A New Beginning: The House of God

Recently, I received a newsletter from the church in Pennsylvania I grew up in. It is now   Chichester Baptist Church and the article that grabbed my attention was written by the pastor, an old friend from my youth, Dr. Joel D. Winters. It was a column he entitled “Pastor’s Pondering.” In part, here is the information I wanted to share with you, my readers. He entitled the part beginning “Introduction” with the title I put on this entry: “A New Beginning. . . .”

 

January is the first month of the new year, 2023. Our emphasis this month is “A New Beginning. . . .”

 

Dr. Winters had several paragraphs about what the church was going to do in January. Then he followed it with the list of characteristics of God’s House, which I have included here:

 

Introduction: Jesus established the church to worship Him, to grow spiritually and numerically, and be a lighthouse in the community.

 

1.  1,   It is a place of ­praise. Psalm 100:4

Express warm approval or admiration of

 

2.   2.  It is a place of participation. Ps 100:2

Involvement

 

3.    3. It is a place of prayer. Acts 4:31

Communion with God

 

4.  4.   It is a place of provision. Mal. 3:10

Measure taken to provide for need/contingency

 

5.  5.   It is a place of preaching. II Timothy 4:2

Proclaiming truth

 

6.    6. It is a place of pondering. Psalm 111:2

Think and meditate deeply upon Scripture

 

7.   7.  It is a place of priority. Hebrews 10:25

Top of important list in your life

 

8.    8. It is a place of piety. I Timothy 6:6

Belief, trust in, loyalty to God, holiness

 

9.    9. It is a place of perseverance. I Cor. 15:58

Persistent in spite of difficulty or delay in achieving success

 

1110.  It is a place of Philadelphia. John 13:35

Brotherly love

 

1111.  It is a place of peace. II Cor. 13:11

Freedom from disturbance, tranquility

 

Thanks, Pastor Joel, for these important suggestions for starting the new year. Even if we don’t make resolutions, these are good places to start the new year. To you, your church, my church, and all of my readers, Shanah Tovah, which is Hebrew for “Have a good year!”

Book Review: Candle Drippings

Last year, the Journal of Dispensational Theology published a review of the book for which this blog is named and from which some of these entries provide an extension. That is, some of the entries on this blog came from the newsletters that were not among those included in the book. I am indebted to my friend and colleague, Terry Holsinger for his kind words and insightful observations. With the permission of the Editor of the Journal, I would like to share Terry's review with you, my readers. Here, in its entirety is the review:

Kenneth R. Cooper has built a delightful book around forty-nine selections for reflection and devotion which are ideally suited for the bedside table, morning coffee, or lunch. As Dr. Ken indicated on several occasions, his thinking process is suited to almost any occasion. The selections in this book cover the time span of Dr. Ken's life from 1984 through 2000. Most are dated in the mid-late 1990's. However, one devotional is reviewed and updated in 2014. Aside from that, the latest rendering is from 2000.

            Almost half of these remarkable renderings are from Ken's personal life. Many start with a special memory or build on an experience he had. They then develop a strong biblically based thought to bring comfort, encouragement, or devotional strength to the reader. A number reflect a personally difficult point in his life like those believers all suffer from time to time. Others are oriented to the outdoors and are centered on his experiences with Boy Scouting in the vast reserves of Texas. These experiences and pointed applications will leave the reader with plenty to contemplate. Many will stick with the reader throughout the day, giving sustenance for those particular times in life when it is greatly needed.

            Another feature of Candle Drippings is Dr. Ken's reliance on references from well-known authors or personal friends. He refers to everything from Alice in Wonderland to Arnold Toynbee, C. S. Lewis to Snoopy, utilizing their writings an thoughts as applications appropriate for today's heartaches and joys. Using Old and New testament references is also a common feature of this book. The references are taken from the New American Standard Bible and are found in nearly all these articles.

            Overall, Candle Drippings is highly recommended and would be a tremendous addition to anyone's personal library. Available in paperback, it is affordable and well worth owning a copy. The book contains many personal references and thoughts upon which the reader may ponder, as well as ample space for notes which makes Candle Drippings a true keepsake.

Israel in Prophecy

Israel has always seemed to be a theological thorn for many believers. Probably because of their thorny history in the Bible, not to mention that some Christians have foolishly blamed them for the crucifixion of Jesus. The Jewish leaders under the Roman empire were the instruments of the indictment and conviction of Jesus; but it was God Himself Who put Jesus on the Cross, as Peter noted on the Day of Pentecost: "This Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death." (Acts 2:23, NAU, italics are mine) Some theologians argue that since the Jews rejected Christ, God has finished with them and replaced them with the church. To these theologians, the Church is the new Israel or the "Israel of God." Frankly, there is no indication anywhere in the Scriptures that the term Israel ever refers to anyone but ethnic Israel.

Furthermore, there is evidence in the scriptures that God is not finished with Israel yet. Instead, He has inserted what the late Harry Ironside called The Great Parenthesis, the Church Age. One day, when "the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled," (Luke 21:24), God will return to Israel and begin to fulfill many of the still unfulfilled prophecies concerning the nation. In fact, over 100 years ago, Robert B. Girdlestone noted the following about prophecies concerning Israel:

That Israel has a great future is clear from Scripture as a whole. There is a large unfulfilled element in the Old Testament which demands it unless we spiritualize it away or relinquish it as Oriental hyperbole. This scattered nation of ten million people has yet its part to play in the history of the world. There is to be a re-betrothal, a reunion, a liberation, a conversion, a restoration, which shall be like a resurrection, or life from the dead. There will be a time of prosperity, as entrance into the New Covenant, with new responsibilities and enlarged influence. All this may be preceded by worse troubles than any which have befallen Israel hitherto; but the texts which are supposed to imply this may have been already fulfilled since they were uttered.

Robert B. Girdlestone, The Grammar of Prophecy (1871 reprint, Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1955), 138-139.

Any way you look at it, God is not finished with Israel yet. When they were in the Babylonian captivity, God had promised them they would be there only for a limited time. In fact He told them through the prophet Jeremiah that that limitation would be for seventy years (See Jeremiah 25:11-12; 26:10). Then, in a letter to the exiles penned by Jeremiah, the Lord explained to them His purpose. He said, "For I know the plans that I have for you..., plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11, italics are mine). The promises the Lord made with Israel were everlasting promises. Each one of them includes a clause of this nature; therefore, He cannot give them up forever. If He were to quit the nation, it would result in a blot on His integrity. Further, if He were to renege on His promises to Israel, what confidence would we Christians have that He will keep any of His promises to us?

One of the Lord's final promises to Israel should encourage us all. Through the prophet Malachi, the Lord said, "For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed." (Malachi 3:6) The Apostle Paul notes also, "from the standpoint of God's choice they [Israel] are beloved for the sake of the fathers...." (Romans 11:28b) We may not understand all of God's ways, we may not understand all of God's thoughts, we may not understand all of God's actions, but...we can depend on Him to keep His word to His people Israel; and, therefore, to keep His word to His church. His hand has not been removed from either, and He has prepared a glorious future for both. Soli Deo Gloria!

A Season of Thanks

"...O Lord, that lends me life,

Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness."

Shakespeare, "Henry VI, Pt. II."

I had another birthday the other day, and for me it was an occasion for thankfulness.  Another reminder that every day is a grace gift from God and each new year of life a blessing from His hand.  Coming so close to Thanksgiving as it did this year, only two days shy, it stirred my thoughts even more toward gratitude to my Lord.  He has given me life three times over.  The first time, naturally, when I was born.  The second time came in Bible school when I was nine years old.  Through His Son Jesus, I was born into His kingdom.  Nearly eight years ago, on Valentine's Day, the third time came.  A severe headache turned out to be a brain hemmorhage that doctors said should have killed me in minutes.  They couldn't understand why it didn't.  However, twenty five years prior to the appearance of the aneurism, I had suffered a head injury in an automobile accident.  Although we could make no sense of it at the time, I now see that the sovereign hand of God was preparing me even then for the survival that puzzled the doctors a quarter of a century later.  By His grace, He had lifted me up, had healed me, had kept me alive.  Thank you, Lord, for your incomprehensible grace.

On my birthday this year, I received some other reasons for thankfulness .  In one of the earliest Candle Drippings (#3, March 28, 1990), I shared the story of Rachel Allen, who, at age twenty one months had a form of leukemia that was diagnosed as incurable.  Doctors found only one course of treatment that held out even the remotest hope for the child.  It was a six week treatment plan, yet after only three weeks, she had grown worse instead of better.  Toward the end of the six weeks, while making funeral preparations, her father, Dr. Ronald Allen, received the news that remission had actually begun.  This fall, Dr. Allen moved from Portland, Oregon to Dallas to begin teaching at Dallas Theological Seminary.  On my birthday, I visited Dr. Allen at the seminary; and during our conversation, he gave me the wonderful news.  Rachel is now eighteen years old, fully well, and planning to graduate from high school this year.  Thanks again, Lord, for your lovingkindness.

How can we express our thankfulness to the Lord for His wonderful mercies?  As I left Dr. Allen's office that afternoon, an answer to this question came to mind.  From the Psalms, a source of strength and comfort both he and I have learned to draw from.  "It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Thy name, O Most High; To declare Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness by night ...."  (Psalm 92.1-5).

To Thank and to praise the Lord is both a duty and a delight.  To review those qualities of grace that belong to Him should fill our hearts with joy.  When I see His lovingkindness expressed toward those I love, when I see His sovereign power and faithfulness to His people --- like Rachel Allen, like even me, in spite of my weaknesses and failures, I am ready to sing with the psalmist my praise and thanks to Him.  It is a precious thing to give thanks to God, a precious privilege to receive His mercies and simply return to Him a whispered word of thanks.  It is an ever-present reminder of our dependence on Him.  "What do you have that you did not receive?" asks the Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 4.7).  And James reminds us that "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights" (James 1.17, KJV), such gifts as lovingkindness in the morning and faithfulness in the evening.  In the morning, remember all the provision God has made for us as we face the responsibilities of the day.  We need, too, to reflect on the protection He has given us through the night.  After all, He doesn't owe us a new day of life; but in His steadfast love, He gives it to us.  And at the end of the day, how can we sleep without thanking Him for His faithfulness to us throughout that day?

Each day, my back yard fills with birds.  Sparrows.  Starlings.  Hummingbirds.  Mourning doves.  All day long, they busy themselves gathering what has been given them.  And as they gather, they chirp and sing their thanks to God.  It is a blessing just watching them.  Amy Carmichael tells a similar experience of a sunbird in her yard.  Every time he sips sugar and water, she says, he chirps and flicks his little tail.  It's his way of saying, Thank you.  "Do you flick your tail?" Ms. Carmichael asks.  "Don't laugh and say, 'I haven't got a tail.'  Your tail is in your mouth.  It is your tongue.  Use it."  Our heavenly Father gives us good treasures daily out of His heavenly store.  Maybe we can't always voice our thanks, but we can be full of thanks always.  We can have a spirit of thanks always.  Thankful.  Grateful.  Right now, I am.  Are you?

The Model Church

The Baptist Faith and Message says, “A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local body of baptized believers….” Although its definition contains much more, this brief partial statement provides a starting place. Most theology books or Bible studies on the subject of the church will then generally begin their discussions with reference to the Greek word translated “church” in the New Testament, e,kklhs,ia (ekklēsia). The word “church,” they will tell you, comes from the word ekklēsia, meaning “called-out ones,” making the church a body of called-out people. In fact, Baptists usually define the New Testament church as an “assembly of called-out believers,” a fact which is certainly true, but only in part.

“Church” does translate the word ekklēsia, but it does not come from that word. Instead, the word “church,” in a round about way, comes from another Greek word, kuriako,s (kuriakos). Kuriakos literally means “belonging to the Lord.” Although this word is not used in the New Testament specifically of the church, it is, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the linguistic source for our word “church.” This bit of information changes the focus of our study significantly. No longer should we focus on ourselves as just an assembly, but rather on the Lord to Whom we belong and Who called out the assembly.

The character of the church as a unique possession of God gives it an importance far above any “called-out assembly.” Other assemblies have been called out for various reasons. In fact, the term ekklesia was used by the Greeks before New Testament times to designate their city councils, assemblies called out to discuss and legislate the laws governing their cities. The New Testament borrowed this word from the prevailing culture and gave it a new meaning, an assembly called out by God to worship Him. As a result of this new meaning coupled with the significance of kuriakos, no other assembly has the distinction of being called out by and of belonging to the Lord.

In addition to our calling out by and our possession by the Lord, what marks distinguish the church from other assemblies? In 1 Thessalonians 1:6-10, Paul offers a few characteristics.

1. The Word of God dominated their assembly. Paul says they “received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit.” (v. 6) Further, “the word of the Lord has sounded forth from [them].” (v. 8) In 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Paul adds that he thanked God for them because they did not receive God’s Word as the word of men, “but for what it really is, the word of God.” If we belong to the Lord, we will love His Word, we will live by His Word, and we will fill our hearts and minds with His Word so that His Word literally saturates our lives both individually and collectively.

2. They recognized the Lordship of Christ. Paul repeatedly called Him, “Lord Jesus Christ,” “Lord Jesus,” or just “Lord,” as he discussed their faith in Him and their response to Him. This is not a concession to the so-called doctrine of Lordship Salvation, but recognition of a relationship that follows our maturing in the faith as we grow and get to know Christ in all His glory. Paul; describes that Lordship even more clearly when he commends their repentance. In 1 Thessalonians 1:9, Paul notes that they turned to God from idols, an excellent description of what repentance really involves. They turned to God “to serve [because He is Lord] a living and true God [not dead, false idols].” Again, they serve Him because He is Lord.

Their response to Him is first one of love, then a response of obedience, obedience because of love and gratitude, no doubt, but obedience nonetheless. He is Lord and Savior at this point, not merely Savior. In our salvation the Father “rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14; see also 2 Peter 1:11) Our salvation not only places us in this kingdom, but also makes us servants as well as sons. Salvation begins with receiving the gift of eternal life through Christ, but it also eventually includes submission to the King of kings and Lord of lords.

3. They “mimicked” the apostles and the Lord. That is, they lived lives that transparently revealed the power of Christ living in them. They did this by first imitating the example of the apostles (cp. v. 6). Christ’s power working through the church showed the world that they were truly Christians—“little Christs,” they truly were a kuriakos, a prized possession of the Lord.

I’ve given you here only a few characteristics of the model church at Thessalonica for you to think about and meditate on. Read all of 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 and see how many more characteristics of the model church you can find. There are more, many more. How many of them does your church measure up to? How many do you measure up to?

---

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible, 1995 Version.

A Christmas Love Story

Note: The following article was originally published in The Prophetic Round-Up, Abilene, Texas, November-December, 1987, edition. My thanks to Editor, Sam "Shmuel" Peak for permission to reprint articles I have written for the Round-Up. I have slightly edited this version to tighten some parts and to clarify others.  May the Lord use it to encourage and edify many. (All Scripture references in this article are from the King James Version unless otherwise indicated.)

Valentine Michael Smith came from Mars with a whole new idea about love and inter-personal relationships. When he tried to explain his idea to earth people, he developed an almost cultic following. And he incited a great deal of opposition. Particularly since his idea was not too different from many of the modern group sex philosophies. Robert Heinlein tells about Smith's cult and its influence in his revolutionary novel, Stranger in a Strange Land. (1961, 1991)

Another stranger in a strange land reveals a deeper, more profound, more lasting concept of love. A young woman named Ruth, a worshipper of the Moabite god Chemosh, left the only homeland she knew to come to Israel. There she became a noteworthy ancestor of Jesus Christ Himself. Ruth did not bring a new concept of love with her. Instead, in her experience in the house of Naomi and in the grain fields of Boaz, Ruth discovered a new kind of love and a new kind of life transcending all boundaries--racial, ethnic, geographic. And ultimately her love story is the story of God's love revealed in Christ Jesus. Check out some of the similarities.

For example, in the last chapter of the Book of Ruth, the author describes her marriage to Boaz. Among the characteristics similar to the story of Jesus there is first the focus on the divine activity surrounding the birth of her child. Before Ruth and Boaz even consummated their marriage, the people prayed for a special offspring, and openly acknowledged that her seed would be a gift from God. Repetition in the text reinforces the conviction of divine activity surrounding the conception and birth of Obed. "Let thy house be like the house of Pharez...of the seed which the Lord shall give thee..." (Ruth 4:12, italics mine), the people cried out to Boaz. Later, when Boaz "went in unto [Ruth], the Lord gave her conception and she bare a son." (Ruth 4:13, italics mine) While the conception of Obed was not a miraculous virgin conception like that of Jesus, yet it did result from a direct act of God within the womb of Ruth. God had  intervened to assure a male offspring that became an ancestor of Jesus; and as a result, significant in the Messianic teaching of God's Word.

A second characteristic is the significance of the offspring. In the hope of Israel, Ruth's seed had to be a son so he could "raise up the name of the dead...that the name of the dead be not cut off from his brethren...." (Ruth 4:10) The Hebrew Scriptures which we call the Old Testament contain little teaching about immortality and eternal life as we understand them. The patriarchs believed in a literal resurrection, as Job 19:25-27 indicates, but knew or understood little about it. To them, immortality meant perpetuating one's name and inheritance through one's offspring. And for this kind of immortality, only a son would do. This explains the prayer of Boaz in Ruth 4:10. It further explains the gravity of Onan's sin in Genesis 38:8-10, because unlike Boaz, Onan essentially cut off his brother's name. It was not a "sexual sin" as such, but rather a willful refusal to honor the inheritance of his dead brother. Boaz, on the other hand, intentionally chose to continue the name of Mahlon, Ruth's dead husband by marrying Ruthann producing a child in the name of Mahlon. More important in the history of Israel  is the fact that any son born to a household might in fact be the promised Messiah. As the last few verses of Ruth indicate, Obed was not the Messiah; but he kept the line alive in the providence of God and became an ancestor of Christ. Thus he insured, or rather God insured through him, that the "son that is given" (Isaiah 9:6) would eventually appear.

The place of Obed's birth provides yet another important analogy. "Do thou worthily in Ephratah," the people said to Boaz, "and be famous in Bethlehem." (Ruth 4:11) As the first part of the book shows, the home of Boaz as well as the home of Naomi lay in the little village of Bethlehem. So, although the text does not explicitly say so, it implies through this blessing of the people on Boaz that Obed was born there, too. Bethlehem, five miles southeast of Jerusalem, held fond memories for all Israel. Jacob buried Rachel there. David held his coronation there. Here Ruth and Boaz settled there to raise their family. And later the prophet Micah would proclaim of Bethlehem, " though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." (Micah 5:2) Not only was Bethlehem to become famous, but Boaz's son was to become famous in Bethlehem, meaning he would receive great acclaim, renown, or appellation. Nowhere does the Scripture reveal Obed achieving renown. But from Bethlehem, his grandson David rose to become the most famous king of Israel. And from his seed came Jesus, the most worthy character in all history. And both these ancestors of Jesus were born in Bethlehem (see 1 Samuel 20:4; Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:4)

Fourthly, surrounding the birth of the child were two items of vital significance in redemptive history. The women of Bethlehem said to Naomi, "Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman...." (Ruth 4:14) In Old Testament theology, the term kinsman is one of the most important terms. It refers to more than just a relative of any kind, but to one who is a close relative. Robert Strong translates it "next of kin" to stress its importance. Some commentaries note that in many contexts the writers combine the ideas of relationship and redemption and indicate the kinsman is a "kinsman-redeemer." It is used in the Book of Ruth this way; and in subsequent Jewish theology, ga-al (the kinsman-redeemer) is one who buys back the property of a relative who may have lost it through negligence, debt, or some other means. The ga-al buys it back to keep it in the family. He delivers his relative from danger, from judgment, or from his enemies. So, in Ruth, the people blessed the Lord because he has provided Naomi with a redeemer. And He has provided us with a Redeemer in the ancestor of Ruth, Jesus Christ, who adopts us into His family so He can actually be our "Kinsman- Redeemer."

The second aspect of redemption history in the story of Obed is the effect of redemption. The kinsman-redeemer becomes "a restorer of...life, and a nourisher of... old age." (Ruth 4:15) These terms indicate that God has caused life to strengthen as it aged, or more literally to "turn back" as though becoming youthful again. And "to nourish" means to maintain and to guide. In Jesus Christ, we have one who redeems life, restores its power, maintains its vitality, and guides it unto Himself.

Finally, the child of Ruth and Boaz contributed to building up of the house of Israel (Ruth 4:11). God had promised Abraham a seed that would number as the sand of the sea. Not only was Israel to grow in number, but also to develop a quality of life surpassing that of the surrounding nations. God had commanded them to be holy as He is holy (Leviticus 19:2). Obed, whose name means "worshipper," was to aid in the development of Israel along these lines, lines of holiness and quality of life. And since he fell into the lineage of the Messiah, he contributed to the greatest building up of Israel spiritually. He was the grandfather of David to whom God had made the promise of an everlasting kingdom. And of his descendant, Jesus, the wise men from the East came to Jerusalem inquiring "Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him." (Matthew 2:2) Jesus, the Son of David (Matthew 1: 1) inherited that everlasting kingdom; and even before His birth, the angel told Mary, "the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." (Luke 1:32b-33, italics mine)

At this Christmas season, let us, too, worship Him who in love came to Bethlehem to inherit that everlasting kingdom and to be the Kinsman-Redeemer of all who trust Him for life.

Just a Closer Walk with Thee

Can Christians caught up in the rush of modern life really enjoy the presence of God?  Can they enjoy fellowship with Him, the pleasure of getting to know Him better?  Can they really experience the pleasure of His company as believers of previous generations have?

Yes, they can.  You can.  If you really want to, you can walk with God as Enoch and Noah and Levi did centuries ago.  Or as D. L. Moody or G. Campbell Morgan or Chuck Swindoll or others of this century.  Let's take Enoch again as our model.  Enoch built a life characterized by walking with God in intimate fellowship.  He could do this because God desires fellowship with human beings.  Some would even say He pursues it.  As a result, He provided the way for us to respond to Him in faith and to walk with Him by faith.  All we have to do is learn what it means to walk with God and get in step.

As we have already seen, a walk with God begins with reconciliation to God.  Remember the words of Amos 3.3:  "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" (KJV)  Agreement with God requires reconciliation.  Sin brought alienation, isolation, and enmity.  Enoch inherited these qualities just as we all have.  For him to walk with God, the sin must be cleansed and the enmity removed and the man reconciled.  Only God can do all three, and we know He did it for Enoch because Hebrews 11.5 tells us that Enoch "obtained the witness before his being taken up he was pleasing to God."

To walk with God requires a correspondence of nature; it requires godliness.  To walk with Him, we must be like Him.  The two go hand in hand; as Matthew Henry expressed it, "What is godliness but walking with God?"  But to be godly, to walk with God, we must "become partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1.4).  We must be "conformed to the image of His Son" (Romans 8.29).  For, you see, godliness is very much also God-like-ness.  And we can't become God-like all by ourselves.  Only after the Lord has placed His Holy Spirit in us can we obey the command to "consecrate yourselves...and be holy; for I am holy" (Leviticus 11.44).  With His Spirit empowering us, we then cease taking our own way.  We abandon the way of the world.  Instead, we walk with God, following the divine way, because the divine nature He's given us enables us to look at life the way the Lord looks at life, desire what He desires, enjoy the company He provides.  We learn how He looks at things and what He desires by getting close to Him, by getting to know Him.  And we get to know Him by walking with Him and by fellowshipping with Him through His Word and His indwelling Spirit.

To walk with God is to make God's Word our rule and His glory our end in all our actions.  Enoch had a word from God in his day: the promise concerning the seed of the woman, probably passed on through Seth from generation to generation until it came to him.  To believe God's Word brings glory to God.  To live by God's Word brings even more glory to Him.  And Enoch believed it and lived by it.  He obeyed God's Word and proclaimed it faithfully to his generation (Jude 14-15).  He preached God's judgment on the ungodly and pursued a godly life because only a godly life would please God.  And Enoch, remember,  "obtained the witness before his being taken up he was pleasing to God" because he walked with God by faith.  His faith was not given to him to improve the world or even to improve himself but just to walk with God.  God gives us faith by His Holy Spirit so we can walk with Him and His Word as a guide to show us how

To walk with God means we set God always before us.  It means we make it our constant care and endeavor to please Him in everything and to offend Him in nothing.  It means we surrender our will to His will.  We submit ourselves to be workers together with Him.  To walk with God means we become more and more like Him in holiness and righteousness and moral fitness.  Oswald Chambers said, "Holiness means unsullied walking with the feet, unsullied talking with the tongue, unsullied thinking with the mind--every detail of the life under the scrutiny of God.  Holiness is not only what God gives me, but what I manifest that God has given me."

We manifest what God has given us by walking with Him before the world as Children of God.  Because we are His children, we walk before Him in sincerity as Abraham did (Genesis 17.1).  We walk after Him in obedience to His leadership and commands (Deuteronomy 13.4).  As the Apostle Paul taught, we also walk in Him revealing our union with Him that has been rooted and established in faith (Colossians 2.6).  Finally, we walk with Him, as the saints of old did, in fellowship and love.  This is life's ideal and the culmination of God's glorious purpose for man--no, for you and me.  No wonder the hymn writer prayed

                                                "Just a closer walk with Thee.

                                                 Grant it, Jesus, is my plea!"