Matthew 22:37-40; “And He said to him; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it; you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend on all the law and the prophets.” This is also found in Mark 12:28-31 and Luke 10:27. (ESV – all emphasis is mine)

Our Heavenly Father loves us more than we could ever understand. He gives us every chance possible to reach eternal Salvation. In 2 Peter 3:8-9, “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

He is specific as to what it takes to be saved and to have eternal life in Heaven. Romans 10:9-13 bears repeating here; “because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

We are told in no uncertain terms that we cannot do works or ever buy or earn our way into Salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9; “for by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Receive and accept Jesus. That is our key message for our Salvation. In Romans 10:9 and 10, we’re told we must confess with our mouths. Please understand that our Heavenly Father does not disqualify anyone who is physically unable to speak, or anyone who is mute, saying they cannot reach Salvation. He knows our every thought.

First, let’s review Psalm 94:11; “The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath.”

Next, 1 Corinthians 2:11; “For who knows a person’s thoughts except the Spirit of that person, which is in him? So no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” This is the Holy Spirit who indwells every person who has received and accepted Jesus.

Before Solomon became king, David advised him in 1 Chronicles 28:9; “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.”

God hates sin, no matter how large or how small. He knows that we all will sin until we take our last breath on this earth. Every one of us inherited that trait from the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

However, for all who have received and accepted His Son, He provides a means of receiving forgiveness. Looking at 1 John 1:8-9, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Our Father goes above and beyond any expectation for mercy and forgiveness that we could ever deserve. Isaiah 38:17, Isaiah 44:22, Jeremiah 31:34, and especially Psalm 132:11-12 all tell us of His mercy toward us who are part of our Savior’s flock. All who were in His will prior to Calvary passed from this earth into a place of peace. This is evidenced by the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31. For everyone who passed after Calvary to the present, who received and accepted Jesus as their Savior, their souls are with the Lord (Philippians 1:23 and 2 Corinthians 5:8).

He expects us to love our brothers and sisters as well. One point here: Jesus loved everyone for their immortal and eternal soul, and He accepted all who truly called on Him to be their Savior. For all those who would not accept Him, such as the majority of the Pharisees and Sadducees, He showed that He did not personally like them, but there was no hate in His heart toward them. He told them exactly where they would be headed if they did not change their ways. Had they repented and accepted Him, He would have gladly forgiven them.

About five years ago, I wrote a message about loving God and loving each other. This current message is a revisit as a reminder for all of us that our time here is getting very short. The only major prophetic events left before the end of this era are the Rapture, followed by the seven-year tribulation/wrath. The last event will usher in a time that will be worse than anything this earth has ever experienced so far. All the signs are here that tell us the last days of this age are about over.

In 1997, Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote a beautiful Gospel Hymn titled, “Loving God, Loving Each Other.”

Refrain) Loving God – Loving each other, making music with my friends. Loving God, Loving each other, and the music never ends.

1.) They pushed back from the table to listen to His words, His secret plan before He had to go. It’s not complicated; Don’t need a lot of rules. This is all you need to know. (refrain)

2.) We tend to make it harder, build steeples out of stone, filled with explanations of the Way. But if we’d stop and listen and break a little bread, we would hear the Master say. (refrain)

Please know that, as stated in 2 Peter 3:9, our Father wants no one to fail. However, He will force no one to receive and accept His Son. It is left up to each individual to make that decision. Jesus knew that more would accept this world than would accept Him, as evidenced by His statement in Matthew 7:13-14 referencing the wide and narrow paths.

One final disclaimer: I have had people tell me they have sinned so badly that they could never be forgiven. What part about “All who call on the name of the Lord will be Saved” doesn’t make sense? Jesus came to provide a pathway for all sinners to be able to repent and be saved and spend eternity with Him.

Our Heavenly Father allowed “temporary” sacrifices prior to His Son being crucified. However, the blood of bulls and goats could never take away our sins (Hebrews 10:4). Only pure, sinless human blood could do that, and there was only one “sinless human” that ever lived on this earth, and that was Jesus, His Son.

Our Heavenly Father does not lie (Titus 1:2). He wants us to spend eternity with Him, or He would’ve never given us His “Love Letter” – the Bible.

For anyone reading this, if you haven’t made a decision to receive and accept Jesus as your Savior, please know that we are not guaranteed another day here. Now would be a great time to call out and ask Jesus to forgive you, and for Him to please add you to His precious flock. Once you take your last breath here, your eternity is set. There will be no forgiveness at the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11-15.

When the Trumpet of God sounds, and there is a shout from an archangel, I hope to see you when we get into the presence of our Savior. That will be within a twinkling of an eye, which does not give time to call out to be saved when the Rapture takes place.

It isn’t too early to get your reservation in. Maranatha – Come Lord Jesus!

huebshman46@gmail.com

 

For the sixth year in a row, I had the privilege of attending and exhibiting at the Shepherds 360 Church Leaders Conference, held at Shepherds Theological Seminary in Cary, N.C., on Monday through Wednesday, Oct. 21 to 23.

The theme of this year’s conference, which focused on dispensationalism, was “City of God—City of Man,” with the tagline: “Already? Not Yet? Let’s Get It Right!”

As one might expect, this edition of Shepherds 360 was more controversial than most. It brought together many of the leading voices from both traditional and progressive dispensationalism, thus affording those in attendance an unparalleled learning opportunity regarding this topic. The purpose, however, was not so much to facilitate debate or even discussion between the two sides. Instead, the stated goal was to promote dispensational theology in a broad sense, as opposed to alternatives like covenant theology and related views.

General session speakers representing the progressive side included three of its originators: Craig Blaising, Darrell Bock, and Bruce Ware. Notable among the traditional teachers were Mark Hitchcock, James Fazio, and Cory Marsh. Of course, several of the faculty from Shepherds Theological Seminary also spoke on this subject, including Doug Bookman, Peter Goeman, Tim Miller, and Michael Vlach.

It will come as no surprise to readers that I am a traditional dispensationalist, so my comments must be taken in that light. Here are some observations that struck me as I listened to the great majority of the teaching from the general sessions.

First, I thought that those from the traditional perspective focused their sessions on advancing their specific topics—most of which were not polemical in nature. The progressive speakers, however, were more direct in addressing their traditional critics. Most pointedly, on Monday afternoon, Blaising presented a paper titled “Progressive Dispensationalism as Kingdom Theology,” which he aimed largely at traditionalists. Marsh responded briefly to some of Blaising’s charges in the introduction to his talk on Tuesday morning. Marsh’s theme was “Correcting Common Mischaracterizations About Dispensationalism”—primarily from covenant theology.

Another observation I made was that references to the significance of or support for the modern State of Israel were noticeably absent from the general sessions of this dispensational conference. This was a rather striking omission, in my mind, within the current climate of war and terrorism in the Middle East and escalating worldwide antisemitism. Of course, those of us who hold to traditional dispensationalism may wonder if this oversight might be attributed to the emphases found in progressive dispensationalism. Attorney David Gibbs III did mention support for Israel in his talk on Wednesday morning. In fairness, Israel’s importance was also the subject of several workshop sessions, including one by Paul Hartog, who spoke about “A Future for National Israel in Romans 9-11.”

The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry was also joined by Ariel Ministries among the 33 conference exhibitors. Still, it might have been unifying if a statement had come from the pulpit declaring that, whether traditional or progressive in our dispensationalism, we stand united in recognizing the significance of and expressing our support for the people and nation of Israel.

My final observation is that, while this conference truly offered an amazing occasion to hear from those influencing both traditional and progressive dispensationalism, it seemed to me that providing a platform for adherents of both views yielded some degree of tension, and perhaps confusion. Many of the listeners may have already had strong convictions on these issues. They were able to choose workshop speakers who either reinforced or challenged those views. I don’t know how many of the attendees left feeling that we had “gotten it right” or if some were, perhaps, more conflicted. I will be interested to see what, if anything, results from these meetings in the future.

In all, the conference consisted of 15 general sessions, 61 workshop sessions (including a panel discussion featuring Blaising, Bock, and Vlach, as well as some sessions that were repeated), and five sessions on practical subjects that were offered during lunch on both Tuesday and Wednesday. As always, music from the choir and orchestra of The Shepherd’s Church helped to create a wonderful atmosphere, and the seminary personnel made it a first-class experience for everyone who came.

I lengthened the conference week by arriving in time to visit the STS doctor of ministry class, taught by Erwin Lutzer (also a general session speaker), on Saturday morning. Lutzer continued his tradition of bringing the sermon at The Shepherd’s Church on Sunday, and that was combined once again with a panel discussion featuring several speakers from the conference.

On Monday morning, I attended the Carolinas IFCA Regional, which was also held on campus, where we heard presentations by Lutzer and Ware.

Next year’s conference is scheduled for Oct. 13 to 15, with the theme, “Persevering in Ministry.”

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Paul J. Scharf (M.A., M.Div., Faith Baptist Theological Seminary) is a church ministries representative for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, based in Columbus, WI, and serving in the Midwest. For more information on his ministry, visit sermonaudio.com/pscharf or foi.org/scharf, or email pscharf@foi.org.