Respect for Self "In Christ"

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

A university student had written, in distress. A musician, and talented. But when preachers preached, he was confused and bewildered. He found solace in music. I told him I understood. In listening to a Mozart or Beethoven Concerto, I revel in hearing something that was written RIGHT and is performed RIGHT, every note so right that one senses it is unimprovable. (Is there such a thing as musical righteousness?) I too long to hear the gospel proclaimed RIGHT because it is understood RIGHT. (In other words, wouldn't that be righteousness by faith?)

This youth heard a sermon that tells young people to think of themselves as no good sinners. Then he hears another one: you must love yourself. He asked: who's right? As I understand the gospel, the entire human race would have perished forever "in Adam" when he sinned if Christ had not been "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Thus, in honest truth, apart from Him, we would be (and are) nothing. But we are something--we have been created in the image of God and redeemed by Christ's sacrifice. Thus we find our identity "in Him." We respect ourselves--not because of some inherent pantheistic worth in ourselves, but as the purchase of the cross of Christ. This at once delivers us from arrogance and pride because of how well we do and what we see ourselves to be, and at the same time delivers us from groveling in the dust as though we are worthless. In other words, true self-worth is "in Christ." Now we can hold our head high, and at the same time cherish true humility of soul, realizing that our identity, our future, our prestige, all we are and will ever be, is by the grace of Christ.

So, is there a constant tension? Yes! What makes your Steinway or Baldwin sound so grand is the constant tension the strings are under. Loosen them to be flabby and the music is gone. Luther wisely said we are sinners and saints at the same time. Yes! We never "love" self, but we respect ourselves "in Christ." Jesus taught us that as we are born naturally loving self, so now we are to love others (Matt. 19:19). We have enormous self-respect and healthy humility at the same time--"in Christ."

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: March 15, 1999.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.

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Loving with God's Love

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

You are praying for someone, a loved one; your heart is drawn out for that person. It’s the real thing, for you find yourself willing to be “accursed from Christ” for the sake of that person (cf. Rom. 9:3). That’s the genuine article that the Bible says is agape.

Moses had that kind of love, for he begged the Lord to remove his name from the Book of Life if He could not save rebellious Israel (Ex. 32:31-33).

The very intensity of your agape praying for your loved one is evidence that the Lord hears your prayers; He will not deceive you! And now you have something in common with the Lord Jesus, for He loves that person more than you have ever loved him/her. Now you two are working together!

Very likely your beloved has somewhere become alienated from “the commonwealth of Israel” (Eph. 2:12) because he/she has been inoculated with the virus of the old covenant, possibly in a “Christian” school or church. The “old covenant” “genders to bondage” (Gal. 4:24). There are probably millions around the world in various stages of spiritual bondage because of the machinations of old covenant thinking.

But do not give in to despair; you may be part (or a great deal) of the problem and not realize it, but now that you realize you have something in common with the Lord Jesus, you are on the way to recovery. If the agape of Christ leads you to experience the love that the apostle Paul or Moses had for Israel, that means that you have begun (maybe only begun!) to sense that the great controversy between Christ and Satan is an issue of greater importance than your own personal salvation. You are “growing up into Christ” (Eph. 4:15).

Now your supreme concern is not (a) your own salvation, but (b) the salvation of someone else, and (c) the honor, the vindication, the reward that the Lord Jesus deserves for His great sacrifice of dying the world’s second death (Rev. 20:14). “Big idea”!

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 14, 2007.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.

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Will the Latter Rain Sweep Like a Tidal Wave?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

When the Holy Spirit outpouring of the Latter Rain comes, will it sweep like a tidal wave throughout the church? Let history speak and tell us something:

An example is the birth of Jesus. The coming of Jesus of Nazareth did not do that for the scribes and Pharisees in Jerusalem. The great Messiah, the "Desire of all nations," anticipated throughout the world, came in that humble birth of a Baby in a cowshed.
A handful of "wise men from the East" responded to the call of the Holy Spirit; in Jerusalem here was Anna, a very old woman, who came to see Him (Luke 2:36), and there was old Simeon who was ecstatic with joy at His birth (vss. 25ff.); but beyond them, no one that gets a mention in the Bible.

Apparently the lesson is clear: when the Latter Rain comes, no one will get a morsel of bread except the hungry ones who are famished for it, and no one will get a drink of water except the desperately thirsty ones. The Latter Rain may be falling in copious showers of grace all around us and we slip through the grand experience untouched, only to embrace a counterfeit cleverly done up by the "father of lies." And then we would collide with the "mark of the beast" test--unprepared.

Some fearing and trembling is appropriate now.

"The high and lofty One who inhabits eternity" is wide awake and is responding to prayers that are arising here and there throughout the world. He "dwells in the high and holy place" but "also [only] with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones" (Isa. 57:15). He pays special attention to the prayers of him who "trembles at My word," He says (66:2).

All around the world He is doing that today. Things are happening, beneath the surface.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 6, 2007.

Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.

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The Holy Spirit CLOSES Doors?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

If you’re hungry to learn how the Holy Spirit works among us humble, lowly minded people, look at the story in Acts of how the gospel first went to Europe. After the disputes among the early believers were settled by the Jerusalem council (Acts 15), “day by day, the congregations grew stronger in faith and increased in numbers” (16:5, NEB). Paul and Silas wanted to go and preach the message “in the province of Asia,” but “they were prevented by the Holy Spirit from delivering the message” there (vs. 6). Interesting! The Holy Spirit CLOSES doors--we have thought He always opens them!

Next, the frustrated apostles “tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them” (vs. 7). We don’t know just how He closed these doors, but we do know what frustration is! Perhaps the Lord permitted travel restrictions to stop them, or persecution, or health problems. Whatever, they saw doors closing all around them. Strange, when Jesus had said, “GO forth to every part of the world, and proclaim the Good News to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15).
Maybe you have run into these God-inspired roadblocks, maybe written something you think should be published but you find doors closed, or you want to preach or teach in a church and the pastor and elders don’t want you. Paul and Silas didn’t give up, they traveled right on through Mysia and went to Troas (Acts 16:8). Troas was getting closer to where the Lord really wanted them to go. They were almost there!

Then came the big break! The Lord gave Paul a vision--I have a whole new continent for you to pioneer, the continent of those to come, the Waldenses, of Wycliffe, Luther, the Wesleys (vss. 9, 10). Paul probably didn’t realize it at the time, but this was where Daniel’s prophecies were to find fulfillment. The problem of some closed doors always guides you to the right open door!

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: July 20, 2005.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.

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Afraid to Be Left Alone? (Part 2)

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Yesterday we were talking about how Jesus has not left us alone. He Himself is with us by the Holy Spirit. But we asked the question: Why didn't God make a video of Jesus so we could play it and watch it? Wouldn't that help us feel like Jesus is near to us? Wouldn't that make it easier for us not to feel alone?

Many people for thousands of years have thought so, and that is why they have made images. A video of Jesus and an image of Jesus are really the same thing--just a difference in the sophistication of the technology. Those who feel they must have an image of Jesus or of the Virgin Mary or of Peter or someone else, are using it, or reverencing it, as a substitute for the real thing. Thus it actually becomes a hindrance to experiencing a genuine nearness. It is idolatry; and that is the sin of paganism.

Jesus said to the woman at Samaria, in John 4:23, 24: "The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." That does away with all images or physical attempts to make Jesus seem near. You will be free to enjoy the nearness of Christ when you believe His word. It is so, not because you feel it or you see it or you handle it, but because He says it.

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: 1994 Phone Message.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.

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A Man Whose Feet Touched the Ground

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Many Christians are studying the human nature which the Son of God "took" upon Himself when He became a man, "Emmanuel, ... God with us" (Matt. 1:23). Did He really become a true man? Or where the Gnostics and Docetists of the early centuries right when they said He only appeared to be a man with a kind of veneer which gave that impression? The heresies of those early centuries derived from the Hindu idea of an "avatar," or supposed incarnation in which God appeared to become a man but never really was one; the "avatar's" feet never touch the ground, never leave footprints, says Hinduism. The Babylonian "wise men" also held the Hindu/Docetist/Gnostic idea that "the dwelling of the gods" is "not with flesh" (Dan. 2:11).
In contrast, the Bible reveals the Son of God as becoming truly a man, whose feet did touch the ground, yes, He left bloody footprints. The apostle John warned the Christian church against the false idea that Christ did not "come in the flesh" (1 John 4:1-3). The word "flesh" in the original Greek is sarx, the common word that means the same kind of flesh or nature that all fallen sons and daughters of Adam have by genetic inheritance.

In His becoming a man, Christ did not become a sinner as we are; but He "took upon His sinless nature our sinful nature, that He might know how to succor them that are tempted" (see Heb. 2:14-18). He became truly a man so that He might save us! He must find us where we are; His long arm reaches down to the lowest pit into which we have fallen; He is truly "touched with the feeling of our weaknesses"; He knows the strength of all our temptations to sin, yet He never yielded to even one temptation.

The Father "sent Him in the likeness of sinful flesh" and in that sarx He "condemned sin, conquered it, outlawed it, rendered sin passé, broke its strangle on humanity, and so can lift from the lowest hell any sinner who will "consider the Apostle and high priest, ... Christ Jesus" (Heb. 3:1; 2:9-18; 4:14-16; 7:25).

In contrast to this sunlit Bible truth appears the widely popular doctrine (or dogma) of the "Immaculate Conception," the idea that when the Virgin Mary was conceived in the womb of her mother she experienced an "exemption" that broke the genetic link with the fallen Adam so that she had a sinless nature or "holy flesh" which she in turn gave to her Son, Jesus. It sounds so pious and beautiful but in reality it justifies sin in our human nature, conveying the idea that it's impossible (or at least extremely difficult) for us to "overcome even as [Christ] overcame." We need better Good News than that, and we have it!

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 28, 2000.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.

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Afraid to Be Left Alone? (Part 1)

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

I heard this story about a little girl whose family were planning to move--lots of families are on the move. On an average, families don't stay in one place very long. Well, this little girl kept hearing Mommy and Daddy and all her older brothers and sisters saying, "We're going to move! We're packing up everything, all the furniture, all the toys, all the dishes, and we're moving to another city far away." The little girl listened to all this and kept wondering every day. Finally one day she asked, "When you all move away, what's going to happen to me all alone?" No one had thought to tell her that when the family moved away, they would take her along too! She was afraid of being left alone.

Everyone is afraid to be left alone. Children hear about people getting sick and dying, or getting killed in accidents, or murdered, and they worry, "What will happen to me if my parents die?" Even grown-ups worry about being left alone. The Son of God once came to this world as a man and lived among us for over 33 years; those who knew Him loved Him, for He had become the center of their lives just as this little girl's family was the center of her life. And when Jesus talked about going away, they felt sad and lonely. But He said to them, "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." That's John 14:18. When He said that, He was not talking about His coming back in the clouds of heaven, which we call the Second Coming. That's called the blessed hope, but if that is our only hope, that means we are lonely here now. No, Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three persons, but they are one God; and you and I are closer to Jesus today through the Holy Spirit than the disciples were over 2000 years ago. When Jesus went away, He assured His disciples, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matt. 28:20). If you know this Good News, you will know that you will never be lonely.

But let me ask a question: Why didn't Jesus give us a video so we can see Him? We'll talk about that tomorrow.

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: 1994 Phone Message.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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The Holy Spirit--A Different Focus

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

How are we to receive the Holy Spirit? He Himself of course is the same Person all through the ages; but His ministry in these last days has a different focus. We need to understand how:
(a) He manifested Himself at Pentecost 2000 years ago in the "early rain." But in the end of time He will manifest Himself in the "latter rain." "Rain" of course is rain, the same H₂O whether it comes to sprout the planted seed, or whether it comes to ripen the grain for harvest; but its mission is vastly different. Another way of recognizing the difference is to consider the second coming of Christ in contrast with His first. They are not the same; in one He comes to die on a cross for the sins of the world, in the other He comes as King of kings and Lord of lords.
(b) The "early rain" was a gift that marked Christ's ministry in the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary; His ministry in the "latter rain" is a gift that comes from Christ's work in the second apartment. When the High Priest enters the second, He closes the door to the first. Either His people "follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (Rev. 14:4) or they open themselves to deception by a counterfeit high priest in a counterfeit first apartment sanctuary (cf. Matt. 24:24).
(c) The "early rain" prepared people to die and come up in the first resurrection. This blessed ministry continued until the end of the 2300 year prophecy of Daniel 8:14. Then came a profound change--the blowing of the seventh trumpet (Rev. 11:15-19). The great High Priest is determined to see the great controversy brought to its climactic end; He is not in favor of its being extenuated for centuries more!
(d) This disturbs lukewarm people who would be content for time (and sin) to go on indefinitely, content for Jesus to postpone His second coming for a generation or two more. To face the close of probation and live through the seven last plagues--isn't there an easier way to get to heaven?
(e) But the "latter rain" prepares people to go through that Time of Trouble and to stand before Jesus and meet Him personally when He returns (1 Thess. 4:16, 17).
(f) They must eventually elect to receive the latter rain with all that it entails, or renounce their faith they have long professed. The time to choose may be near.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: March 21, 2007.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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What Does It Mean, "Make Herself Ready"?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

What does it mean for the Bride of Christ, "the Lamb's wife," to "make herself ready"? (Rev. 19:7). In trying to respond I would "walk humbly with [my] God" (Micah 6:8). Revelation was not written except with tears (5:4), and can be understood only by those who have accepted the "yoke" of Christ and are "meek and lowly in heart" (Matt. 11:29).
"The Lamb's wife" is NOT what the best-selling book, The Da Vinci Code, says. There is, and there has been no woman on earth who could qualify to be the Bride of Christ, the Son of God. "She" is "the church [who] is subject unto Christ," not resisting Him, not crucifying Him afresh (Eph. 5:23-32; Heb. 6:6).
The only "church" mentioned in Revelation that could be a candidate seems to be the seventh of history, the last--Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-21). Reverent-minded scholars through the centuries have seen in verse 20 that "the faithful and true Witness" identifies her with the bride-to-be of Song of Solomon 5:2-8, who spurned her only true lover (the "knocking at the door" is a direct quote from the Septuagint version that Jesus and the apostles used). Obviously, before the "marriage" can take place, "she" will do what He commands, "repent" (Rev. 3:19). The Song of Solomon represents her as seeking her lost Lover, but almost in vain.
The "making herself ready" seems to suggest a repentance which she has at last chosen to receive, not reject (all true repentance is a gift from the Lord, Acts 5:31).
"And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints (dikaiomata)" (Rev. 19:8). It's Christ's righteousness which has now at last been imparted, not merely legally imputed. It's His righteousness lived out in His church. It glorifies Christ, its Source. It's a beautiful demonstration to close the great controversy between Christ and Satan.
Let's remember: we can't believe in the Bridegroom unless we choose to believe also in "the Lamb's wife"--that she will repent. They are "one flesh"-to-be.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 3, 2004.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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That Special "Truth of the Gospel"

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The Bible mercifully does not teach an eternally burning hell where lost humans writhe in conscious torment. If you and I were safe in God's New Jerusalem, how could we be happy knowing that these people were in such agony? If we were loving people, we'd be in hell with them just through being compassionate! In truth, the whole universe would be hell itself--there couldn't be a spot free of the horrible plague of anguish felt by everyone.
We'd be utterly hard-hearted if we encased ourselves in isolation and forgot about them while reveling in self-centered "heavenly" enjoyment. Modern electronics makes us conscious of the world's agony today. Many people are virtually in a hell already, like that in which King David found himself after his double sin of sexual adultery and murder. The heart-pain was lethal: "Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God" (Psalm 51:14). "My bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me." "Out of the depths I have cried to you, O Lord" (32:3, 4; 130:1, NKJV).
In Christ, God has become one of us in bearing this same "blood guiltiness," for on His cross Christ was "made to be sin for us, who knew no sin" (2 Cor. 5:21). Our modern electronic age which has made us sensitive to the horror of so many people (the Middle East? the multitudes dying of AIDS in Africa?) is concomitant with the Bible truth of God's cosmic Day of Atonement. That's when "the hour of His judgment is come," when the "seventh angel sounds" his trumpet (Rev. 14:7; 11:15). God feels all this agony of hell; but now we look into His sanctuary and feel for ourselves at least a little of what God feels.
The closer we come to Him (or rather, the closer we allow Him to come to us!) the more we are in sympathy with Him, and thus with our fellow-men who suffer. It's a sin to live on this Day of Atonement while denying this closer fellowship with Him and with others.
But just sharing His agony is not good enough; sharing the joy of His salvation (what guilt-ridden David prayed for in Psalm 51) becomes ours, too. That means: from now on our very life is understanding and sharing that special "truth of the gospel" that comes with this grand Day of Atonement! Now we also share the Savior's joy in telling His Good News!
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 9, 2006.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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God's Biggest Problem--And the Solution

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Is it possible to put the sanctuary truth in simple terms so even a child can grasp it?

(1) God has a huge problem on His hands--sin. It has ruined this world and is getting worse ("iniquity shall abound," Matt. 24:12). Just look at any morning's news.

(2) Unless that "cancer" of sin can be excised, cut out, overcome, defeated, it will ruin the entire universe.

(3) This is what "the great controversy between Christ and Satan" is all about.

(4) The sacrifice of Christ 2000 years ago was wonderful; His sacrifice was complete.

(5) But not until the problem of sin can be solved and eradicated from the world and the universe, will "the atonement" (becoming "one" with God) be "complete." Sinners are at "enmity" with Him, and He cannot solve the problem by zapping them with a bomb. To force them would only make the problem worse. Does God ever have a problem! He cannot "rest" until that "cancer" in His universe is solved.

(6) He needs some people to cooperate with Him, because His Son has become "Immanuel, God with us." He became human as well as divine; His heart is with us in this world. Those people who must help Him are called "the church." It is the place where God must demonstrate to the world and to the universe that His "gospel … is the power of God unto salvation" (Rom. 1:16). In other words, it eradicates sin from its last refuge--the human heart. This demonstration constitutes the final judgment of the cross of Christ that will forever defeat sin.

(7) The "cleansing" of the sanctuary in heaven therefore requires first the cleansing of the hearts of His people on earth--the stage where the drama is being played out. The "books" in heaven cannot tell a lie. But His church on earth is "lukewarm," a spiritual sickness produced by heart alienation from Christ, love of self, love of the world. There is God's biggest problem!

The solution? Something called "the message of Christ's righteousness," a truth rooted in the cleansing of the sanctuary, "the third angel's message in verity" (Rev. 14:6-12). "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: August 29, 2010.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.

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The Gospel by "Moonlight"

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Why doesn't God destroy our wicked world now? There is an answer in the sanctuary service of Israel: 

 

(a) Two lambs were offered "daily" on the altar of burnt offering, morning and evening, in behalf of everyone within the boundaries of Israel. "Strangers" and Gentiles were included as the beneficiaries. No repentance was required, no confession; no questions were asked; the lambs were "offered continually," whether anybody believed or not (Ex. 29:38-42). All you had to do was to be a human being, and you were under the umbrella of God's abounding grace.

(b) This was the gospel by "moonlight" (Rev. 12:1). As we come to the "sunlight" of the New Testament, the meaning is made clear: "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself" (2 Cor. 5:19). "God has encircled the world with an atmosphere of grace as real as the air [we breathe]" (Steps to Christ, p. 68). The daily service of the two lambs was a ministry for the whole world. When Jesus came to John asking for baptism, he refused. Jesus had to give him a Bible study there in the water, convincing John that He was the antitypical Lamb of the daily service. "Then he suffered Him" (Matt. 3:15).

(c) The next day John introduced Him, saying, "Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). Not "maybe," "perhaps," or "He would like to be," or "He takes away the sin of a few." Why this universal sacrifice of atonement? "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2).

(d) The "incense" offered on the altar of incense daily or continually was also a type of a universal ministry of intercession. Only the blood of Jesus continually ministered keeps this wicked world from being destroyed (Rev. 8:3-5; when He ceases to minister His blood, then will come the time of trouble).

Thank God He still ministers today in the Most Holy Apartment! That has to be Good News! And you and I can respond today! And that's Good News!

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: July 1, 2003.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.

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How Obedience to His Law Becomes Your Delight

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Have you ever been so baffled, you didn't know what to do; you were afraid of the future; you'd made a mess of things in the past; you knew you didn't have any credit for good behavior to bolster up your prayers; how could you expect any blessing from the Lord?
Deep in your heart comes this feeling which we all have sometimes--God can't really bless me or even accept me unless I can "produce." Yes, it's fear, and unless you're ready for translation like Enoch or Elijah, you wrestle with it.

Could you dare to believe that the Father condescends to accept you, and that He has done so "in Christ," and even promises you eternal life--without your earning it? Would that be an immoral thing for God to do? Well, He did it for Abraham in Genesis 12:2, 3, in those seven New Covenant promises. And He does it for you. He intends for you to claim them by faith.
Jesus gives you permission to call His Father your Father. Anyone can pray the Lord's prayer. He can also read Psalm 23 and claim the Lord as his Shepherd. God has left His door to His house open for "whosoever will" to dwell there (cf. vs. 6; Rev. 22:17). (If you're trying to win souls, get someone on his knees to pray those prayers!)

How did I get this idea in my mind, or heart? It came through Galatians. Forget your TV or video games or your CDs, and read and appreciate that book. It sounds like a back-door way to understand the New Covenant but it's the way that helped me. The Heavenly Father actually loves you personally! Let Him win your heart, and obedience to His law becomes your delight. Then you "stand fast … in the liberty" Christ gives you (5:1).

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 25, 2006.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.

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Galatians and Proverbs--the Same Good News

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The true gospel of Jesus Christ is the only thoroughly Good News this dark world has. Every human being is by nature a descendant of the fallen head of the human race--Adam; the Bible calls that fallen nature "the flesh." The "works" or "fruit" of the flesh is an endless catalog of evil that always ends in misery.

But Paul dares to tell us in Galatians that if we have chosen to give ourselves to Christ and to "walk with the [Holy] Spirit," He will hold us by the hand so we won't stumble into those allurements of sin, even though our sinful nature would push us into it. "Ye cannot do the [evil] things that ye would" (5:16-18).

One of those alluring temptations is fornication or adultery. "The lips of another man's wife may be as sweet as honey and her kisses as smooth as olive oil, but when it is all over, she leaves you nothing but bitterness and pain. She will take you down to the world of the dead" (Prov. 5:3-5).
BUT ... Proverbs gives you the same Good News that Galatians does ("wisdom" is Christ, cf. 1 Cor. 1:24): "Wisdom ... will provide you with life--a pleasant and happy life. You can go safely on your way and never even stumble. … The Lord will keep you safe [from sin!]. He will not let you fall into a trap" (3:21-26). "Your insight and understanding will protect you and prevent you from doing the wrong thing" (2:11, 12, GNB). Same as Paul's Good News!

When life is over, you will take not an iota of credit to yourself. You will gladly confess, "By grace [I] have been saved through faith, and that not of [myself]. IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD" (Eph. 2:8, 9). Isaiah reminds us, "This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the Lord" (54:17, KJV).
Believe that today, and your heart will overflow with gratitude. You'll have heaven on earth.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: March 18, 2006.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Christ's Second Coming--"Imminent" or "Near"?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Is the second coming of Christ "imminent," or is it "near"? Is there a difference? "Imminent" is from a Latin word that means some menacing evil hanging over one as a threat. The Bible never uses that word in relation to the coming of Jesus! Rather, His coming is spoken of as "the blessed hope" of "the glorious appearing of ... our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13).
The popular doctrine that the second coming has been "imminent" ever since the time of the apostles is not biblical, for it tends to weaken or even destroy "the blessed hope" in human hearts. That "hope" is not a selfish one, but an unselfish concern for the suffering in this world, and God's suffering. Must it go on and on, the rich getting richer and the poor ground down ever deeper in poverty and despair? Is there no "hope" for the world itself other than the wars and bloodshed and suffering of the last 2000 plus years?

The books of Daniel and Revelation teach a time-frame of prophecies fulfilled that has brought us up to a point in time beyond a vague "imminence" to "even-at-the-doors" nearness. While it is true that we cannot know "the day nor the hour," that does not deny that the fulfillment of time-frame prophecies clearly reveals a "this generation" nearness. The 1260 years of papal oppression of Daniel 7 and Revelation 12 and 13 have brought us to "the time of the end" (Dan. 11:35, 12:4), a "time" distinct from that of the apostles. The "signs" of Matthew 24:29 and Luke 21:25 have been fulfilled in pin-point accuracy historically. Only one "sign" remains to meet complete fulfillment, that of Matthew 24:14, "this gospel of the kingdom ... preached throughout the world as a witness to all nations. Then shall the end come," says Jesus.

The "delay" has confused many youth, and must be faced honestly: Christ Himself has not delayed His coming, but His church has done so. The root problem is understanding what is that "gospel of the kingdom." Directly in respect of understanding "the gospel," Jesus calls on His church in these last days to "be zealous therefore and repent" (Rev. 3:19). Especially the leadership, the "angel of the church" (vs. 14). A "rich and increased with goods" pride is the root problem. Repentance is the key factor. And there is the Good News: something can be done!

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 19, 1999.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
 
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Dial Daily Bread: Testimonies Win Souls

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Why is it not a sin to feel that you are forsaken by God, but if you say that you are it becomes a sin? The answer is the difference between temptation and sin. A thousand temptations do not equal one sin; the sin comes in yielding to the temptation, choosing to disbelieve. When you are tempted to feel forsaken by God, you are being tested and tried (probably everyone has been so tempted at some time). But when you say, "I am forsaken by God!" you have sinned because you have denied and contradicted the word of God: "He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Heb 13:5).

Jesus conquered temptation by quoting Scripture to Satan, "It is written." You do the same! When you are tempted to feel forsaken by God, quote that precious text, over and over again. And because you have overcome that temptation, you will be able to encourage others who are so tempted. You will actually win souls; for there are many people who need the testimony of someone who has been tempted as they are tempted, but who has overcome by faith.

You may ask, "But maybe I have committed the unpardonable sin! If so, has God forsaken me?" The unpardonable sin is not God forsaking the sinner, but the sinner forsaking God. He still loves the person who has committed that sin (if he has!), but the sinner has burnt out his antenna and cannot receive the forgiveness "signal" from God. If you can catch even the faintest signal from the Holy Spirit assuring you of God's faithful love, cherish it; don't let Satan overwhelm you with discouragement because you know you have sinned. It's sinners that Christ has come to save. We rob Him what is His due if we withhold ourselves from Him. Don't accept Satan's judgment; appeal over his head to the Supreme Court of heaven--Christ Himself.

I have visited patients in rehab hospitals and nursing homes who take exercises, learning all over again how to walk. They have been in an accident, or had a stroke. They exercise those weak muscles, and they overcome. So can you "exercise" your faith; choose to believe that promise, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee!" (Perhaps someone out there is elderly; if so, cherish this prayer: "Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have showed Thy strength unto this generation," that is, told them the Good News of the gospel, Psalm 71:18).

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 4, 1999.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.

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Can We Treat Each Other As God Treats Us?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Can we humans learn to treat each other as God treats us? Jesus told a parable of a man to whom the king forgave a "ten thousand talents" debt and then went out and grabbed a poor wretch by the throat who owed him a mere hundred denarii, "Pay me!" Jesus taught the principle that we must forgive others as God has forgiven us (Matt. 18:21-35). But that of course is impossible unless we understand the principle of corporate guilt--that we of ourselves have no righteousness, it is all imputed to us from Christ, its only source.

Enlightened by the Holy Spirit to understand and appreciate what Christ has done for us, we immediately look upon others in a new light. We reason from cause to effect; we sense that if our circumstances from birth had been the same (even pre-natal!), we might have turned out no better than this person we are tempted to despise or to hate. It's not a matter of superficial, transient emotion; it's a principle--the sin of someone else would be our sin but for the grace of Christ! This is not mollycoddling sinners, excusing responsibility, abolishing morality; no, it is redemptive human relations. It is "letting the mind of Christ be in" us.

Despised by the world in personal or international relationships, this heavenly principle of agape transcends all religions and cultures. It costs far less than even one Stealth bomber. And it works miracles in saving individuals and nations from ruinous violence.
Is it the same as Gandhi's Hindu principle? No, it is miles apart, because it is based on the Bible principles of objective gospel truth, on what Christ accomplished for the world. The Bible speaks of Him as "the Saviour of the world" (John 4:42), "the Saviour of all men" (1 Tim. 4:10). The rock-solid objective foundation of the gospel saves all who believe it from fanaticism or self-destructive naïveté.

Can a national or state government exercise the principle of agape? No, for it is a secular institution; but those who administer the government can personally exercise that principle. Without any union of church and state, they can, like Daniel of old, individually and personally seek wisdom from God at every step (see Dan. 9:1-5, for example). "Righteousness exalteth a nation" (Prov. 14:34). All nations need it!

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 4, 1999.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.

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The Wonderful Good News in 2 Peter 3

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Almost everybody is expecting another thousand years of present life to go on, in the words of Peter, saying, "all things [shall] continue as they were from the beginning of the creation" (see 2 Peter 3:4). But Peter says that they are willfully ignorant of a profound truth--the flood of Noah. God's patience with the antediluvian world was not infinite. He brought an end to that wicked, violent, sensuous, adulterous generation. Peter adds that the same heavens and earth are "reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men" (vs. 7). And Jesus says that before His second coming, the world will again become as it was "in the days of Noah," yes jubilant in flaunting the solemn message that God sends in mercy (Matt. 24:37-39).
We don't know the day nor the hour of Christ's second coming when He will call the world to account. But even if one disregards what Peter says, common sense makes clear that if the world tries to go on for another millennium, it will choke itself to death in suicide. The Holy Spirit is steadily being withdrawn from the earth--there is constant deterioration of morals and decency. A millennium of life on a planet where the Holy Spirit has been withdrawn would be hell on earth. And it's not God who takes the initiative in withdrawing His Spirit; people drive Him away, reject Him, just as they murdered His Son over two millennia ago.

But in 2 Peter 3 the apostle goes on to give us wonderful Good News: (a) God is not willing that even one of us "perish"; (b) He gives the gift of "repentance"; (c) in the midst of wickedness we can live "in all holy conversation [lifestyle] and godliness"; (d) we can "be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless"; (e) His "longsuffering is salvation" for us; (f) we don't have to be "led away with the error of the wicked, [or] fall from [our] own stedfastness," but (f) we can "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."

Are you thankful for His "longsuffering" with you? If "yes," you have the key to happiness today, no matter how soon Christ does return.

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: 25 March 1999.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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"Thy Truth"--The Only Way to Unity

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Unity--how people in a church can truly believe the same thing--is important, because Jesus said that the only way the world can be brought to believe in Him is when His followers "all may be one; ... that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me" (John 17:21). Something He calls "Thy truth" is the only thing that will unite them (vs. 17). Paul calls it "the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:5, 14). The success or failure of Christ's mission for the world therefore depends on that "truth" bringing His people who profess to "keep His commandments and the faith of Jesus" into one (Rev. 14:12).

For example: how could a group of mathematicians come into unity unless they all believe that 2 + 2 = 4? Suppose some said it equals 5?

Is that "truth of the gospel" so simple and clear that it appeals to honest hearts with a similarly powerful logic?

Take the problem of Genesis 1: Christ and His apostles accepted that "the truth of the gospel" required sincere, honest hearts to believe that God created the earth in six literal days. People who insist they are equally sincere understand the idea of six literal days to be ancient mythology; science makes such belief naive, they say.

Take the problem of Jesus Himself: when He became incarnate, did He "take" the sinless nature of the unfallen Adam, thus breaking the genetic line of His descent from the real Adam? Or did He accept the working of the great law of heredity and enter the stream of humanity by taking our fallen, sinful nature yet living a sinless life? Here again is disunity; the assumption is that unity is an impossibility.

Or is it impossible?

The kind of faith that "believes in Jesus" is not anti-intellectual, but it is enriched with something called "wisdom that is from above." Such faith can see beyond the limits of science, for it "works." It is "alive" (Gal. 5:6; James 2:17, 18; 3:17).

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: September 10, 2004.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.

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The Heart of the "Third Angel's Message in Verity"

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Christ indeed redeemed the entire human race by His sacrifice, "abolished [the second] death" (2 Tim. 1:10), uprooted the fear that haunts mankind (Heb. 13:6), has "drawn the sting of all the powers ranged against us" (Col. 2:15, Phillips), chained Satan and his evil "principalities" to His triumphal chariot in His victory procession, cancelled the "handwritten" record of our trespasses which we ourselves had signed as our indebtedness to be paid for by our own second death (vss. 14, 15), and reversed the "condemnation" that came on "all men" in Adam, pronouncing on "all men" a glorious "verdict of acquittal" (Rom. 5:16-18, NEB).

The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, and prompts us to continual overcoming. But in view of the cross, we are to "let no man therefore judge you" or lay upon us a guilt trip for trespasses paid for by Christ's sacrifice. We are to "let no man beguile" us of our "reward" through the false teachings of a "fleshly mind" (Col. 2:16-18). Paul's meaning for the Colossians of his day included deliverance from the regulations of the ceremonial law, but it also had reference to the infinitely greater good news of deliverance from every vestige of Satan's tyranny over our souls. That is the idea which is at the heart of the "third angel's message in verity"--deliverance from the galling yoke of sin. It is possible for a people to prepare for the second coming of Christ!
That's Good News. Untold millions are waiting to hear it.

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: Phone message 1994-2.
Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
 
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When Satan Attacks

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

If you are a member of the human race, you are automatically involved in a war (and of course you are human). That war is often spoken of as the great controversy between Christ and Satan. You are either on Satan’s side of the war, or you are on Christ’s side. There is no peace between the two. There cannot be.

If you are on Christ’s side of the war, then you can be sure that Satan and his evil angels, his servants, will oppose you in one way or another. If you are on Satan’s side of the conflict, then you can be sure that the Holy Spirit of God will strive with you because God loves you and does not want you to perish with Satan at the end. So either way, you are in conflict.

You will enjoy your part in the conflict a lot more if you understand the psalms of David. He was in the middle of the war, whether he was fighting Goliath alone as a boy, or fighting Israel’s battles. The devil hated David especially because he was anointed of the Lord and was a type of Christ, whose name means the anointed one. In Psalm 27 David expresses his confidence that the Lord would defend him in every battle he had to fight. He says: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? … Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident” (vss. 1, 3).

When Satan attacks you with discouragement, take those words as yours. Not only was Christ “the son of David,” by faith you also are the son of David. God’s promises to him become God’s promises to you. Believe them, and rejoice in victory over Satan.

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: 1994 Phone Message.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Something That Nearly Staggers One's Mind

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

It's so easy for us naive humans to conceive of the Lord as drawing a circle that shuts out bad people. But He draws a bigger circle to include them--at least until they shut Him out by never-ending resistance.
The Lord looks upon lost people not as wolves to be shot down as soon as possible, but as sheep who have wandered away--as potential heirs to His estate. His grace persists in seeking some way to intrude. What a pity that so many church people don't yet understand this concept and consequently treat "unsaved" people as if they were wolves! The church has hardly begun to love as God loves! That idea of agape is slow to grasp, it seems.
Being "justified by faith" is something that nearly staggers one's mind just to realize how wonderful it is. It makes you want to get up on the housetop and shout the news to everybody. Christ's death on the cross is for every sinner--it's a sacrifice for his or her salvation. God has no chip on His shoulder against anyone. And this "gift" is "out of all proportion" to sin, which is "vastly exceeded by the grace of God" (Rom. 5:15, NEB). Thus there is no reason why "everyone" should not be saved except that they refuse Christ's grace and spurn the "gift" of salvation.
In his same letter Paul goes a step further and says that "God has dealt to each one a measure of faith" (Rom. 12:3). So, (a) God has brought justification for "everyone" by the sacrifice of His Son, and (b) He has given "each one a measure of faith" to appropriate that justification. Would that everyone said Yes and exercised the faith already given him!
It all adds up to the conclusion that, if anyone is lost at last, it will be because of his or her own persistent rejection of what God has already done to save him. And if anyone is saved, it will be because he stopped resisting God's initiative in saving him!
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 9, 2007.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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A Power Greater Than All Addictions

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Two millennia ago in the days of Christ, the captives of Satan were a pathetic lot whom nobody could help, like the demoniac who lived in the graveyard. "No one could bind him, not even with chains, ... neither could anyone tame him" (Mark 5:1-5). Another example, the lady whose daughter "had an unclean spirit" (7:24, 25). And many more. But Jesus Christ delivered them all.
Today the helpless but pathetic captives are addicts: slaves of alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, pornography, kleptomaniacs, even gluttons whose appetite they can't control. On and on the list goes. There are even slaves to shopping who feel driven to buy stuff they will never need.
The Book of Ephesians presents a power greater than that of all the addictions the devil has invented: the power which raised Jesus Christ from the dead. That's beyond any guru! Paul says in Ephesians, "I pray that your inward eyes may be enlightened, so that you may know ... how vast are the resources of His [the Father's] power open to us who have faith. His mighty strength was seen at work when He raised Christ from the dead. ... He put all things … beneath His feet" (1:18-22, REB).
A few verses later he reminds us that we have been "dead because of your sins and wickedness. ... We too were ... ruled by our physical desires, and did what instinct and evil imagination suggested ... like the rest of mankind" (2:1-3). But now there is salvation:
"God is rich in mercy, and because of His great love for us, He brought us to life with Christ when we were dead because of our sins" (vss. 4, 5). Wait a moment: let's look at that again. When the Father raised Christ from the dead, says Paul, He raised us too! But we weren't even born then!
Paul's "big idea" is this: (a) In joining our humanity, Christ became the "last" or second Adam; and this is forever. (b) He assumed all our liabilities, took our guilt, died our second death, redeemed the human race. (c) He became totally our Substitute--the law cannot demand second death from us now (unless of course we take the condemnation back upon ourselves--many do). (d) Thus when Christ was resurrected, "we" were resurrected "in Him." All this is our "inheritance." Paul speaks of it as our right, given to us; nothing but our own choice of unbelief can prevent the same divine power from saving us today from our evil addictions.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: August 1, 2003.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Noah and Righteousness by Faith

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

How can we KNOW for sure that Jesus Christ is coming again, in person, literally? Someone says, "The Bible says so!" But different people interpret the Bible in different ways; many say that the second coming of Christ has been happening all through history in the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and thereafter.

Is the Bible like the proverbial old fiddle on which you can play any tune you like? No; the Bible is a reasonable Book that can be understood by reasonable common sense. Jesus promised, "I will come again" (John 14:3). He promised to come literally and visibly (Matt. 24:23-27). The doctrine of His second coming is taught throughout the New Testament, in harmony and consistency.

Peter says that we are re-living the days that were before the Flood of Noah (2 Peter 3:3-14). The people in Noah's day said that it had never rained as yet, so a flood was impossible, and Noah was a foolish man to build a boat on dry land. What evidence did the Holy Spirit give the people that his message was true during those 120 years of his ministry? There were no physical signs like premature scattered rain showers to convince the unbelieving people; the sky was dry until the final storm came. But there was one deeply convincing evidence that Noah was sent of God: the Holy Spirit gave him an understanding of "righteousness by faith" which he preached (see Heb. 11:7). It was "by faith" that Noah "prepared an ark to the saving of his house" and "condemned the world." God did not condescend to give that "world" any "proof" other than the gospel message which Noah was permitted to understand and preach.

We are tempted to look for miraculous physical evidence of the certainty of Christ's return; again, the message of righteousness by faith is its own self-validation as in Noah's day. None of the unbelieving scientists or evolutionists can account for the miracle of agape-love, this biblical revelation of the character of God in genuine righteousness by faith. God will not blast people out of their self-complacency; you hear His "still small voice" speaking in the message of "the everlasting gospel" which the three angels (and a fourth!) proclaim (Rev. 14:6-15; 18:1-4). The clarity and power of the message are beyond doubt!

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 17, 2000.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.

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The Prayer of Moses (Part 4)

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

We want to stand hushed in solemn awe as we think of Moses willing for God to blot his name out of the Book of Life because of (a) his love for Israel that they not perish, and (b) his concern for the honor of God's name before the wicked, pagan world. (The fantastic story is in Exodus 32.)

Jesus said that there is no "greater love" possible than for one to "lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). But that "life" is more than this present physical life; if you "lay down [that] life" in hope of getting it back for eternity in the first resurrection, that's wonderful, but Moses did far more than that! He laid down his eternal life, because if your name is "blotted out" from the Book of Life, you are in the second resurrection category, and that ends in "the second death" (see Rev. 20:12-14 and 2:11). That's the death with no hope whatever. And that was the commitment Moses made! That's why he was chosen to encourage the Son of God as He was facing His cross (Matt. 17:2, 3). Nobody else from the previous 4000 years was quite so able to penetrate into the thinking of Jesus at that time.

Well, there was one other man who stood with the Son of God on the Mount of Transfiguration--Elijah (translated without dying, 2 Kings 2:11). He too had had an experience like that of Moses--he "requested that he might die, … O Lord, take away my life" (1 Kings 19:4). He must have been down in the worst depression possible! Yes, he had been through deep waters: (a) Not one person had stood with him on Mt. Carmel--he saw himself utterly alone (1 Kings 18:21). (b) Now the government of Israel, God's true people, wanted to kill him with the "curse" of the second death (that was their idea; vs. 2). (c) Elijah saw himself as a total failure in serving God in "the great controversy between Christ and Satan." He did not yet have a clear concept of the resurrection, as we have today; for him, "life" here and now seemed all there was to it (Job wrestled through that, too). Elijah, like Moses, meant, "Take away my [eternal] life."
Yes, Elijah was in Moses's league; thus he too could encourage the Son of God in His darkest hour (Matt. 17:2, 3)! But why is God going to send "Elijah" back to us now (Mal. 4:5, 6)? Do you have an answer??

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 3b, 2001.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.