Monthly Archives: August 2023

BIBLE

MATHEW OR MATTHEW? — BOB PRICHARD

“Spell checkers” are one of the great inventions of our day. Even though I am a good speller, I am sometimes a careless typist. The “spell checker” is great for catching those transposed letters that come too often from trying to type too fast. 

I just recently made a discovery about my spell-checker, though. It is not always right. Not only will it not flag correctly spelled words which are not the words I meant, it also doesn’t catch some variants of words that I expected it to catch. It seems that I have had a problem lately in my lessons by typing Mathew when I meant Matthew. (Just one “t” missing, but it makes a difference). It seems that my software is just fine with spelling it “Mathew” instead of “Matthew.” I have relied on the “spell checker” to proofread for me, but will have to be more careful in the future, knowing that it may not catch the misspelled Matthew.

This little insight reminds me that we must be careful what or whom we trust. Not everything you read on the internet is correct or reliable. It is not uncommon for us to look to some great preacher of the past or present for wisdom or judgment. There is nothing wrong with this, but whoever it is, we need to be sure that we use our reasoning abilities and we truly search the scriptures. We may too easily accept some things because of who teaches them, but even the best of us are sometimes wrong.

  Luke commends the Christians of Berea: “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). The Bereans were searching the scriptures daily to consider if what they were being taught by men like Paul and Silas was correct. If it is necessary to check up on Paul, it is also necessary to check up on our present day preachers and teachers, even including Bob Prichard. And it is also necessary to check on ourselves. Do we believe what we believe because we have really searched the scriptures, or have we just accepted what was taught? And letting someone else proofread certainly won’t hurt!

CHRISTIAN LIVING

PERSONAL ARMOR — BOB PRICHARD

“Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him” (Proverbs 30:5).

The shield was a very important part of the personal armor of the ancient soldier. With this personal armor, the soldier was protected against the blows of the enemy’s sword or arrows of the enemy’s archer. The effectiveness of the shield depended on the quality of the shield and the skills of the soldier.

The quality of the shield Solomon extols is unmatched. “Every word of God is pure.” But the effectiveness of this personal armor will depend on the skill of the soldier of God. The best way to hone those skills is through practice, practice, practice. The shield of faith quenches all the fiery darts of the wicked (Ephesians 6:16). Faith, trust in God, comes from practicing the ways of God, learned from the pure word of God. This personal armor is worn by following God.

CHRISTIAN LIVING

THE BEST DEAL IN U. S. HISTORY — BOB PRICHARD

It has been called the best business deal in U. S. History (at least before the computer era). It happened in 1903, when John and Horace Dodge, brothers who owned a machine shop in Detroit, made a deal with the Ford and Malcolmson Company. Henry Ford and Alex Malcolmson had decided to manufacture automobiles, but Ford had such a bad reputation for failure, that they could not raise all the cash they needed. Malcolmson became so worried about the possibility of failure that he decided to take his name off of the company, lest he also be associated with failure. The only way that they could raise the needed capital was to offer the Dodge brothers 10% of the company for $3,000 cash and $7,000 in auto parts.

Four weeks after the loan, the Ford Motor Company was about to fold, with $223.65 in the bank, payroll for the Ford workers due the next day, and not a single car sold. But that day, Dr. E. Pfennig, a dentist, paid $850.00 cash for a Ford Model A. From that day forward, Ford Motor Company took off. By 1914, the Dodge brothers were manufacturing their own automobiles, but still had that 10% stake in Ford Motor Company. When they were bought out in 1919, they sold their Ford stock for $25 million. With the $9.5 million they had made in dividends from 1903-1919, their total return on their initial $10,000 was $34.5 million. Not a bad return for two men who began with a bike repair shop! 

While we might be tempted to be envious of the good fortune and business savvy of the Dodge brothers, what the Lord offers to do for us is by far a better deal. A $10,000 investment in 1903 was really a sizable investment, but it paid great dividends, and was really valuable when cashed in. God asks of us that we give ourselves to Him, wholeheartedly, and without reservation. Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Yes, it is costly, but consider the dividends it pays in this life. We have a spiritual family to love and support us, we have fellowship with the greatest people on earth, and we can live lives with clear consciences, knowing that we are His children, and He loves us. “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (I John 1:7).

Not only are the dividends in this life great, but also the investment of our lives prepares us for an eternal reward. What could be better than spending eternity in a place where “the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4)? That’s a thousand times better than the Dodge brothers’ deal!

BIBLE, BIBLE QUESTIONS

DO CHRISTIANS BECOME ANGELS IN HEAVEN? — BOB PRICHARD

No. It is sometimes said in funerals, especially if the funeral is for a small child, “There is now another angel in heaven.” But there is no evidence in scripture that any person becomes an angel upon death, and in fact the scriptures teach otherwise. This myth that departed humans become angels is very popular with today’s entertainment industry, and numerous movies and television programs  have been made with  this theme. Often a person supposedly goes to heaven, but must come back to earth to perform some good deed, in order to earn his “angel wings,” or some such thing.  These ideas come from man’s imagination, not from God’s revelation!

Angels are created beings, separate and apart from human beings. The psalmist said, “Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. … for he commanded and they were created” (Psalm 148:2, 5). Not only were the angels created, they were apparently created before the foundation of  the world. Job 38 speaks of the creation of  the world, when “the sons of God (or angels) shouted for joy” (Job 38:7). Nehemiah wrote, “Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein” (Nehemiah 9:6). That heavenly host which worships God is made up of angels.

We know that men, good and evil, can and do die. Jesus told the story of  Lazarus the beggar in Luke 16. “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom” (Luke 16:22). Lazarus died, but he was still Lazarus, and did not become an angel. Instead, he was carried to Paradise by angels. 1 Corinthians 15 clearly teaches the resurrection. Paul writes, “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:51-53). The Bible teaches resurrection. If men become angels at death, it would not be resurrection, but reincarnation.

Angels are a distinct creation of God. They are neither divine, nor human, nor animal. The first chapter  of Hebrews emphasizes the fact that Jesus as God was above the angels. Christ “sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they” (Hebrews 1:3-4). But because of His love for man, “We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man” (Hebrews 2:9).

GOD, SALVATION

IS HE STILL WAITING? — BOB PRICHARD

I read of a Victorian era lady who arranged her library so that no books by male authors were placed beside books by female authors (unless they were married, of course). I’m not exactly sure what she thought those books might do, but it does seem that books do take up more and more shelf space! Keeping up with my books is a big job. I try to treat my personal library like any other real library, with the books accessioned, classified, and properly cataloged. It takes time to process books though, so many sit on the shelf wherever I happen to find the space (irrespective of the author’s sex) until I process them. Two books recently caught my eye.

Sitting next to each other on the shelf, ready to be fully processed were The Hurried Child, by David Elkind, and The Waiting Father, by Helmut Thielicke.  Elkind’s book is about our fast paced, stress filled society that hurries our children to grow up too quickly. Thielicke’s book is a series of sermons on the parables, with the title taken from two sermons on what we usually call the “Prodigal Son.”

The two titles juxtaposed on the shelf reminded me how the pace of our world today causes too many of us to become a “hurried child.” We are not so much hurried to grow up, but to just keep pace with the world swirling around us. We may be too hurried to remember God. How often do we really find the time for serious prayer and communication with our heavenly father? Most of us, it seems, keep such a pace doing our work, keeping up the house, preparing meals, chauffeuring to soccer practice, and doing so, so many other things. Where do we find time for the “Waiting Father”?

Thielicke portrays the Father watching the son leave, and then waiting expectantly:

“I imagine that as he stands there in silence a deep affliction shadows his face and that in itself is eloquent. I am sure he is not thinking that the boy will grow more mature in the far country. He is asking the anxious question: How will he come back?

The father will keep the son in his thoughts.  He will wait for him and never stop watching for him. Every step he takes will give him pain. For the father knows better than this son who sets out, happy and lighthearted on his chosen life. But the voice of his father in his heart will follow him wherever he goes.”

We do not have to go to the far country of the prodigal to be away from the Father. We can simply get too busy for him. “For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not. But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift. … And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him” (Isaiah 30:15-18).

CHRISTIAN LIVING

“NEITHER BE DISMAYED” — BOB PRICHARD

“And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8).

My friend Phil had the difficult task of telling his teenage daughter that he had lost his job with the city, and they would have to move. Her response surprised him: “Great! I know you will get a better job! God will take care of us!” 

Moses prepared a people coming out of hundreds of years of slavery to conquer a land they did not know. They knew God parted the Red Sea and they knew God took care of them during their wilderness wandering, but the unknown, entering the promised land frightened them. Moses reminded them to have courage, because God would be with them, and would not fail them or forsake then.

Why do we today spend so much time “dismayed,” worrying about the future? Don’t we have more reason to trust God than they did? 

And yes, Phil did get another better job, with better pay.