Age Beseeches Youth (Continued)

Beloved, in continuance of our theme, “Age Beseeches Youth” - if you remember, Jesus gave us a parable (see Luke 15:11-32) of a certain man who had two sons. It is important to note that it was the younger son who asked for the “portion of goods” that would one day become his. He did not immediately leave home and try his own wings, but a few days after his request was granted, he made an ill-advised decision to leave. Because of his inexperience, he had not yet learned how to have proper self-control. The “younger son” soon lost “all he had in riotous (reckless) living” in a “far country”. Soon, he was in want and without a friend. His friends had all turned from him as rats desert a sinking ship. When he could no longer entertain them on the lavish scale to which they had become accustomed, they proved that they were no friends at all. Beloved, just think - if someone had been there to guide him, he would never have made such a regretful mistake in his judgment of character. His sad experience teaches us that we in the Church who are more mature in age should not idly sit by and watch the younger saints wreck their lives with mistakes that experience has taught us to avoid. If we do nothing, Beloved, we are committing the sin of omission - neglecting to warn our “young” spiritual family-members about snares and traps that can harm them, or failing to give them wise counsel that can help them.

Precious Ones, the excuse that some offer today is that “these young people have too much pride - you can’t tell them anything, Pastor!” However, Beloved, remember that the younger brother’s pride sustained him only for a while. When he found himself thinking of eating the food set aside for pigs, he came to himself and clearly saw the error of his ways. His experience had a successful outcome, but in many instances, regrets may come too late. All of this can be avoided by unselfish sharing of wisdom from the “aged” to the “younger” children of God.

There will be more on this subject next Sunday.

I love you all SO very much.

In His Love,

Pastor William L. McCoy

The Possibility of Failure (Part 1)

Beloved, I feel inspired by the Holy Spirit to write to you today from a new theme, “The Possibility of Failure”. We are taught by the apostle Paul that “if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the Spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1). Beloved, it is an established fact that a man can be preserved faultless. According to the Book of Jude, Jesus Christ is the One “that is able...to present you faultless” (Jude 1:24). This, however, is conditional. As the apostle Peter put it, “if ye do these things, ye shall never fall” (II Peter 1:10). In this chapter, the words “these things” referred to the seven attributes that one should add to his faith. Beloved, these attributes are not accomplished overnight, but rather, they are stepping stones for which we must strive. As we attain them one by one, we are reaching for the ultimate in Christian living, which is charity - the perfect life in Christ Jesus. Until we have attained that goal, we need help from our Lord and Savior.

Precious Ones, the psalmist asked the question (Psalm 19:12), “Who can understand his errors?” He then followed his rhetorical question by saying, “cleanse thou me from secret faults” (Psalm 19:12). Therefore, Beloved, it is obvious that we may not always be aware of our faults until they overtake us. When this happens, there is a need for restoration to our former faultless standing. When we realize that we have failed, we need answers to motivate us to change that failure into success. Failure is universal, and the only way that we will never fail is if we never attempt anything! However, faults must be kept under control. Paul expressed both the reality of and the solution to failure in these words, “if (we) live after the flesh, (we) shall die; but if (we) through the spirit do mortify (kill) the deeds of the body, (we) shall live” (Romans 8:13). Therefore, Beloved, we must always be on the alert, otherwise we will fall into temptation. However, if our hope is in Christ who never failed, then through Him, we don’t have to fail.

I will write more on this subject next week.

I love you all SO very much!
In His Love,

Pastor William L. McCoy

The Possibility of Failure (continued)

Beloved, in continuance of our theme, “The Possibility of Failure” - although there is no possibility of failure in our God, at times, if we are not constantly walking “after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1), there is a chance of failure in us, because of our flesh. Even Paul acknowledged this, after some 20 years as a dedicated Christian, when he wrote that it is “possible” for a man or a woman to “fail”. Notice that he included himself when he wrote, “I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection (discipline): lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (I Corinthians 9:27). Paul acknowledged that not only himself, but any man or woman may be overcome if he is not everlastingly vigilant.

Precious Ones, all of us who live in this flesh have tendencies within us that are contrary to holiness. However, after acknowledging them, we are not to give in to them. Jesus Christ our Savior did not die for the penalty of our sins to be removed so that we would have an excuse to fail. On the contrary, Beloved, after Christ shed His blood on Calvary, we gained the power, through the releasing of His Spirit, to mortify (kill), restrain and repress those tendencies. To those of us who have the “power of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 1:8) dwelling in our lives, Paul’s message to us is “walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).

Chosen Ones, it is unmistakable that “the flesh lusteth after the spirit...so that (we) cannot do the things (we) would (or, cannot fulfill our spiritual desires)” (Galatians 5:17). Beloved, the only remedy for conquering the evil temptations of the flesh is to constantly walk in the Spirit, because we cannot make it by ourselves. Our testimony has to be, “in Him we live, and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). It is impossible for our God (whose Name is Jesus) to fail, and as long as we walk in Him, we will not fail.

I will write more on this subject next week.

I love you all SO very much!
In His Love,

Pastor William L. McCoy

The Possibility of Failure (continued)

Beloved, in continuance of our theme, “The Possibility of Failure” - in Paul’s testimony of his former conduct toward the saints, he states, “beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it” (Galatians 1:13). Beloved, this intense pressure on the saints had a disastrous consequence. As Paul states, “I punished them often in the synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme” (Acts 26:11). Remember, Paul believed that he was righteous in persecuting the saints, because he felt that those who opposed Judaism were “blasphemers”, and irreverent to His God. Although Paul’s ignorance of the knowledge of Jesus Christ may have justified his “failure”, the extreme pressure on the saints nevertheless caused many to be overthrown. I’m delighted to inform you, Beloved, that the martyrdom of some sixty million believers through the ages has testified that not even death by the most horrible means devised by demon-possessed minds can thwart the work of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We learn from this that there may be some who mis-represent God in their methods, but God will not cause His mission to “fail”.

Chosen Ones, James introduced another important point for our consideration. When we “fail”, the problem lies within our desires, or, as James puts it, our “lust”. “Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed (attracted). Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:14-15). Beloved, in these two verses, let us observe that we can stifle “the possibility of failure”. First, observe that lust for unrighteous things still dwells within us, but must be restrained, otherwise we will commit sin. Secondly, if we allow any attraction to draw us away from the holy status engendered by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God, that desire will inevitably bring forth sin. Thirdly, remember that “every man is tempted”, but in order to avoid “the possibility of failure”, we must not allow ourselves to be impregnated (“conceived”) with our temptation. Finally, we must give constant thought to the fact that unless there is restoration, “death” is the eventual consequence of allowing lust to lead us into sin.

Precious Ones, to say that in Christ Jesus “failure” is still unavoidable, is to render the act of Calvary powerless. Paul teaches us that regardless of how weak we feel at times, “when we were yet without strength, Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). Thus, the conclusion of the “failure” matter is this - “reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof” (Romans 6:11-12).

I love you all SO very much!
In His Love,

Pastor William L. McCoy