NOVEMBER 19 , 2021
Editor | dr . Shelton Smith Vol . LXXXVII , No . 22
God ’ s Glad Man 8
They sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord ; because he is good , for his mercy endureth for ever ( Ezra 3:11 ).
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually , that is , the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name ( Heb . 13:15 ).
What They Saw and Heard
13
Sticking by the Stuff
11
The Hand of God in Revivals
“ And the hand of the LORD was there upon me .”— Ezek . 3:22 .
The hand of God was upon Ezekiel in revivals . I like chapter 37 of Ezekiel . I know it is prophetical . You know , sometimes we like to get into prophecy because it is so far off and it doesn ’ t hurt anyone at hand .
“ The hand of the LORD was upon me , and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD , and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones .
“ And caused me to pass by them
The world around us may be plummeting its foolish way toward Hell , but those of us who know the Lord have plenty of reasons to be thankful .
I know many of you have been through a lot of hurt and heart ache in the past two years , but at this season of thanks - giving I hope you will join with me in expressing gratitude for every blessing large or small .
With eyes cast Heavenward , we are well advised to be grateful and to express our thanksgiving .
“ And let the peace of God rule in your hearts , to the which also ye are called in one body ; and be ye thankful .
“ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom ; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs , singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord .
“ And whatsoever ye do in word or deed , do all in the name of the Lord Jesus , giving thanks to God
DR . TOM MALONE
round about : and , behold , there were very many in the open valley ; and , lo , they were very dry .”— Vss . 1 , 2 .
Now that is a mighty discour - aging place . There is no preacher in a more discouraging place than a valley full of bones . Ezekiel sat down in the midst of them and said , “ They are not only dry bones , but they are very dry .”
I know of churches that are not only dead but they are very dead . I know of fundamental churches in America that do not see a soul saved in a twelve-month period .
An Editorial
Thanksgiving 2021
DR . SHELTON SMITH
and the Father by him .”— Col . 3:15 – 17 .
“ Continue in prayer , and watch in the same with thanksgiving .”— 4:2 .
Our thanksgiving , dear friend , is one way we can acknowledge God and give Him the honor due to Him .
Our thanksgiving expressed with a surrendered heart reflects our faith in the crucified and risen Christ .
Our thanksgiving carries us forward toward a spiritual lifestyle and a Christian way of life .
Our thanksgiving pushes back against the world ’ s appeals to line up with the Devil and his crowd .
Our thanksgiving telegraphs to the world that we are Christians , Bible believers and servants of God .
Our thanksgiving will take us to the church house and the fellow - ship of other thankful souls .
Our thanksgiving will keep us rejoicing that we are saved and Heaven-bound .
Our thanksgiving will silence our carping , bitter spirit .
They are not only dead ; they are very dead . Preachers are discour - aged .
God said to Ezekiel ,“ Son of man , can these bones live ?” ( vs . 3 ). What would you have said if God had asked you that ? A valley full of dry bones , and not only dry bones , but very dry . God asked , ‘ Do you believe these bones can live ?’
I know what many people would say : “ Now , Lord , if I were somewhere else , but these bones
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Our thanksgiving will light us up as a witness for Christ .
Our thanksgiving will be mindful of the blessings of daily bread , good health and freedom .
Our thanksgiving will en - courage us to be a blessing to others .
Our thanksgiving will just na - turally keep us on the job , faithfully serving , with an eye on the sky and our ear attuned for the sounding of Heaven ’ s trumpet .
Yes , amazing it is , but thanks - giving is a very special thing , a blessed and fruitful thing .
On this coming national day of Thanksgiving — November 25 — let ’ s celebrate with a heart full of gratitude to the great God of Creation for all He has done for us .
From our Sword family of work ers to each of you , our friends around the world , Happy Thanksgiving . ❚
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
DR . JOE ARTHUR Pastor , Harvest Baptist Tabernacle , Jonesboro , Georgia
“ This I recall to my mind , therefore have I hope .
“ It is of the LORD ’ S mercies that we are not consumed , because his com - passions fail not .
“ They are new every morning : great is thy faithfulness .
“ The LORD is my portion , saith my soul ; therefore will I hope in him .”— Lam . 3:21 – 24 .
The Bible tells of the realities in your life and in my life . It magnifies God ’ s existence , His Person , His character and His many , many different attributes . The Bible tells us of His perfection , His holiness and His divinity .
It tells us of His glory and His presence . It tells us of His sovereignty , His authority and His power . It tells of His love and mercy , grace and patience , longsuffering and kindness that have been and are being extended to every one of us .
Of all the great attributes of God , the one I believe we need to know about today more than ever before is the faithfulness of God . Just to say the words “ the faithful -
“ He came unto his own , and his own received him not .
“ But as many as received him , to them gave he power to become the sons of God , even to them that believe on his name :
“ Which were born , not of blood , nor of the will of the flesh , nor of the will of man , but of God .”— John 1:11 – 13 .
How does a man become a Christian ? The verses of the text , I believe , answer the question and ness of God ” thrills my soul .
In this world of distrust and disloyalty , in this day of confusion and uncertainty , more than ever before , the children of God must pillow their heads and place their trust in the faithfulness of God .
Not long ago I was in an auto - mobile with several well-known and distinguished pastors . One of them was talking about Dr . Fauci
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How to Become a Child of God
DR . H . A . IRONSIDE
they do so first negatively , then positively .
There are three ways indicated by which one cannot become a child of God and only one way by which he can . Look at verse 13 : “ Which were born , not of blood , nor of the will of the flesh , nor of the will of man .”
I . Not of Blood Observe , it is not of blood . You Continued on p 19 ▶