judged merely by ordinary standards of common sense and business principles, I should think it very unlikely to result in good to the business or to the assembly as a whole. What profit could come from listening perhaps to differences among elder brethren?

An assembly of God is not a debating society nor yet a democracy, in which rule is from beneath, it is a theocracy in which rule is entrusted by the Holy Spirit to those whom He has fitted for the work. “Take heed. . . to all the flock (not your flock), over the which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers” (Acts 20:28)." TARGET="_blank">Acts 20:28).

“Remember them which have the rule over you” (the guides), “Obey them that have the rule” (Hebrews 13: 7, 17)." TARGET="_blank">Hebrews 13: 7, 17). “Know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and esteem them very highly in love for their works’ sake” (1 Thessalonians 5: 12, 13)." TARGET="_blank">1 Thessalonians 5: 12, 13).

Acts 15" TARGET="_blank">Acts 15 seems to throw light on the matter before us. Paul, Barnabas and certain others had come to Jerusalem about a troublesome matter, and they were received of the church, clearly the whole assembly, not excepting the apostles and elders. It was a meeting to hear “all things that God had done with them,” but apparently at this general meeting certain Judaizing brethren, of the sect of the Pharisees, which believed, rose up and introduced the very matter that had troubled the saints at Antioch. It would clearly not have been for edification to discuss the differences before the church, so the next verse tells us that “the apostles and elders came together to consider of this matter” (v. 6). The results must have been communicated to the whole assembly (ver. 22), for otherwise they could not have had fellowship in sending Judas and Silas to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, with letters in their name. “The apostles and elders and the brethren send greeting to the brethren of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria.” These arrived in Antioch, and when they had gathered the multitude, that is, I take it, the whole company of believers, they delivered the epistle. We gather, therefore, that matters of business and discipline are not discussed before the whole church, but that the results should be communicated to them, when it is a matter which calls for general knowledge.

W.H.

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