Dial Daily Bread: Let Christ Be the One for Whom You Live

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Do you wonder sometimes if you are insignificant in God's great economy of salvation?

Probably old Anna used to wonder if she was only that. You read of her in Luke 2:36-38; God has given her three verses in the Bible!

When she comes onstage, she has been married 91 years but was a widow for 84 of them; she is a scholar and teacher. Her whole soul is absorbed "in Christ" for she cherishes the prophecies of His coming. She was like Paul who later said, "for me, to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21). She was living in what Luke says was "the temple," retired "with fastings and prayers night and day."

In the ungodly atmosphere that was "the temple" of those days, she held on to her faith "in the Lord's soon coming," as we say; she held on doubtless because she understood the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-26 when the official priests in the temple had long ago abandoned their faith in that prophecy. It was too "old-fashioned" by then.

But she being apparently insignificant in God's plan is ready for something wonderful when she comes into the temple precisely at the instant that old Simeon, another who is apparently insignificant, has taken the infant Lord Christ in his arms to pray for Him and bless Him. What a noble life work old Simeon has discovered in his old age way past retirement! No other man in all the world had been so honored--to hold the Messiah in his arms and pray for Jesus! Not many people have ever prayed for a blessing for Jesus! We pray Him to give usblessings!

There was something special about Simeon; the apostle Paul had not yet come onstage who later spoke about cherishing "the blessed hope" of seeing the Lord return the secondtime (Titus 2:11-14), yet he cherished the same hope about His firstcoming in his old age! This must have been also on his part a very intelligent and well-informed faith (genuine faith is never willingly ignorant or uninformed). How this was "revealed to him by the Holy Spirit" we do not know; but it could not have been mere factual knowledge of the arithmetic of Daniel 9:25, 26; it had to be a "heart" kind of knowledge or old Simeon could never have been so highly honored as to have been given this key part in the glorious gospel story. 

Through all eternity in the kingdom of God old Simeon will enjoy this honor of being a key player in the drama of the first advent of Christ. Keep the faith; let Christ be the One for whom you live, and you will be a key player in the unfolding of the events that just precede His second coming.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: September 3, 2007.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: The Passing of Dr. Fred Bischoff

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

It is with great sadness that we report that Dr. Fred Bischoff passed away yesterday (November 28) surrounded by family and friends. A memorial service will be held December 14 at Light Bearers ministries, Jasper, Oregon.

Please join us in prayer that the Lord will comfort his family during this time of sorrow.

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Throughout the world there are deep stirrings in people's souls about what Paul's term "the truth of the gospel" means (Gal. 2:5, 14). Is it maybe, perhaps good news? Or is it glorious Good News? Does God's real gospel have fine print hidden in it that ultimately means your salvation depends upon your own strength? What has Christ actually accomplished for the human race? Has He made us an offer that if we exert ourselves sufficiently we might make it?

Does He tell us that if we hold on tight to His hand like a child crossing a busy street holding on to Daddy's hand we'll be safe, or does God tell us that He loves us so much that He is holding on tight to our hand? (See Isa. 41:10, 13.) The answers mean that our walk with the Lord will be happy and triumphant, or it will be discouraging and defeatist? Can we make the Good News of the gospel too good? Is salvation really by faith, or by faith plus works?

A friend sent me a precious thought that impresses me as being genuine, solid Good News:

"Through Christ's birth, life, death, and resurrection, the [human] race was encircled by God's arm and redeemed. The gulf between God and man was fully bridged, the penalty/consequence of sin was demonstrated and exhausted, humanity was restored to God's image and to His right hand, and sin and death were overcome. God could look at His Son sitting beside Him and say, 'Humanity has been restored to righteousness and life.' This corporate statement is the justification to life [of Rom 5:18]. ... The price to keep an unrepentant sinner alive for this life is identical to the price paid for the repentant sinner to spend eternity with God, the life of God Himself poured out in Jesus Christ. ... Faith is reckoned by God to be righteousness. Because of what Christ has done as the Head of the human race, God can plant the seed of this reality in each heart. ... It is not the end of the process, but it is the beginning. And it is real, not fiction" ("Observations on the Report of the Primacy of the Gospel Committee," Spring 2000).

To my friend Fred Bischoff I say a hearty "Amen!"

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 13, 2000.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread.

Dial Daily Bread: A Bible Thanksgiving

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Suppose you were hungry, homeless, and sleeping under a bridge or in a cardboard box; could you celebrate Thanksgiving? Many of us tell how we say thanks for nice homes, cars, food, jobs, friends, and fun. Can those who have none of this have Thanksgiving? Don't say yes if only the Red Cross or Salvation Army gives them a turkey dinner. That lasts only one day, then back under the bridge again.

There's a Bible Thanksgiving that gets lost in the normal celebrations: thanksgiving that you don't have to die the second death; thanksgiving that you have actually been given eternal life "in Christ." That refuge under a bridge may be very uncomfortable, but it's your privilege to rejoice that "in Christ" you have already been redeemed from hell itself.

The Son of God also was homeless, had nowhere to lay His head, He says; but He was resurrected to eternal life, and "in Him" you too inherit the same. You are welcome to share your living space with Him!

It's astounding, but it's Bible truth: you have already been "elected" to eternal life "in Christ," not that you deserve the gift for which you celebrate such transcendent Thanksgiving. Paul says, "by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9; when it says "not of works" it means not of your own volition).

Face reality: if Christ had not died for you, you would most certainly have been eternally lost. But He did die for you, and rose again; the "you" in Ephesians 1 and 2 is the "you" of the entire human race. All have been redeemed. Your seat at the heavenly banquet has your place card on it with your name.

Now, don't throw away everything by choosing to disbelieve this gospel truth. Yes, you can be lost, and many will be; but not because they weren't elected, or they were overlooked. John 3:16-19 says the problem is unbelief. Believing the Good News will give you a Thanksgiving Day 365 times a year; and such faith will enable you to find a way out from under that bridge.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 26, 1997.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Can the Church Hasten or Delay the Return of “The Lamb”?

Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,”

As we seek to understand whether the church can hasten or delay the promised second coming of Jesus, we need to ponder who is “the Lamb’s wife” who must first “make herself ready” (Rev. 19:7, 8). Those who say the church can do nothing to hasten the return of “the Lamb” tend to be confused about this issue.

They see Revelation 21:6-27 as defining “the bride, the Lamb’s wife” as the literal “city” of the New Jerusalem. This raises a question: if “God is [its] Builder and Maker” (Heb. 11:10), how can the “city which has foundations” be said to “make [itself] ready”? And further, wouldn’t Jesus be guilty of idolatry if He loves a material city of golden streets, walls of jewels, and literal gates? When He cried out to the old city, “O Jerusalem, ... the one who kills the prophets” (Matt. 23:37), was He addressing its literal gates and stones, or the people who inhabited it? When you were married, did you love the bride or your house?

When John in vision saw “the Lamb stand on mount Zion,” was it the literal city or the “144,000 [who had] His Father’s name written on their foreheads”? As John saw them, as a group they apparently had by that time “made [themselves] ready,” for “they sang as it were a new song before the throne, [and] ... [followed] the Lamb wherever He goes. ... without fault before the throne of God” (Rev. 14:1-5).

No woman in the world is worthy to be the Bride of the Son of God! But all through the Bible His church in a corporate sense is said to be the object of His conjugal love. Neither Luther nor C. S. Lewis had much use for the Book of Revelation, but those whose hearts yearn for Christ’s soon return are thrilled with its message; they don’t help to save themselves by a legalistic do-it-yourself method, but they stop resisting “the Lamb” and they let Him “wash” them “in His blood.” And they let Him givethem the giftof special repentance (Rev. 3:19). Is it not in that sense that the Bride, “the Lamb’s wife,” can “make herself ready”?

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 5, 2002.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: That Melted-Heart Repentance Will Come

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The last page of the Bible invites us to come if we are thirsty, and "take the water of life freely" (Rev. 22:17). And Jesus says, "Come to Me" if we're weary and heavy-laden, and He will give us "rest" (Matt. 11:28-30). So, we "come" and we are baptized, and we become members of the church. We are so happy at last to find fellowship in the Lord; heaven on earth.

And we continue to "read the Bible, and pray, and witness" like we're always told to do. And we believe the Bible and say so, but then opposition and controversy arise. We're tempted to wish that we had kept still. So, we are driven to our knees to pray, and we ask the Lord, "Why is this happening? I wanted peace, and now this 'war' has come!"

The Lord has indeed promised, "the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out" (John 6:37). As you wait quietly before Him in prayer, He answers your questions faithfully.

If you keep your eyes on Jesus you will see a Man who was cruelly crucified because He told the truth. And He tells us all, "I did not come to bring peace but a sword" (Matt. 10:34). Deny self, and take up your cross daily (Luke 9:23). But wait a moment--you never fight a battle alone! This is what you must believe.

He faithfully promises, "'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we may boldly say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?'" (Heb. 13:5, 6). You choose not to be afraid, in the Lord. Then ... you're not afraid.

Even in the church, the Lord's house, where we expect to find heaven on earth, we find conflict and even persecution. That's where the most severe and painful conflicts come! But the Lord still assures you, He won't forsake you.

He loves the church for it is yet to become the Bride of Christ; and it does indeed have severe problems within it, for Jesus tells the leadership of the church today that of all the "seven churches" of world history, you are the one outstandingly "miserable, poor, blind, and naked" (the little Greek word hois there, the one; Rev. 3:17).

Therefore do not give up on the church, the body of Christ, His Bride-to-be. The final victory in the "great controversy between Christ and Satan" comes at the very end and it requires that the church finally "overcome" and do what He says in Revelation 3:19--repent. It won't at last be fear that motivates her, but a deeper appreciation of what it cost Him to save us. That melted-heart repentance will come, it has to come; hang on!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 5, 2007.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Not a Works Trip--A Faith Trip

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

How can we as followers of Jesus get through this ever-present barrier of the love of self? How can we as individuals learn how to die to self? More serious yet--how can we, as a corporate body, as a church, be "crucified with Christ"? Is it possible now? Or must we be like Israel at Kadesh-Barnea when they failed to enter their Promised Land for 40 years of "wandering" (Numbers 14)? Must we be sent back into the "wilderness" to die off so a fresh new generation can arise to scale the barrier of "self" that has weakened our witness for thousands of years? Could this be the "mother" of Christian problems?

Straight off, we know that a newly invented legalism program is not the answer. Trying harder is not it; more "works" is not it. The only way out is for the love of self to be crucified "with Christ," not just re-tortured through new forms of anxious fear.

The sanctuary in heaven that the Book of Hebrews talks about is God's office headquarters, His Pentagon where the great war between Christ and Satan is planned and executed. There is intense activity right now. Heaven is awake! As followers of Jesus we are soldiers in the army. But the "fight" is the "good fight of faith."

Christ is the High Priest ministering there in a special closing work that has never been fully accomplished in the past--a final and complete reconciling of alienated human hearts to the Savior. This special work reproduces in every believing heart and life the character of Christ. It makes possible the ending of the great controversy between Christ and Satan.

There must be a new fresh element that enters in during these last days. It's a clearer grasp and therefore deeper appreciation of what Christ went through on His cross, when He saved us. Beholding that sight leads to self being crucified with Christ. It's not a works trip; it's a faith trip.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 18, 2003.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: A Question About the Two Covenants—Who Makes the Promise?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

How can you learn to understand and believe the New Covenant? Your happiness now and forever depends on it. Yes! Didn't Jesus say, "God so loved ... that He gave, ... that whoever believes in Him should not perish ..."? To believe in Him means to believe that He Himself is Good News--the essence of the New Covenant.

Confusion about the Two Covenants is cleared up as sunshine clears away fog by noting one question: Who makes the promise?

If we make the promise to God, immediately it's Old Covenant.It's Peter promising that he will never deny Christ, and then doing it before the rooster crowed next morning. It's "all the people" promising at Mount Sinai, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do!" (Gen. 19:8) and then bowing down to a golden calf in a few days. The problem is simple: we humans don't keep our promises; in fact, we can't, because we have no righteousness of our own.

Someone may say, "What's wrong with making good promises to God even if you do break them?" Several things: God Himself has never asked you to do so; and further, Paul says that making and breaking promises to God brings you into spiritual "bondage" (Gal. 4:24). It was the beginning of centuries of sad Israelite history that finally led them into the "bondage" of foreign captivity and then at the end, to crucify their Messiah. Those who think that the Old and New Covenants are the same thing are confusing liberty with slavery!

When God makes the promise, there you have the New Covenant.And believing His promise is liberty, not slavery. He always keeps His promise. "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4). You may say, "That's such Good News--I can hardly believe He will ever do that for me!" Sarah couldn't believe it either, until she repented of her unbelief (Heb. 11:11). You can repent, too. That's the Good News!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 4, 2002.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Old Covenant versus New Covenant--Which Is Which?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Have you been confused about the Old and New Covenants? Which is which? Have you thought that because pastors and theologians are in disarray over it, maybe you needn't worry your head over it, just flip on the TV? Is the issue important enough to get concerned and study?

Even the great and wonderful Apostle Peter was confused over it. The Christians were having a conference at Antioch (Acts 15); before the bigwig brethren from church headquarters arrived, Peter was happily demonstrating New Covenant love to the Gentile Christians. He had torn down the spiritual barriers between them, and ate with them. But when the important brethren from Jerusalem arrived, he backtracked, and "built again those things which [he] destroyed" (Gal. 2:11-18).

Paul was stirred by the Holy Spirit to confront him face to face before the whole group. And of all places, it was in the cafeteria. Peter had now picked up his tray and sidled away from the Gentiles' table. Now he was supporting the elders' Galatian position that yes, you have some work to do yourself in this "covenant" business. You can't let the Lord Jesus be your Savior 100 percent; you have your percentage to contribute. God's covenant may be a promise but it's also a "deal," a "bargain" negotiated between you two--God and yourself; you must make a "deal" with Him; you must have "balance" between righteousness by faith and by good works.

Paul let Peter have it: "I do not frustrate the grace of God," he said. "If righteousness comes through the law [even one percent?], then Christ died in vain" (see Gal. 2:21).

Do we have the problem today? Can we represent Christ as safely standing on deck throwing a life preserver out to the drowning sinner? If he grabs the rope, he is taking the initiative in his own salvation, and Paul says that "frustrates the grace of God"! No, the Bible represents Jesus as out there in the water with the sinking sinner, a Life Guard actually saving him 100 percent. And if the drowning sinner doesn't beat Him off, Jesus will get him safely on deck. Salvation is totally of grace, "not of works [even one percent!], lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9).

And don't be afraid of too much "more abounding grace." It's real. There is no true obedience to the law except "by grace through faith" (see Rom. 5:20; Eph.2:8).

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 14, 2003.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: The Healing at the Sheep Pool Illustrates What Jesus Accomplished on His Cross

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

When Jesus healed the paralytic at the Sheep Pool in Jerusalem, who had been sick for 38 years, He asked him no questions or to make no promises. In fact, we do not read that Jesus even preached to the sufferer first. But after He had healed the man, He found him again, in the temple. Then He said something very surprising: "Now that you are well again, leave your sinful ways, or you may suffer something worse" (John 5:14, The New English Bible).

Why didn't Jesus tell this man to "leave his sinful ways" beforeHe healed him? That's what I would have done, if I had the power to heal. I would give the sufferer a good lecture and get him to sign on the dotted line that henceforth he would "leave his sinful ways" before I went to the trouble of healing him. Why waste your time on someone who doesn't make good use of the blessings you give him?

But, that was not Jesus' way of healing people. He gives the blessing first, and then asks for a response of reformation and repentance. He heals the ten lepers when only one will come back and say thanks. This is the same way He treats the entire human race; He sends His rain on the just and on the unjust, asks for no commitment first, just freely pours out His blessings. In true New Covenant manner He gives His great gift of salvation, and then asks for a response of gratitude. We mustn't read John 3:16 backwards; the truth is that He took the initiative to "so love the world that He gave" His Son and all His blessings first, then asks us to believe.

The healing at the Sheep Pool illustrates what Jesus accomplished by His sacrifice on His cross. While we still followed our "sinful ways," He died for us, redeemed us, justified us in a legal sense, died our second death, put His arms around us, and gave us, not merely offered us, a "forever friendship." Nothing short of a total response of eternal gratitude can rightfully be labeled as "faith."

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: September 19, 1999.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

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“Dial Daily Bread” will be off the air again beginning tomorrow due to our power company turning off our electricity (so no Internet). They say they have to do this because their equipment may start fires if it’s dry and windy. It’s been raining tonight, so we’ll see if they change their minds.

Dial Daily Bread: Who Are the "We," "Us," and "Our" in Ephesians 1?

Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,”

There's a "we," "us," and "our" in Ephesians 1 that has been "blessed ... with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ," who are "predestined ... to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, ... to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made [them] accepted in the Beloved" (vss. 3-6).

Who are those people in these first person plural pronouns? Only one possible answer: the entire human race. Christ is "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42; 1 Tim. 4:10).

But how can you know that you personally are "adopted"? You, individually, have a first-class personal validation of this "adoption" in the longing sigh of your lonely heart that cries out, "Abba, Father!" (See Rom. 8:15.) But you also have another personal validation of this "adoption": the same text hints at it--"we suffer with Him" (vs. 17), meaning that "we may also be glorified together."

Hebrews 12 spells out more vividly this other personal assurance of your adoption into the family of God: "The exhortation ... speaks to you as to sons: 'My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.' If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?" (vss. 5-7).

Do you know disappointments, setbacks, disasters, crushing and humiliating heart-rejection? Your first thought is, "God has forsaken me!" But stay a little longer on your knees and you will sense the tie of personal kinship now being forged with Christ. He will never let Himself be "glorified" unless and until He shares the glory "together" with you, as Romans 8 said!

There's every reason for you to be assured that you've been "adopted." Now live like the adopted son or daughter that you are; honor your Father.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: September 26, 2006.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Which Came First--God's Forgiveness or His Cross?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

There's an interesting but important question in connection with the subject of "overcoming sin." Did God forgive sin before the sacrifice of His cross? Or could He forgive sin only as the result of the cross? Which came first: His forgiveness, or His cross?

On the surface it appears to be a trivial chicken-egg question. God forgives, period; be happy. Why even bother with why or how or when He does it. But the principle here is so important that the stability of God's universe is involved in the answer.

The general idea is that God is omnipotent, that is, He can do anything He wants to. You and I sin; we ask Him to forgive us, and He does. Someone has rightly written, "alienation from God is the natural habitat of humanity," therefore we sin again and again. And God always forgives, like a kind grandfather, because He is omnipotent and it's easy for Him to do so.

Finally, after our endless cycle of sinning and repenting, we die; and for the sin itself that is so deeply rooted in us to be overcome (Augustine's theology), there must be an experience after death called Purgatory. There at last the job gets done. Millions of Christians believe this.

But the Bible says differently. "The sting of death is sin," for sin carries death within itself (1 Cor. 15:56; Rom. 6:23). God cannot pardon it without His cross; to do so would fill the universe with death. Adam and Eve would have "instantly" perished in the Garden had not "the Lamb [been] slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8).

Which must "come first"? That slain Lamb! Yes, God can do anything He wants to, but He doesn't want to fill His universe with death. Therefore He cannot forgive sin apart from a tremendous "giving-for." Without a deep heart-melting appreciation of that "giving-for," sin remains in the human heart, not "overcome." Forgiveness apart from first the sacrifice of the cross would be a cheapening of sin itself, and thus a cheapening of the sacrifice required to overcome it.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 18, 2001.
Copyright © 2015 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Psalm 119--Cosmic Day of Atonement Living, All the Way Through

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

When the sanctuary service was the center of Israelite national interest, there were two ways to observe the annual day of atonement: (1) old covenant, and (2) new covenant. Both are explained in Leviticus--the fear response (1) of being destroyed or "cut off" (23:29, 30), and (2) the joy of being "clean from all your sins," "a sabbath of solemn rest," reconciled or made "one" with God (16:29-31).

What is troubling to us is the phrase, "you shall afflict your souls, and do no [worldly] work at all," which included fasting. Where was there any joy in that?

One day in the year without pampering appetite! The key idea in "afflict your souls" is simply self-denial--a truly joyous experience to anyone who has been a slave to an addiction. Freedom from the tyranny of self; mastery over your self-destructive habits. "I will walk at liberty" is the theme (Psalm 119:45), because a grand miracle has taken place in your heart, "for I have sought Your precepts" (vs. 94). "O how I love Your law! it is my meditation all the day" (vs. 97). "How sweet are Your words to my taste! ... Through Your precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way" (vss. 103, 104).

In a nutshell, Psalm 119 is cosmic Day of Atonement living, all the way through. It's the joyous hymn of being reconciled in heart to God, not wearing a hair shirt or starving wholesome desires that are God-implanted. It's the opposite of fanaticism. It's dwelling on earth in the atmosphere of heaven. It's sharing with Christ His "one-ness" with His Father; it's following the Lamb "wherever He goes" (Rev. 14:4), and loving every minute of it.

And what changes us who are naturally worldly and self-centered, so we want this joyous reconciliation with God? Believing His New Covenant, something called the gospel.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: September 10, 2001.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Something Jesus Said That Seems Difficult to Believe

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Jesus said something He obviously wants us to believe, but of all the things He said, this seems the most difficult to believe: "My yoke is easy, and My burden is light" (Matt. 11:30). Everyone who has been serious about following Jesus has discovered that "in the world you will have tribulation" (John 16:33). It's also painfully true that "the world has hated them [those who believe in Jesus] because they are not of the world, just as I [Jesus] am not of the world" (17:14).

The problem is that there are "children of light" in the world, and there are "children of disobedience" or "children of wrath" who instinctively feel toward the "children of light" as the world felt toward Jesus. "If they have persecuted Me, they will persecute you," He says.

But you and I cannot be sure who is who! When Stephen was being stoned, he would naturally have thought that Saul of Tarsus (holding the coats of those throwing stones to kill him) was a "child of the devil" like the others (Acts 7:59-8:1). But Steven's Christlike spirit witnessed to Saul, and that man "consenting to his death" became wonderfully converted to Christ. (Imagine how Stephen will feel in the first resurrection when he meets the apostle!)

So Jesus encourages us to cherish hope in our hearts toward those who "spitefully use you," and to pray for them (Matt. 5:44). Even our "tribulation" then becomes the joyful experience of soul winning! As we endure our pain, we are buoyed up by the constant hope that "our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2 Cor. 4:17) just as Stephen's stoning affliction has "worked" for him. We actually learn to know by experience what it means to identify with Jesus when He said, "In the world you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

"In Him" we too "overcome the world." Joy fills our hearts. The unthinkable becomes real, and wonder of wonders, we selfish, worldly people ourselves (that's what we all are by nature) discover that we can actually pray for those who harm us. Miracle!

And then we're on top forever after, for "we walk in the light as He is in the light, [and] we have fellowship with one another" (1 John 1:7). We are never left alone.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 10, 2002.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Will God Ever Have a Perfect Church?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Is it possible that God will ever have on earth a perfect church? Not just one tiny little congregation out in the backwoods, where its members are isolated and insulated from the devil's temptations, where there's no TV, no Internet, no shopping malls, not even a radio. No, that would not be a fair test. The real question is: Can God ever have a perfect worldwide church--in the world but not of the world--in the midst of all the evil that the devil can produce?

The question itself is controversial with many saying a decided No. "Nobody is perfect, so how can God ever have a perfect church?" If we let Paul's words mean what they say, the answer becomes Yes! He says Christ "gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special ["pecular," KJV] people, zealous for good works" (Titus 2:14).

Then there is Ephesians 5:25-27: Christ "gave Himself" to have "a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing." And there is in Ephesians 5 the idea that this church is to be the Bride of Christ. In fact, the expression "without spot" is quoted from the Song of Solomon 4:7, again speaking of the Bride of Christ at last ready for the wedding.

Christ will not marry some "super-woman"; but the corporate body of His people are brought to view in Revelation 14:1-5, 12, 15, and 16 as a church in whose "mouth was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God." And they finally surface again in 19:7, 8 where the Bride is seen as at last "making herself ready."

But back again to the objection: "Nobody's perfect." Granted; but the fact that there never has been a church "ready" to be the Bride of Christ doesn't mean that it's impossible or that it will never happen. It won't be a "works program" or ecclesiastical promotion that accomplishes Christ's purpose. It will be a "faith trip," something to do with that phrase: "Christ gave Himself."

Here at last will be a group of people who, in a corporate, united sense, have grown up out of their childish understanding to grasp "the width and length and depth and height, to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge," that led Him to "give Himself" for us (see Eph. 3:18, 19). Let's start growing up today!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 23, 1999.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Does God Merely Offer Us His Friendship, or has He Given It?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Let's ask two serious questions: (1) Does God merely offer us His friendship? Or (2) has He given it? No difference between the two ideas? Look again.

If (1) is true, then He is standing aloof from you, withholding His actual friendship until youtake the initiative and dosomething to activate it. Then when you dothe right thing, forever afterwards you congratulate yourself for what you have done. In other words, it's a faith plus works trip.

But if (2) is the truth, and you finally realize that God has been your Friend all along and you have been too stubborn and blind to believe it, then forever afterwards your heart is melted in spiritual humility. Number (1) inevitably leads to the "rich, and increased with goods" condition of the church of Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-21); and Number (2) leads to ultimate repentance and reconciliation with Christ.

As to which is true, does the Bible give an answer? Number (1) is what the Bible calls the "old covenant." And yes, you can quote old covenant ideas in the Bible! But Galatians 4:24 says they lead to "bondage." The old covenant "version" of the gospel produces the Laodicean spiritual condition. But the new covenant is Number (2). The truth is that "God so loved the world" (not offered to), "that He gaveHis only begotten Son" (not offered to do so), "that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish" (John 3:16). Jesus said, "The bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (not just offer to give, John 6:51).

The Samaritans got the point: Jesus was not merely offering to be "the Saviour of the world." They said He is (John 4:42). Paul got the point, for he said that "the living God ... is the Saviour of all men," not merely offering to be (1 Tim. 4:10). Isaiah saw the reason why this is true: "The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6). He has already died the second death "for every man" (Heb. 2:9). So, now it's time to humble your heart and believe, appreciate, what He has already done for you. That kind of faith will change your life!

--Robert J. Wieland

Note: Bible texts are from the King James Version.

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: October 13, 1998.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: What Is Special About a Day-of-Atonement Repentance?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

We must understand why there must be a special heavenly Day of Atonement. Involved in it is a special experience for God's people on earth, but this does not imply that God has arbitrarily withheld that unique blessing from previous generations. It would not be fair for Him to grant the last generation something He deliberately kept away from others in past ages.

Previous generations simply did not availthemselves of the full grace that Heaven has always wanted to bestow. The long delay of thousands of years has not been necessary because of God's unwillingness to give, but because of man's unreadiness to receive. The prophetic word, "Unto two thousand three hundred days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed" (Dan. 8:14), is a prediction that during the last era of human history, God's people will grow into a mature faith that will make possible their full reception of Heaven's grace. The prophecy of Daniel comprehends theirspiritual development "unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:14), not growth on the part of God.

God withheld nothing from Adam that arbitrarily kept him out of the company of the 144,000. His own spiritual immaturity was what kept him from appropriating all the grace that an infinite God would have granted even then. The sanctuary could have been cleansed in ancient times if the historical development of humanity had made it possible. God's infinite resources cannot be limited; the deficiency has been on our side. A final generation will receive the gift of repentance, a metanoia,* an after-perception that views past history in the light of contrition. Then it can be said, "The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife hath made herself ready."

--Robert J. Wieland

* The original word "repentance" means a looking back from the perspective of the end: metanoia, from meta ("after") and nous ("mind").

From:"As Many As I Love": Christ's Call to Laodicea, 1986.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: The Greatest Miscarriage of Justice in All of History

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

It was the greatest miscarriage of justice in all of history: the Son of God came to this earth to save us, He became one of us, He became the second Adam (the first had brought a judicial curse upon us). Instead, Jesus, as the second Adam, brought a judicial blessing and judicial acquittal upon everybody. And yet "we" corporately turned upon Him and hated Him and expelled Him from the world by killing Him.

It was the acting out of the truth in Romans 8:7, which says: "the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be." None of us can proudly say, "If I had been there, I would not have joined in doing that to Him!" Our "carnal mind" is our universal possession. Each one of us needs a "new mind."

Philippians 2 can enlighten us: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (vs. 5). We can have a new mind if we only consent for it to be given to us! If we want it! We can't pick and choose and end up saying we want only 10 percent of it. We must take the entire gift: 

"[He took] the form of a servant" (vs. 7). Not one of the twelve disciples humbled his soul enough to get down on his knees and wash the Savior's feet (John 13). Some one might have been willing to do it--but the humiliation before the crowd was too much for their proud hearts. "His mind" chose to wash the disciples' feet.

Let's keep asking Him to give us that "mind." As surely as a new day has come, we will be confronted with the practical choice in some way to "receive" that "mind."

Let's say "Yes!"

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: August 18, 2008.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: What Is Required for Baptism?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Should fear be the motivation in leading someone (a child, for example) to be baptized? Whether the right answer is yes or no, let's not forget what Jesus said about letting the little children come to Him and don't hinder them, don’t get in their way, don't stop them (Matt. 19:14). Even if a child demonstrates a lack of mature sanctification, let's think of those arms of Jesus opened wide to welcome him or her. And if we have mistakenly "hindered" one, let Jesus give us the gift of repentance.

And let's express on His behalf a glad welcome into the kingdom of God and trust Him to "receive" them. Let the child snuggle into His arms. When He warned us not to "hinder" them, He knew that as sincere parents or teachers we could be inclined to misunderstand His drawing of the children and sincerely but inadvertently "hinder" them.

The story of one famous baptism inspires us. The Ethiopian eunuch riding in his chariot "down from Jerusalem to Gaza" was reading the Bible while jolting along. What had caught his attention was Isaiah 53, about the "Suffering Servant," wondering what the heart-arresting story meant. "Then the Spirit of the Lord said to Philip, 'Go near and overtake this chariot.'" Philip's response is inspiring: "Philip ran to him." Oh that the Lord may give us grace to be so instantly responsive! (See Acts 8:26-38.)

He began his soul-winning ministry by asking a question, usually a good way to break the ice: "Do you understand what you are reading?" The man needed a human being to illuminate his reading of the text! "How can I, unless someone guides me?" Thank the Lord, he welcomed Philip who eventually told him, "If you believe with all your heart, you may" be baptized.

What is required for baptism? That "believing with all the heart." What it means to "believe" is therefore important. In the Ethiopian's case, it was a heart appreciation of Isaiah 53. Excellent! Read the chapter, verse-by-verse, with a voice subdued by humility, letting the Spirit melt the heart. Let the children come to Jesus.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 15, 2002.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: It's True--Our Heavenly Father Wants Us to Be Rich

Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,”

It's shocking, but it's true: our heavenly Father wants us to be rich—not only spiritually, but financially! While it's true that He is especially kind and merciful to poor people, and the famous poor widow who cast in her two mites into the temple treasury is eternally blessed (Luke 21:1-4), the Bible actually says that God wants His people to be materially rich. But wait a moment, let's read what the Lord says, in context:

"God is able to give you more than you need ... [He] will always make you rich enough to be generous at all times, so that many will thank God for your gifts" (2 Cor. 9:8, 11, Good News Bible).

He blessed King Solomon with enormous worldly wealth so long as the king was willing to use it wisely (1 Kings 3:9, 12, 13). The key is our readiness to lay aside our natural-born love of self. Jesus was poor in this world's wealth; He had nothing but His clothing as His wealth when He was crucified. Therefore, every poor person in the world can hold his head high in self-respect; God honors him for He has adopted him into His "family in heaven and earth" (Eph. 3:15; 1:5, 6).

But Paul's idea is that God would be honored and pleased if we could grow up "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ," out of our childish love of self, so He could trust us with money (cf. 4:13, 14). But let's not waste time yearning to be rich, thinking we are strong and wise enough to use wealth in an unselfish way; we are probably like Peter when he promised he would never deny his Lord (Luke 22:31-34, 57-60).

May the love of Christ move us now to let self be "crucified with Christ" (Gal. 2:20) so we share what we do have. And then trust the Lord to give us of His grace to "grow up" in due time, when He can entrust us with more.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 27, 2005.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: A Precious Glimpse Into the Heart of Jesus

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Jesus of Nazareth was the best man who ever walked this planet. But did He ever have enemies! It was a puzzle to Him when He was a Boy, why people hated Him so much. He meant no one any harm, yet He seemed to be a lightning rod that attracted people's animosity, and He couldn't help it.

Here is a precious personal glimpse into the heart of Jesus--He says, "Those who hate Me without a cause are more than the hairs of My head" (Psalm 69:4). Only one person in all human history could have said that; and it was literally true. Every human being (us included!) has come into the world with the natural equipment of ingrained enmity against Jesus: "The carnal mind is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7). That's our natural state if we never hear the gospel. Every human being rates one of those hairs on Jesus' head!

As a Boy, He learned that it's no fun when people don't like you, and there seems to be nothing you can do about it. They were His "enemies wrongfully," He says. He had to act continually as though He had stolen things (which He had not done!) and be forced to pay back what He had never stolen! "Though I have stolen nothing, I still must restore it," He says (Psalm 69:4).

He loved family ties as much as any of us (it's not nice to be alone in an unfriendly world); but He "became a stranger to [His] brothers and an alien to [His] mother's children" (vs. 8; yes, Mary had more children). The other kids weren't picking on Him because He was weak or sickly, but for the opposite reason: He was the only "healthy" One in the family, and they couldn't stand His constant example of being unselfish.

Sometimes He couldn't help but cry. Even as a Boy He carried a burden they had no idea about, but "when [He] wept, ... that became [His] reproach" (vs. 10). "When I poured Myself out in prayer and fasting, all it got Me was more contempt" (Peterson, The Message).

The hatred young Jesus was up against stuck to Him all His life until His same enemies tortured Him in His death. And here's where I don't know how to write it: He loved them and prayed for His enemies at His painful end.

"Lord, we don't know how to follow Your Example! It's not in us to love enemies. Hell is where everybody hates everybody else; please save us from it!"

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: September 4, 2004.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: The Bible Tells Us to “Fear Not” as We Get Close to Final Events

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The Bible tells us over and over to "fear not" as we get closer to the final events of time. "I will fear no evil," says the person who believes that the "the Lord is [his] Shepherd" (Psalm 23). "Do not fear, little flock," says Jesus, "for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32). In common language it means the Father enjoys giving you the inheritance of His kingdom while the world has despised you.

All who believe the Good News of the gospel of Jesus will be tested as Daniel and his faithful friends were tested by the fiery furnace, the challenge of Belshazzar, and the lions' den (chapters 3, 5, 6). There will be those who believe the 23rd Psalm, and there will be those who don't. "All who dwell on the earth will worship [the beast], whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8). But the Lord Jesus will have a people true to Him!

For such faith in "the Lamb of God" to be established in us will mean an appreciation of what it cost Him to save us by His death on His cross. Those "who follow [Him] wherever He goes" (14:4) will indeed be a "little flock" compared to the majority; Jesus is jealous for His honor. He says, "Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. ... He who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it" (Matt. 10:32-34, 38, 39).

Does it make you tremble? Don't fear! Keep close to Jesus in His closing hours; let self be "crucified with Him" and then "perfect love [agape] will cast out [your] fear" (1 John 4:18).

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 1, 2004.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."