A MIRACLE NATION! #2700 - The World the Word & You! Broadcast

LANGUAGE IS A POWERFUL TOOL! IT WILL BRING YOU NEEDED INFORMATION TO MAKE LIFE CHANGING DECISIONS. BUT WHAT WE UNDERSTAND ABOUT WORDS CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE & DEATH.

I’m Dennis Finnan, host and speaker on the World the Word & You! Broadcast and in a moment we’ll talk about the definitive meanings of Christian terms so often used by religionists these days…

…Hello friends and welcome again to another broadcast edition of the World, the Word & You! I’m Dennis Finnan, your host and speaker thanking you for joining us on this lovely day. I say lovely because regardless of the weather conditions around us ľ “in Christ” every day is a lovely day! Now I used a term there to describe a state of existence of every true Christian believer. Yet terms and words have to have definite meanings to be properly understood, and to convey the message it is supposed to bring.

Well on today’s broadcast I’m going to talk about Christian terms & truth. But before we get there and open the program with a beautiful musical moment, I want to share with you a little about our ministry of the air. Right now we celebrating our 20^th anniversary of broadcasting. Yes that’s right, twenty years the Lord God has seen fit to provide for us to be on the air. And, for these twenty years it has been made possible by the free will gifts and donations of a variety of Christian people ľ from Sunday School classes, to churches and individuals, we’ve met our broadcasting expenses time after time. You’ll notice we never plead for money as some programming spends considerable time doing, yet we do plead, but only to our Heavenly Father through prayer, in the hopes that He will touch the hearts of listeners like you to help us stay on the air. So if the Lord should tarry, we hope to be broadcasting another 20 years to reach out to busy thinking people like you. God bless you for listening. Well now, it’s time to pause for a light refreshment of some enjoyable music. Then, I’ll return with my message as promised: CHRISTIAN TERMS & TRUTHS. Stay tuned…

…What language do you speak? If we examined the world today we would find that there are more than 5000 different languages or tongues spoken. The most common of all of course, is English. Yet, regardless of what language you speak regularly, you can only communicate to others “if” you have a vocabulary of words and specific meanings everyone who speaks that language knows and agrees with as the meaning of those words. What if everyone in a language group held to different meanings? Why each time you communicated there would be chaos and even extreme danger! Well this situation exists today in the language of religion, and especially the world of confessing Christianity. Differing meanings of words are a dangerous thing, and as a result of this happening in the world of Christianity, many are led astray by deceptive cults and sects that use “CHRISTIAN TERMS,” but have different and dangerous unbiblical meanings. So today I want to define some of the important Christian terms, so you can evaluate your understanding of them in light of their TRUE, BIBLICAL MEANING. But first, one more pause for another musical refreshment, then I’ll return with… “CHRISTIAN TERMS & TRUTH.”…

… Does it really matter how we define words? The answers is yes, for it can be life threatening if we don’t carefully define and understand the meaning of words. Some time ago on the television, there was a science fiction program called SLIDERS. It was the story of a brilliant young college student who discovered the ability to travel through dimensional space. He discovered that existing along side of our world, were tens of thousands of other worlds similar to ours. By “sliding” through, he was able to visit these worlds. Well, one world he and his friends slid to, was a world that looked exactly the same as ours, except they defined terms and words quite differently. The “slider” slid into the new world in an automobile, but he found out the “green” light did not mean go, rather it meant stop. And, the traditional red light meant go. Needless to say, he almost was killed, not to mention he caused chaos on the streets of that world following his own understanding and meaning of red and green. I say that, to illustrate the fact that we MUST define our words the same to communicate and function together in our world. If I went to the drugstore and asked the druggist for a bottle of aspirin and he gave me arsenic, and said, ”what’s the difference, aspirin or arsenic?” Why, it would make all the difference in the world!

Well today in religious circles, especially Christianity with its many sects and pseudo-Christian cults, we find many purposely define known Christian terms in their own way. First of all, they do so to deceive, and second of all, often to claim validity amidst true Christian circles.

So today, I want to define some important Christian terms and truths. Therefore, it is now your duty to compare them with what you’ve come to understand of their meaning. And, if you find they differ, it will be your further duty to either correct them, and consider turning to the truths they represent. So let’s begin with the Bible’s definitions which alone must stand. The first term is the word…

(1) CHRISTIAN – This term refers exclusively to anyone and anything that is biblically related to the God/Man Jesus Christ and his teachings found in the New Testament Bible. Anyone or any teachings that do not align with New Testament teachings cannot rightly use this term in their descriptions. Yet we find some aberrant religious groups utilize this word to identify themselves even when they deny God’s Word, refuse to follow Jesus Christ, and twist his teachings to suit their cultic ways…The second term we want to define is the word,

(2) CHURCH – now this is not to be understood as a reference to a building or denomination, although it is often used in this way. However, in biblical terms the “Church” is specifically the people of God called out by faith alone in the Person and work of Jesus Christ, who gather together to worship and serve Him. Yes, the church is the very spiritual “body of Christ.” As a believer. I am part of the church, that is Christ’s body, and when we (believers) meet in a building for worship, then the “church” meets there. That is the only true definition of this word, although it is used wrongly so often. A third word we find often abused is the word,

(3) CONVERSION – this term is used to describe what happens to those who become Christians. In Christian circles, it only means a personal turning away from living for self and the world we exist in, to turn to Jesus Christ and living only for Him and the world to come. Yes, it also refers to an individual who has received forgiveness for all sin in their lives, and a corresponding receipt of a new heart and life to live for Jesus. Christian conversion is an instantaneous event, but it is also a life long process God works in the life of those “converted.” Moving along we come to the word,

(4) FAITH – This word is most often wrongly used. The word essentially has a two-part meaning. (1) It is a belief in a specific set of truths surrounding the doctrinal teachings found in the New Testament. Secondly (2) it is a personal belief in a Person, specifically Jesus Christ. Furthermore. it is a specific belief in His promises to the sinner, on how to be freed from one’s sins, and to experience a right relationship with God the Father, the Holy Spirit and His Son Jesus Christ. Yes, faith in “Christian terminology” is not something you muster up. It is something God alone sends down from heaven into your heart and mind, as He gives you the ability to believe in Him and His work of saving the condemned sinner. Indeed, “faith” is a decision one makes along life’s way, which involves the whole of the inner man ľ your mind, emotions and will. Now, in the Bible there is only “one faith” God accepts. It is called Saving Faith! We have an illustration of it in John’s gospel chapter 2:23-25. Let me read it specifically to you.

John 2:23-25 (NIV) "Now while he [Jesus] was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25 He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man."

Here we discover that “many people…believed in His name.” This is faith. But what kind of faith? You see God has defined these words in His Word and that alone is the only definition God accepts. Therefore, we must align ourselves with God’s words, terms and meaning, or it is null and void. We find in this passage that a great number of people had the WRONG definition of what it means to have “faith,” and believe Christ. How do we know that? Well because Jesus DIDN’T accept their faith and belief! Amazing as it is, it was because they didn’t exercise REAL BIBLE FAITH. What is that? Well, one popular commentator says describes it distinctly,

The words “believed” in John 2:23 and “commit” in John 2:24 are the same Greek word. These people believed in Jesus, but amazingly He did not believe in them! Why? Because they were “unsaved believers”! It was one thing to respond to a miracle, as these folks did, but it is quite something else to “commit oneself to” Jesus Christ and “continue in” His Word (John 8:30-31). So, it’s important to see that Jesus tied His miracles to the truth of His message. He knew that the human heart is attracted to the sensational. The 5,000 that He fed wanted to make Him King—until He preached a sermon on the Bread of Life, and then they left Him in droves! “Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). In grace, Jesus fed the hungry; in truth, He taught the Word. The people wanted the physical food but not the spiritual truth, so they abandoned Him.” 1

Indeed, the word “faith” in the New Testament, in Christian terms, means a specific belief in the Person of Jesus Christ that involves the whole of the inner man ľ your mind, emotions and will. With the mind you understand that Jesus Christ is the infinite GOD/Man come to earth, fashioned as a fully human being, but still being the Creator God Himself. You also understand that God communicated through Him, His message of love, care and offer of forgiveness for our sins. The mind also understands that God has paid for our sins through Christ’s death on the cross, and by His ensuing resurrection, gives proof that the Father in Heaven accepted Christ’s death in place of ours to cover and pay for our sins.

This payment for sin is applied to our sin account when we simply but truly believe in Jesus. Then when the mind understands and accepts this, it must move to the emotional element of our being whereby understanding so great salvation and love, that our heart is broken because of our sins, and we want to experience this salvation from the sole of our feet to the top of our heads! When the emotional element of our mind and heart is moved, it must not stop there. For lastly and most important SAVING FAITH is exercised when our “wills” move out and respond. What must the will do to exercise a biblically saving faith? The answer is accept Jesus Christ by turning one’s whole life over to Him and submitting to His every Word and will for us from then on. The will says, I will turn from my old ways, thoughts, thinking and false understanding of Christian terms and I will follow Him forever! The “will” then moves out and begins to show forth the NEW LIFE IN CHRIST! This what we call the “born again” experience. You know people who have been through that right? You’ve seen their lives change, their priorities change, their language change, their friendships change, their habits change, their loves in life change ľ indeed, FAITH, saving faith might better be called the CHANGED LIFE of CHRIST!

Now friend have you exercised that faith? Many in Jesus days didn’t. They followed religion, a set of religious rules and regulations, but nothing changed inside them. Still others were enamored by the miraculous and sought to follow those who displayed it. But as Jesus said, He knew men’s hearts,” there was no change, no exercising of real bible faith. So, He [God] didn’t accept or receive them! Where do you stand my friend? Have you a biblical definition of what FAITH is? Have you sought it from God? Have you exercised it with your mind, emotion and will? Wherever you are, in a car, in your home, on the job ľ you can right now exercise SAVING FAITH. Here what you must do by praying a prayer similar to this,

“Dear Jesus, I realize I am a sinner and I’ve broken your laws. I’ve lived this way all my life and I know it is wrong. I understand that You, my God come in the flesh, love me enough to save me in spite of all my sins and rejection of you. The Bible says, You came to earth in the Person of Jesus Christ, you died on a cross where You were punished from all the sins of the world, including all my past, present and future sin! Father God, you raised Christ from the dead, showing us all that You accepted His death on our behalf, and now you offer me full forgiveness and a new life, a changed life to live for You! The only condition in the Bible is that I believe on Jesus. Help me in the weakness of this faith, but I now exercise it in my mind, my heart and with my will, I will live for Jesus, whatever the cost as you empower me to do this. Come into my life, take up your rightful residence in me, I grant you my heart, soul and body for Jesus sake, Amen.”

Yes, Christian terms are important. But if you prayed that prayer today or anytime before, there are still some terms we must carefully define. For instance the term,

(5) ETERNAL LIFE – This is a bible term that refers to what God grants to every saved sinner, the moment they confess Christ in biblically acceptable terms as I’ve just defined. It’s not something we can feel, touch or see. It is a state in which God places us when we come to Christ. Jesus said,

John 5:24 (NIV) ""I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."

John 6:47 (NIV) "I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life."

Can we believe God? The answer is yes, 100%! He keeps His word and He said the moment you and I confessed Him with our hearts, He forever saved us, and granted us a state we can never lose! I’m now an eternal being in the sense that I will live and be alive in the presence of God for all eternity. Why? Did I earn it? No! Christ earned it for me, and God sees me “in Christ,” and as long as the God/Man lives ( He is the eternal Creator God) that’s how long I will live with Him when I physically die. Oh, glory to God! What joy that brings to true believers. I no longer have to follow and obey a series of laws or rules to qualify for heaven and eternal life. IT IS MIND, and YOURS in CHRIST! That’s what true Christianity teaches! It is a “done” religion, not a “do” religion as are all others. The big question is do you have ľ Eternal Life? You can by faith, simple faith. The Bible says,

John 1:11-12 (NIV) "He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--"

Now there is one last term we need to define. It is the term,

(6) JUDGMENT – This refers specifically to a time, which God has set to “judge” the world of lost sinners. Now in Scripture there are seven judgments. We’ll not go into them, for the only one that matters for you and me to avoid is the GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT that is coming for all sinners who were ever born. When Christ returns to the earth, He is coming in judgment. He is going to take back the world Satan has usurped from his authority, and He is going to remake it into what it was meant to be ľ a sinless, pristine and perfect world to be inhabited for all eternity by those who have become “children of God,” by faith alone.

But before this is fully accomplished God is going to judge the world by Jesus Christ. The Bible warns us all,

Jude 1:14-15 (NIV) "…See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.""

Rom 2:16 (NIV) "This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares."

At that time God will cast into Hell, the eternal penitentiary, all those who have not exercised saving faith and called upon Christ to forgive them their sins. It will be an awful time, but a righteous time because all men now can be saved from their sins. Yes friends, judgment day is coming, no amount of human technology or denial can prevent it. The clock ticks closer each hour to this time ahead. The question is are you prepared to meet your Creator God? Amos the prophet decaled it well to his generation and to ours,

Amos 4:12-13 (NIV) ""Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel." 13 He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth-- the LORD God Almighty is his name."

I’ve saved one last term to define before I finish and it is the term,

(7) GRACE – This is the undeserved favor and forgiveness of God to all men. God’s grace is there friend for you today. It will not be there after we die, the Bible says,

Heb 9:27 (NIV) "…man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,"

However God’s grace is yours for the asking. God loves you my friend, even though you’re a condemned sinner. Right now, He offers everyone full and forever forgiveness, if they will turn from the world of rejecting Him to receiving Him through Jesus Christ. If you will not do that, then there is no hope for you. All the religions in the world, all the righteous deeds we can do and perform, all the sinners who will stand with you ľ will not be able to save your soul on the day of God’s judgment ľ for you rejected God’s grace, His days of amnesty now available to all.

So I say to you in closing, don’t turn away from these truths and terms as God defines them. If you’re religious well and good, but God wants you to turn from religion, from self, from the spectacular to the simplicity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In a nutshell here it is. I pray your heart; mind soul and body will respond for Jesus sake, Amen.

Mat 11:28-29 (NIV) ""Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Acts 16:31 (NIV) "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household.""

…Yes the meaning of words is important to understand, and how much more when we are dealing with eternal issues. Don’t follow the words and meanings men give them, or even religion gives them! Before you accept any spiritual teachings find out what it means in the bible, not in the articles of faith of any church or denomination. They could be wrong! If so, remember what Jesus did with those who “believed in His name,” He didn’t accept them! In fact, the Bible tells us in another portion of this un-acceptance of faith,

Mat 7:22-23 (NIV) "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"

It’s not hard, nor difficult to believe in Christ, why even a small child can do this. Just turn your heart and life over to Him and accept Him as your God and Savior. That is my prayer for you today.

The World, the Word & You! Broadcast is a non-denominational ministry based on the historic fundamental evangelical interpretation of the Scriptures. A copy of our doctrinal statement is available upon request. These weekly radio commentaries are not exhaustive studies of any particular subject due to the time limit of broadcasting. Actual broadcasts can be heard in selected areas around the nation, as funding provides. Dennis Finnan has been the speaker for over 20 years, and serves as General Director.

These transcripts are available free of charge to all who desire them. Also available are actual radio cassette tapes and printed booklets of each message. A free listing of recent messages is available upon request also.