Understand the Principle of New Testament Giving (Part one of Three)

© 2026 by C. O. Bishop (New Testament Giving)

(Compare Acts 11:27-30; 1^st Corinthians 16:1-4; 2^nd Corinthians 9:1-15)

2^nd Corinthians 8:1-5

¹ Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; ² How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. ³ For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; ⁴ Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. ⁵ And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

(This is a great pattern for New Testament Giving.)

Introduction:

God deeply supports the Principle of New Testament Giving throughout His Word.

In the first place, GOD is the Giver! He is not “only” the Creator: A human builder may “build a business.” But he may sell it to a group of investors, and walk away.

That sort of human “creator” creates a business with the intent of reaping a profit. Nothing wrong there, but he then abandons his original project to others. He is not particularly concerned with the long-term results. (Will his former employees have stable jobs? Not his problem! The new owners will have to deal with that! Will the investors continue to make a profit? Also not his problem: They are grown-ups! It was their responsibility to research the market and decide whether the business was truly viable.)

But God is the Giver! He Set the Standard for New Testament Giving!

Yes, the Person we talk about as “God” did create all things, material and immaterial: Energy, souls, spirits, and matter. (Including our bodies, souls and spirits and those of the Angelic hosts.) But He continues to give, throughout the ages, setting the example for us in New Testament Giving.

The Almighty God later identifies Himself as the Person we address as the Lord Jesus Christ. He associates with Jesus Christ so thoroughly that we can’t discern where one ends and the other begins. Add in the Person of the Holy Spirit, and any honest persons (including the Angelic hosts) have to confess that He is so far above us that we cannot begin to understand Him.

He Has Never Abandoned Us: We Have Abandoned Him!

But He did not just create a universe, set it spinning throughout space, and then sit back to watch it wobble around, like a child playing with a spinning top, or some similar toy. He completely involves Himself with His Creation, and provides for the welfare of all His creatures, although that provision has changed through history, as we, the human race, have wandered further and further away from the Creator. And it has affected every living thing on this planet.

Notice that in the beginning, God created light before He created the luminaries. He created the plants on day Three, thus providing food for all animal life. But plants absolutely must have light to survive. And He created that light on day One. But no Sun, moon, or stars. All living things require an atmosphere, with just the proper mixture of gases, so on day Two, He created the atmosphere, that we call “sky.” Most plants require solid, fairly dry land, in order to thrive or in most cases survive. So, on day Three, God created dry land, and, immediately thereafter, all the plant world.

God Continues to Give, Providing Himself As our Example

See how His wisdom provided for the living biosphere He was creating. And He gave all living things what they needed to survive, before placing them in that sphere.

The luminaries came next: He says that their primary purpose is a timepiece, by which to take note of the days, weeks, seasons, and years. He allows us to recognize and count the passing of time. (At the end of time, in the new Heaven and New Earth, there will be no more luminaries. Jesus Himself is the Light and the only source of Light. And time means nothing in Eternity.)

On the Fifth and Sixth days, God created all the animal life. And, in every case, He gave the provision for their upkeep before He created the creatures themselves.

God has given us all things needed for life and godliness, according to 2^nd Peter 1:3, and He has invited us to walk where He walks, (1^st John 1:7) and do as He does. (Ephesians 5:1) (New Testament Giving is part of that walk!)

In the Old testament, Micah 6:8 calls all believers to “…walk humbly with the Lord your God.” And He gave that invitation before Jesus gave the Ultimate Gift, completing His Redeeming Work at the Cross. He gave it before the Gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit!

In Ephesians 5:1, He calls us to “Be imitators (King James Version says “followers”) of God, as dear children.” It is normal for little children to desire to imitate their parents, and to join them in their work. We can see that in our children, and it gives us joy. Our approval gives them joy as they imitate us.

Good and Perfect Gifts

James 1:17, 18 “¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. ¹⁸ Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”

But as we have seen God as the ultimate Giver, the literal source of all good gifts, then we find that He has called us to imitate that specific character trait, just as we desire to imitate His other attributes: His Holiness and His Love.

Giving is a product of His Love. Jesus gave us our primary command in John 13:34, 35
“A new commandment I give unto you that ye love one another: As I have Loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are My Disciples if ye have Love one to another.” And that Agapé love does involve giving, among other things.

New Testament Giving, as Opposed to Old Testament Giving

One of the misconceptions we have as “ignorant Gentiles” is that the “Old Testament Giving” was ten percent. (And sometimes it was!) The word “tithe” does mean 10%. But the tithes were their taxes, not their giving: and there were two and one third “tithes” per year.

• One tithe was to feed the Levites who were not given land, but were called to serve the tabernacle, and work as priests.
• Another was to be spent on a national feast: A party, every year, in which 10% of every family’s yearly income was spent in a blowout of a national feast day!
• The third, spread over three years, was designated to feed the poor. (3-1/3% per year.)

These were literally their federal taxes! Freewill giving had to be on top of that. And it did not have a specified amount. It was in addition to the taxes, and was a personal thing, reflecting the relationship between God and His worshipers.

New Testament Giving is All Freewill Giving

The concept of the “tithe” is not in the Epistles. the Gospels mention it a few times, simply because the Gospels were part of the Old Covenant…the Old Testament. Jesus said His shed blood was to be the blood of the New Covenant. So, the New Covenant literally could not begin before His death. And, from our perspective, at least, it could not begin until the Holy Spirit was given to indwell the New Testament believers!

So, since we all pay taxes to our government, and we have no “priesthood class,” but rather, we are ALL called priests in the body of Christ…all the giving must be freewill giving.

How Are the Gifts Used In New Testament Giving?

Our gifts are used for similar purposes, though: We support the leadership of the churches, if they cannot fully self-support. And that is a command, but still, no percentage, or set salary. They are simply to be counted worthy of double honor. In my mind, that means that, if they are serving faithfully in the Word and in teaching, we are commanded to support them in a manner at least matching the average income of the church. It does not mean that the leaders should be “making merchandise of the teaching…selling it to the believers.”

Ashamed to Broach the Subject of New Testament Giving

In many churches, I would be ashamed to even teach on this subject. Our culture has convinced everyone that “Preachers are only after your money!” Therefore, any teaching on money (or on New Testament giving) seems to confirm the evil reports about greedy, money-hungry charlatans…wolves in sheep’s clothing, seeking to “fleece the flock” for their money.

I am grateful to not have to fear that response in this church. The founding pastor, Pat James, was self-supporting, initially, but after he went on Social Security to more fully serve the church, the church supported him with a housing allowance until he died, and his wife, also, until she also died. That was a good response to God’s Word.

Continuing Legacy of New Testament Giving

Richard Banham and I both were fully self-supporting, until after Richard’s death. We sought to follow Paul’s example, who was also self-supporting. I attempted to maintain self-support for about another ten months after I lost my secular job, but the Church stepped in and told me that they would begin giving us a housing allowance. They also advised me to start my Social Security benefits. So, I did, and I discovered that between Social Security and the housing allowance stipend, our needs are being met. We are OK!

As a church, we also exercise New Testament Giving in order to provide funds to maintain the building we share. In addition, this Church has also increasingly given to support missionary work in places where the Gospel would not otherwise have gone. I am constantly amazed to see what this tiny church has been privileged to do, because we have striven to walk with the Lord, believing His Word.

The poverty-stricken believers in the little churches across Macedonia did the same thing: they gave themselves first to the Lord, and then to those around them, (v. 5) with the result being that they gave beyond their comfort zone (v. 3), and begged the apostles to allow them to give in that way (v. 4). that is real New Testament Giving! I have been very pleased and blessed to see how this little band of believers has responded to the needs outside our fellowship and those within.

Lord Jesus, please continue to soften our hearts with Your Grace, by Your Word, and by your Holy Spirit. Continue to bless us as we seek to bless others.

Repentance unto Salvation

© 2026 by C. O. Bishop (Repentance)

2^nd Corinthians 7:10 (Context is verses 8-11)

 ¹⁰ For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Introduction to the Concept of Repentance:

Last week we addressed all of 2^nd Corinthians 7:2-16. We read it as a complete message regarding the positive results of church discipline. In the middle of that passage, verse ten says, “Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation.” You may recall that I said we would be coming back to that verse, and treating it separately.

I treat it separately because people often use this verse (and others like it) wrongly. They use it to claim that “repentance saves us from from sin .” And they use this particular verse as stating that “Godly Sorrow” is the definition of repentance. Neither is true.

They seem to conclude that “if we are simply sorry enough, God will forgive us.”

But, then, God’s Justice no longer matters: We have set aside God’s Righteousness.

Psalm 85:10, 11 says “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other: Truth shall spring out of the Earth, and Righteousness shall look down from Heaven.”

Salvation is by the Cross: Death, and Burial and Resurrection of Christ.

The Cross is the only place in History where God’s Mercy and the Truth (our sin) can meet in peace. God’s Righteousness and THE Truth of all things could embrace at the Cross . God only makes His Mercy available through the Cross. That is where Jesus, (“the way, the Truth and the Life”) died to pay the penalty of our sins . Through Him alone, God has offered Peace to us, on the basis of His full, finished payment at the Cross. According to Romans 1:4, and Hebrews 1:3 we find our confidence that His work was complete in the Resurrection. It required a change of mind (repentance) for us to place our faith in Him.

Romans 1:4 says  God declared Jesus to be the Son of God with power, through the resurrection from the Dead. Ephesians 1:19, 20 agrees: “God, through His almighty power, raised Jesus from the dead. He seated Him at His own right hand above all other Authority.”

Hebrews 1:3 says He (Jesus) “…being the brightness of the Glory of God, and the exact representation of His person, and upholding all things by the Word of His Power (Jesus’s Power!) when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down  at the right hand of the Majesty on High.” He had finished His work ! He said so, from the Cross! (John 19:30) God agreed, and seated Jesus at His own right hand.

Does Repentance Bring Salvation?

In Acts 16:30, 31, the Philippian Jailer anxiously asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

Paul and Silas did not “launch into a lecture about repentance, and renouncing the works of his sinful past.” They added no such list of “things to do.” They did not tell the frightened man to accept and adhere to such a list. .

But what did they say? “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house!” But, perhaps you think that passage is too obscure. Maybe you think it was a “special thing” for just that one guy?  Then, let’s consider a passage we all know, and which applies to all believers:

Ephesians 2:8-10 describes the “means by which” God saves all believers. “By Grace are ye saved, through Faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the Gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Hmm! No mention of repentance there, either! So: What does repentance mean? The Greek word translated as “Repentance” is “metanoia.” Meta- means “change.” –Noia means “mind.” We use a similar word describing nature. A caterpillar becoming a butterfly, or a tadpole becoming a frog: Both seem miraculous, but we use the Greek word, “Metamorphosis:” A “change of form.”

So, What is Repentance?

“Metanoia” means a “change of mind.” It was impossible for me to arrive at Saving Faith without at least the initial “change of mind” by which I saw that “I am a lost sinner! I am headed for Hell! I need a Savior!” But was I filled with Godly Sorrow? No! I was aware that I was ensnared in my guilt, and not even able to think righteous thoughts, let alone behave righteously.

More to the point, what did I think of Jesus prior to salvation? Was He just a mythological entity? A historical, but deeply fictionalized character? A great prophet? Just a good man, martyred by a mob? Who was Jesus to you, before you came to believe in Him as your Savior?

Whatever you thought about Jesus up until that time, it definitely required a “change of mind” to move from that belief to a new position, believing in His completed Work at the Cross, and trusting Him as your Savior. that is how an unbeliever experiences repentance.

So, repentance is definitely a part of the process of salvation. But where does it fit in? Did “Godly Sorrow” overcome the Philippian Jailer? Or did impending death terrify him, and he suddenly saw that these two prisoners (Paul and Silas) must know the way of escape?

I seriously doubt that “sorrow for sin” came into being until much later. I know in my own case, that it wasn’t until the Holy Spirit began to change me, after salvation, that I began to look back and realize the enormity of my sin, and the damage I had brought to others and the absolute arrogance and insolence I had constantly directed toward Almighty God.

Who Are the Recipients of this Verse? And Who Are the Readers?

The recipients were the believers in Corinth: But the readers could be anyone. In other words, we can read this in at least two ways. Does God direct this to believers or to unbelievers? Or is it both?

If “Repentance to Salvation” is To Believers:

As believers reading this, we need to be aware that Salvation has three tenses, past, present, and future.

• Past tense Salvation is based on position. At some point in the past, you trusted Jesus to be your Savior. (A Change of mind: Repentance!) And, from that point, for Eternity, you “have been and ARE saved” from the Penalty of Sin. 1^st Corinthians 12:13 says the Holy Spirit placed you into the Body of Christ at that moment. That is your new permanent position in Christ. God will never again condemn you. (John 5:24; John 6:37-39; John 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 2; Romans 8:38, 39, etc.)
  
  
• Present tense Salvation is based on condition. Because God has saved you from the penalty of sin, you do not have to sin! Romans 6 says God has set you free from sin. You no longer have to respond to your old sin nature. But, the problem is, we do sin, and we find it difficult to steer clear of it. As we walk with Jesus, He “is saving us” from the Power of sin in our lives. If we wander and waste time, following the flesh, then we do not enjoy that freedom from the power of sin, and our experience is more similar to Romans 7.
  
  
• Future tense salvation, again, is positional. If God has saved you from sin’s penalty, then, because your position is “in Christ,” you will enjoy freedom from Sin’s Presence, throughout eternity. Sin will never again even tempt you. You will no longer have your old sin nature. Revelation 21 describes the eternal state in the New Heaven and New Earth.  And Isaiah 65:17 predicted it, 700 years before Christ.

So, What About Repentance?

For Believers?

Repentance for believers, then, means “changing our mind” about going our own way, and returning to walk with Jesus. He (present tense) saves us from the power of sin as we walk with Him. (1^st John 1:7)

What About for Unbelievers?

Repentance for an unbeliever means “changing my mind” regarding Jesus and His completed work at the Cross. It means choosing His finished work as opposed to anything I can do.

As long as my confidence (faith) is in what I can do, then I have either not received God’s Grace, or at least have not understood it. (False teachers have taught some genuine believers to doubt God’s Word. God has accepted them, because of Jesus. But such believers have little or no confidence. False teachers taught them to believe God is still most interested in their works. The book of Galatians works to undo that damage. And God directed that message to real believers who had become ensnared by and enslaved to legalism through false teachers.)

The Danger of Self-Righteousness

Ezekiel warns of the danger in self-confidence. Ezekiel 33:13 says, (God speaking) “When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.” None of us claim we are free from sin. Yes, we are sinners! The issue in question, is “in what are we, as sinners, trusting?”

Jesus reiterated that condemnation in John 3:17-20. ¹⁷For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. ¹⁸ He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

If my faith for salvation is in anything other than Jesus Christ and Him Crucified, then I am in trouble. It is instructive to note that Paul said in 1^st Corinthians 2:2 “For I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him Crucified!”

Position versus Condition

Notice an unbeliever’s “position:” (He is LOST!) (1^st Corinthians 15:22 says, “For as in Adam (position) all die, even so in Christ (position) shall all be made alive.”)

When I was still an an unbeliever, I was still “in Adam.” I was still a lost sinner. I was still a heathen, separated from God. That was my position! It really didn’t matter what I did, or how I felt, or what grand thoughts I may have entertained. I was condemned already (John 3:18)

Outside of Christ, your “condition” is irrelevant. No matter how “good” you may be, if you are outside of Christ, (i.e. still in Adam) you are still lost.

Consider Noah’s Ark: There were only two possible locations (think “positions.”) People were either inside the Ark, and perfectly safe, regardless of their condition, or outside the Ark, and utterly lost, regardless of their condition.

As a believer (again, regardless of condition,) my position is in Christ. I am no longer in Adam, and I have zero confidence in my own ability to please God. I desire to live in such a way as to please Him, but I believe what Jesus said, in John 15:5. “Apart from Me ye can do nothing!”

So, What Can We Conclude?

This verse, and others like it do not nullify the underlying truth that Jesus’s Blood is our only hope for salvation. God singled out some specific people and commanded them to repent of their works, as part of their path to salvation.

The classic example is in Acts 2:37, 38. Peter addressed the specific Jews who had unanimously called for the crucifixion of Jesus. He told them, “repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” He went on to promise, “and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” 

But God gave that command for repentance to only that group. He included no one else in that command. Why? Because He wanted them to publicly confess they crucified Jesus. He wanted them to confess they were wrong to crucify Him. Finally, He required them to confess that they needed His Grace, for Salvation!

So, Finally…

Yes, repentance is a part of how God saves us. The fact is, Faith itself requires a change of mind.

And, as believers, we experience repentance constantly, as we repeatedly find ourselves wandering away from the centrality of Christ in our lives. We desire to “dwell in the Secret place of the Almighty,” but (again) we find that we are far away, and stumbling around in darkness again. We repent, as did the prodigal Son, and we return to our Father’s house. Revelation chapters 2 and 3 repeat that warning five times to the Seven churches: “Repent!” (That is to believers, every time.)

And, yes, Godly sorrow does produce repentance. We see the condition into which we have fallen, and we are sorry, as we know that we did it ourselves. We repent (turn around! change our minds!) and we return, to walk with Jesus!

Lord Jesus, please turn our eyes back to You, in repentance: Restore us to a joyful walk with You. Allow us to reach to others with that Joy.

“Perfecting Holiness in the Fear of God”

© 2026 C. O. Bishop (Perfecting Holiness)

2^nd Corinthians 7:1 “¹ Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

Introduction:

What does it mean, “Perfecting Holiness in the Fear of God”? We can see several things in this verse. Some are very important: Some not. For example, the verse is only 25 words long. Is that important? I doubt it: But it is an example of a “packed” passage. It has lots of vital information “packed into” few words. We need to “unpack it,” just as the Bereans “searched the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” So, let’s unpack it: One phrase (or one word) at a time.

Having Therefore “these” Promises: (In regard to Holiness)

What Promises? And…what do I do with that word “therefore?” (Stop and see what it is there for!) This “therefore” looks back to 2^nd Corinthians 6:16-18, where we see “these” promises regarding Holiness:

“¹⁶ And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ¹⁷ Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. ¹⁸ And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”

Did You See the Promises There, Regarding Holiness?

• We are the Temple of the Living God!
• God said He will live in us! He says He will WALK in us!
• He says He will be our God, and we shall be His People!
• He says as we separate ourselves from the World, and its sin, its filth, (practical holiness) He (the Lord Almighty) will receive us and deal with us as His dear children.

God cites other promises in 2^nd Peter 1:4. He says we have “exceeding great and precious promises, that by these we may be partakers of the Divine Nature.” And He says, seeing that we HAVE such promises, He wants us to respond accordingly, “perfecting Holiness.”

“Dearly Beloved:”

So, to Whom is this addressed? Paul only says “dearly beloved” regarding one group of people. It is the believers: the followers of Jesus! This is not a “recipe” telling unbelievers how to become the children of God. Jesus already told Nicodemus how to become a child of God. He said,“Ye must be born again!” Jesus explained how to be born again by faith (John 1:11-13; John 3:16.) This is a recipe for practical holiness among believers.

Therefore, the people Paul addressed were already believers. So, the information here is relational in nature, and practical holiness is a recipe for a serene, growing relationship with the Living God. But the next thing He says is that we are to cleanse ourselves.

“Let us Cleanse Ourselves:”

How can we cleanse ourselves? Psalm 119:9 Is the only place where the King James Bible says how a believer can cleanse himself. Many passages demand that we do so! Jeremiah 2:22 says even if we scrub ourselves with “nitre” (lye…a very harsh cleansing agent) we are still unclean. We cannot produce Holiness on our own! (Jesus said so: See John 15:5)

James 4:8-10 commands us, “⁸ Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. ⁹ Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

James specializes in teaching Practical Holiness.

Hands

We cleanse our hands through confession, according to 1^st John 1:9. He calls upon us to repent (change our minds) enough that we can confess who we are and what we are doing. But He still says for us to cleanse ourselves…and it is an ongoing process. HE cleanses us positionally. Once He has cleansed you, He eternally sees you as clean: He has conferred His Holiness upon you! But our condition wavers all over the place.

That is why, in John 13:10, Jesus said, “if you have been washed, you are clean: but your feet will still need washing.” 1^st John 1:7 says that “…the Blood of Jesus Christ His Son, cleanses us from all sin.” That is our position in Him. He has permanently made us clean by conferring His Holiness upon us.

Feet

So, we go to God in confession to “wash our feet.” But in terms of how we live before Him, and how, as His ambassadors, we present Him to the World, He tells us to apply His Word to ourselves so that it changes us: And we memorize His Word to make it a permanent change. This is how we “improve upon our practical holiness.”

Psalm 119:9-11 says, “⁹ How shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto, according to Thy Word! ¹⁰ With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from Thy commandments. ¹¹ Thy Word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against Thee.”

So, from what are we cleansing ourselves?

“From All Filthiness”

To What does this refer? Ephesians 5:1-8

“¹Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; ² And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. ³ But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; ⁴ Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

⁵ For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. ⁶ Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. ⁷ Be not ye therefore partakers with them. ⁸ For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:”

There are many other similar passages: I chose this one because the Lord contrasts light and darkness, here, and says that we have no business living in darkness anymore: We are part of God’s light, now, and our behavior should reflect His light. That is why Jesus told the people in Matthew 5:15-16 “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven”

“Filthiness Of the Flesh”

What is “Filthiness of the flesh?” Romans 1:24-32 “²⁴ Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: ²⁵ Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. ²⁶ For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: ²⁷ And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

⁸ And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; ²⁹ Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, ³⁰ Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, ³¹ Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: ³² Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

This passage described the “downward slide” of the Human race into depravity. We became spiritually filthy, first, and it resulted in our becoming physically filthy as well.

And Filthiness “Of The Spirit”

What is “Filthiness of the spirit?” Galatians 5:16-21 “¹⁶ This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. ¹⁸ But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. ¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,  ²⁰ Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, ²¹ Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

The next two verses describe the (Singular) fruit of the Spirit. Failing to “walk in the Spirit,” (as verse 16 commands) leaves the only other option: Living carnally—in the flesh. Most of the things listed here are matters strictly of the heart.

ALL of them can be a picture of the heart of man. We can most easily observe some of them when they become outward behavior. But most can find their identity in the deceitful heart, even if they never blossom into a visible behavior. God says we are also responsible for our thought-life. 2^nd Corinthians 10:4, 5 calls us to “…bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”

“Perfecting Holiness”

How can WE “perfect our holiness?” Who declares us to be Holy? 1^st Corinthians 6:9-11

“⁹ Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, ¹⁰ Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And such were some of you: but ye are washed, (cleansed) but ye are sanctified, (made holy) but ye are justified (declared righteous) in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

On what basis does God declare us to be Holy? Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified (declared righteous) by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”

1^st Peter 2:1-10 “¹ Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, ² As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: ³ If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. ⁴ To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, ⁵ Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

What Part Do WE Play, in Perfecting Holiness?

We strive to walk with Him, and to live out the holiness God has conferred upon us. Positionally, He has declared us Holy, and set us apart for His service. But we want that holiness to be our daily condition, as well. 1^st Peter 1:16 “ Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

Holiness “In the Fear of God”

What does “Fear of God” mean, as compared to 1^st John 4:11-21?  In Psalm 19:9, we see that “the Fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever.” And, Romans 3:18, says, of the unbelieving world, “There is no Fear of God before their eyes.”

So, the “Fear of the Lord” is a good thing: We are awe-stricken before Him, seeing ourselves as we truly are: In Isaiah 6:5, Isaiah said, “…Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

Yes, God has cleansed us, positionally: We stand before Him cleansed of our sins, but we still see His unimaginable Holiness and Authority, and we experience the clean, eternal, “Fear of the Lord.” In Isaiah 6:1-8, we see that even the Angelic host cannot look fully upon His Glory: They, too, are overcome by His Holiness.

A Wrong Fear, Not Resulting in Holiness

But the Fear mentioned in 1^st John 4:11-21 is the fear of punishment: It is the Fear that because we cannot in ourselves match HIS Holiness, God will break His Promise and abandon us. Or that He will change His mind regarding the fullness of Jesus’s completed Work at the Cross, and somehow allow us to slip away from Him into hell.

God says that if we are experiencing that sort of fear, then we don’t know Him well enough. He says that, if our love-relationship with Him were complete, we would be in Love with Him: We would be completely trusting Him in His Love and His Grace, and HIS Holiness, knowing that He is utterly Faithful.

Lord Jesus, teach us to walk with You, and to separate ourselves from our old practices, our old thought patterns. We confess to You that we are “Saved Sinners.” Yes, we stand before you In Your Holiness, as Your offspring, but we confess that, apart from Your abiding guidance and control in our lives we cannot hope to live in such a way as to please You. Help us to desire that relationship with You MORE than we desire our old patterns and pleasures. Help us to live out the Holiness that You have conferred upon us!

The Word of God is Sheep Food

© C. O. Bishop 9/9/2016; THCF 9/11/2016 (The Word as Sheep Food)

1^st Peter 2:2; Jeremiah 15:16;

Introduction to the Word as Sheep Food:

We read in the scripture that the elders are to feed the flock. We also see that God also commands the flock to “feed” as well…and that the food is specifically the Word of God. So, we need to give some attention as to how that feeding is to occur, and when, and by whom, etc.

In 1^st Peter 2:2, God tells the newborn believers to hunger for the “milk” of God’s Word; but in Hebrews 5:12-14, the writer complains that the particular believers to whom he was writing should have graduated from “milk” and should now be consuming solid food…and it is still referring to the Word of God. Jeremiah 15:16 makes the statement that feeding on God’s Word brought joy to the heart of the prophet, because he himself belonged to the family of God… God’s had applied His own name to Jeremiah.

Normal Food For Believers is the Word

These sort of passages lay out the normal life for believers: we are to feed on God’s Word. And it should become a joy to our hearts simply because, as believers, we are His children. We should be growing stronger in the Word. That means we need to move on from baby food. We should and feed joyfully on the tougher things of the Bible, while not forgetting the foundation that was laid in the simple truths of the Gospel.

So…what does it mean, to “Feed on” God’s Word? Do we simply read it? Is hearing it on the radio enough? Do we have to attend Bible College? Do we have to memorize the Bible? What does it mean when the Psalmist says he “meditated” on God’s Word? Do you have to sit with your legs contorted, and your eyes closed while you think about the Bible?

I would like to suggest, as a starter, that there are at least five ways the Scripture tells us to feed upon the Word of God:

1. Hear
2. Read
3. Study
4. Memorize, and
5. Meditate

Probably that is actually an ascending order, each attaining a deeper, stronger grasp of the Word.  Let’s look at each of them and see how they apply to us as believers.

Hear the Word

Deuteronomy 6:4 begins with the words, “Hear O Israel…” All orthodox Jews are familiar with this passage. They call it the “the Shamaah”, because the Hebrew word “shamaah” means “hear”. Over and over, Jesus said “He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear.” The willing reception of the spoken Word of God is what is in view. Hearing it has an impact all by itself, without study, without comment, without further reflection, even: God’s Word does not return to Him void. It always has an effect.

What Effect Will Hearing Have?

Bear in mind that the sun, shining on potter’s clay, has the reverse effect of the same sunlight warming wax. One grows harder, while the other grows softer. The difference is in the character of the material. Anyone that “hath an ear to hear” will change in a positive way by the reception of God’s Word. A person who only receives the Word because of a sense of social responsibility or, worse, to look good among his peers, may find that he has gradually inoculated himself against the influence of the Word, because he has privately, habitually rejected its teaching. God gradually gives him over to a reprobate mind, so that he becomes blinded to the truth of God’s Word, and deaf to the pleading of God’s Spirit.

Luke 8:18 says, “Take heed therefore how ye hear….” Hearing the word is important, and how we hear it is important. We need to hear it with a willing heart, and look for ways to apply it to our lives…not dismiss it or critique it as if it were the writings of men. It is the Word of God. Take heed how you hear. Apply your heart to the Word as you hear it. Hunger for it. Allow it to cleanse you, and purge you.

Read the Word

It is interesting and instructive, to see that long before a king sat on a throne in Israel, God commanded (Deuteronomy 17:18-20) that that future king was to write for himself a copy of the Law of God, out of the scrolls possessed by the Levites, and that he was to read that copy all the days of his life! Every day, as long as he lives!

God calls believers in the Church age, “kings and priests.” How might that Old Testament command apply to us? Although I doubt He calls us to personally write out our own copy (the printing press and movable type seem to have freed us from that), I do think He might be admonishing us to be in the Word on a “steady-diet” basis, rather than a “once-in-a-while nibble.” 

Results of Reading God’s Word

The results God predicted for those kings are interesting, too. Five results are listed:

1. That he may learn to fear the LORD his God, and
2. To keep all the words of this Law, and these statutes, to do them,
3. That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and
4. That he turn not aside from the commandments, to the right hand or to the left;
5. To the end (result) that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel.

Now, I am not an earthly king, especially not a king of Israel, but I can see from the rest of the Word of God that those predicted results apply to all who apply God’s Word to their lives. The Psalms state that the Word “is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” They further state that a man can cleanse his way “by taking heed thereto according to God’s Word”.  (Psalm 119:9, 105) Simply reading the Word daily, as a steady diet, providing constant contact, will have eternal results.

Study the Word

This one is a little harder, but the word “study” in Old English, and in Greek, means to “apply oneself diligently.” So, when Paul says (2^nd Timothy 2:15) “study to show thyself approved unto God…”, it means “make this a priority, and apply yourself diligently to that end.” But; the rest of the verse says “…a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” So, applying oneself diligently to learning to rightly divide God’s Word would necessitate the kind of thing we call “study,” today, as well, would it not?

Paul also exhorted Timothy to give himself to reading, to exhortation, and to doctrine. This meant not only the public reading of the scriptures, but a constant ministry of encouraging others and teaching them to understand and obey God’s Word. That requires study, too.

Paul commended the Bereans (Acts 17:11) as being “more noble than those in Thessalonica”, because they “received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether these things were so.” That is study, folks! Searching the scriptures, comparing scripture with scripture, looking for understanding. That is study!

Is Study in School a Requirement?

Could it mean going off to school and applying yourself to nothing but study for a period of time? Certainly, it could, but that is by no means necessary. Bear in mind: Paul took training by one of the most famous educators of his time (Gamaliel.) But he considered that whole experience to be rubbish. Paul did not rest upon his credentials. He rested upon the credentials of Christ. As an Apostle, he rested upon the truth of God’s Word.

And he exhorts us to apply ourselves to the goal of understanding the Word of God. The collective maturity and stability of the church will result. So, every “novel doctrine” that comes along will not sweep away the believers. So that we will be well-equipped ministers of God’s Grace, and so that we are able to build up the body in the Love of God. (Ephesians 4:12-16) These are all the result of absorbing God’s Word, through hearing, reading and studying. What else can we do?

Memorize the Word

Psalm 119:11 is the best verse for this, though there are many others. The psalmist said “Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Later, in Jeremiah 31:33, God promised that (during the coming Kingdom age) He himself would “…put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts”, with the result being holiness of life and a wholesome, continuing walk with God. He says, “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

When Jesus refuted Satan, during the temptation (Matthew 4:1-11), he did so with the Word of God, citing (and reciting) appropriate passages to defend against the attack of the evil one. I use this tool daily, when tempted to be angry, or in some other way, reciting to myself the passages that strengthen me against sin. David did the same thing. He remembered the precepts of God, and drew upon them for strength.

Solomon commented upon this concept: Proverbs 4:4, 5 says, in part, “…let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments and live. Get Wisdom, get understanding, forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.” This is not just rote memorization, but the overall absorption and retention of God’s Word. It takes time, and it takes deliberate work.

Personal Examples

When I was in Bible school, the curriculum required us to memorize hundreds of passages. Sometimes it was single verses, sometimes short passages, some whole chapters, and one whole book (Ephesians). Do I still remember then all? Nope. But the result has been profitable, and I still know how to apply myself to memorization.

After my mother died we found her written memory-aids (stenographer’s tablets full of them, all written by hand.) We realized just how much she had applied this concept. She had memorized several whole books of the New Testament. And she was working on more, right up until she could no longer function to do so. Not everyone has equal gifts in this regard. But virtually anyone can repeat back to you, nearly verbatim, a conversation they had yesterday or last week, with another individual. So, consider the Word of God a series of “conversations” between God and man. Recite portions of those conversations as needed… and it is not an unreasonable expectation at all. You can do this!

Meditate upon the Word

Biblical Meditation

When people today use the word “meditate,” they usually mean meditation in the sense of some Eastern religion; Hinduism, or its off-shoots; Buddhism, the Hari Krishna cult, Transcendental Meditation, or something similar. In each of these cases, the false religion encourages the novice to empty one’s mind of conscious thought and open oneself to whatever comes in. Biblical meditation has nothing to do with this practice.

Joshua 1:8 is the first command regarding Meditation. Let’s see what God told Joshua about it.

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

How much of that is a promise to me? None of it! This is a command with a promise to Joshua… not even to Israel as a whole; just Joshua. But how much of it could be applicable to you and to me, at least in a general sense? Every bit of it!

We are not to depart from God’s Word, the Bible. It is to be our first and final authority in all things. And, we are to dwell upon its precepts, considering how to rightly apply them to our lives. Meditation is not empty-headed open-mindedness! It is deliberate, conscious thinking about the content and concepts of God’s Word. It is pondering, and comparing scripture to scripture, and considering whether there is something you have missed, in reading it.

Methods May Vary

Sometimes I have used an elementary trick of reciting a passage slowly, repeating it with a different word emphasized each time, to see if that sheds a different light. But, regardless of the method, Biblical meditation is always a slow, conscious rumination…a “chewing of the cud”, so to speak. A careful digestion of the Word of God, being anxious not to miss anything.

There are two primary words in the Old Testament, translated “meditate”. Together they are used 12 times. There is one word in the New Testament, translated “meditate”, and it is used twice: both times in command form. Joshua, as a servant of God, was commanded (Joshua 1:8) to meditate upon the Word of God. Timothy, as a servant of God, was commanded (1^st Timothy 4:15) to meditate upon the things taught in God’s Word. David, a servant of God, testified that he meditated upon the precepts of God’s Word, and mused upon them, pondering their meaning.

How much more do we need? This is how the servants of God strengthen themselves for the service of God. They were feeding upon it deeply and continually.

So: Who Does the Feeding?

The answer is, “We ALL do!” God calls every believer to feed on God’s Word to whatever capacity He has given them to do so. No one is exempted. Everyone can at least choose to hear it, and take heed how they hear it.

If you can read, God calls you to read it. If you can read, and can at least think clearly, He calls you to study, and to feed at that level. He calls us to attain to solid food, not continuing to consume only the simple, baby-food portions over and over.

At whatever level we can do so, we are called upon to memorize God’s Word. And we are called upon to spend time meditating upon it: deliberately thinking, praying and considering how to understand and apply what we have heard, read, studied and memorized.

How Important is the Written Word?

God says (Psalm 138:2) that he has magnified his Word even above his Name. That is an incredible thought, as His name is Holy, and not to be taken lightly. It could be a reflection of the fact that Jesus Himself is identified in a few passages as being the Word of God, in Person. John 1:1, 14 “In the Beginning was the Word…The Word became flesh, and dwelt among Men…” And when he comes at last, as the triumphant King, it says (Revelation 19:13) that “His name is called “The Word of God”.”

Jesus, during his earthly ministry, stated clearly that every word of the Scriptures would be brought to pass…fulfilled to the letter. Peter says (2^nd Peter 1:19) that the written Word is our only light in this dark World, until the Savior returns for us, and we have His Light in Person.

I am personally convinced that how a believer responds to the Written Word of God, the Bible, is ultimately how he or she also will respond to the Living Word, Jesus. Give that some thought!

Responsibility For Feeding on the Word of God

If you are a leader, a teacher, a parent, or are in any other way responsible for the spiritual well-being of another person, then you are doubly accountable to these precepts. You can’t feed others if you are not feeding yourself. And you can’t feed them clean food, unless you are applying the Word well enough to understand what you are teaching. Jesus confronted the teachers in Israel for failing to understand and for failing to obey. He said they had become blind guides. We really do not want that charge to be laid upon us. We want to hear “Well done, thou good and faithful servant!”

Take heed how you hear! The way you choose to respond to this message will definitely have an effect upon your life.

Lord Jesus, teach us to hear your Word with the intent to apply it to our lives, to think on it, and obey it. Let us be doers of your Word, and not forgetful hearers. Teach us to feed on the clean food of your Word, and by it to grow strong!

The Connection Between Separation And Holiness: Choosing Fellowship with God

© 2026 by C. O. Bishop

2^nd Corinthians 6:13-18

¹³ Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged. (Paul wanted true fellowship with the Corinthian Believers.)

¹⁴ Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? ¹⁵ And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

¹⁶ And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ¹⁷ Wherefore come out from among them, (Break off fellowship!) and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. ¹⁸ And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Compare 2^nd Chronicles 19:1-3

¹ And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem.

² And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord.

³ Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God.

Introduction:

When we hear the words “unequally yoked,” we usually think God is reminding us to not marry an unbeliever. But, while the verse does teach that idea, that is just one application. And it is a very narrow application of a very broad concept. The overall issue is Fellowship: Partnership.

What Kind of Yoke? (The Yoke indicates fellowship…Partnership.)

The concept of a “yoke,” in the context of being “yoked together,” is a double-harness. It is used so two people (or two draft animals) can work together. They are uniting their efforts toward a common goal, or task. So, the person with whom you are joined could have a world view and loyalties contrary to yours. If they have entirely different goals than you do, why would you want to be joined with them?

In this country, we sometimes see people who have joined themselves to a foreign nation. They are either sending them restricted technology, or actually selling secrets to them. We call that behavior “spying,” in some cases, “treason” at worst, and it is universally condemned. God takes it seriously, too, but does not call us “spies” or “traitors.” He simply tells us how unfitting, and how counterproductive it is.

Fellowship is Partnership

In our culture, we think “fellowship” means “drinking coffee, eating sweets, and chatting.” (No…as a matter of fact, it does not.) Fellowship involves partnership. It means “having something in common.” It especially means sharing a goal and work or a project, together. Two workers who might have nothing to do with one another outside of work, can join together for a project, and treat one another with respect and cooperation in that work, and come away with a sense of :fellowship. (“We got that done! We accomplished that together!”)

I have worked on small crews, with other men, when, other than work, we had nearly nothing in common. But all of us were pleased at the amount of work we were getting done, and proud of our accomplishment. We all knew our jobs very well, and also knew when there was a lifting job that needed all of us. But when the lift was done and we had secured the large part in place for the man whose job it was to weld it, the rest of us dropped back into our separate welding tasks, all of which combined to produce a product that was very professional.

In fact, the four of us were accomplishing more together, on our shift, than a team of sixteen were accomplishing on a different shift, working at the same task. Collectively, we were happy about that, with a deep satisfaction. We had fellowship…partnership… in that work, though we shared nothing at all outside of work.

Fellowship also is not just “two fellows in a ship.”

Just “being in the same boat” does not produce fellowship: it does not imply “partnership.” Two fellows in a ship may be plotting to kill one another! Two fellows “in the same boat” because they both are out of work may have bitter rivalry between them, striving to get the same job.

But Paul said the Philippians had shared in the fellowship of the Gospel with him. They were partners in the work, sharing the gospel with others, seeing that as the job they had in common.

Paul points out that righteousness (having a right standing with God, and behaving that way) has nothing in common with unrighteousness (not having a right standing with God, and living that  way.) He compares it to the dichotomy between light and darkness. They literally cannot have anything in common. Light specifically dispels darkness. Darkness is the absence of light.

Finally, he makes it very pointed: What agreement does Christ have with the evil one? And the necessary conclusion: “What part does a believer have with an unbeliever?” You are on “opposing teams!” You are soldiers in opposing armies!

Fellowship implies agreement: Verse 16 calls the question, “What agreement does the temple of God have with idols?” He goes on to point out that, collectively, the Church is the living Temple of the Living God on Earth. God Lives in us! He lives in you! He is our God! We are His people! (So, Ask yourself: Why is it all right for me to take what absolutely belongs to God, and join it in a common purpose with that which absolutely does not?)

An Old Testament Example Of A Bad Choice in Fellowship

In 2^nd Chronicles 19:1-3, we see the tail end of a bad situation. In 2nd Chronicles 18, we saw Jehoshaphat, a good king (of Judah, the southern kingdom) joined to Ahab, an evil king, already under a specific curse from God. Ahab asked for his help fighting the Syrians at Ramoth-Gilead.

Red Flag #1 (Association in fellowship)

Jehoshaphat wanted to ask God’s approval. Ahab called in four hundred false prophets who all said God would give them victory. But Jehoshaphat saw that the four hundred were not Prophets of the LORD, and He asked whether there were no actual prophets of the LORD there. Ahab answered, “Yeah, there’s one, a guy named Micaiah, but I hate him, because he always says bad stuff about me!” (That should have been a big red flag for Jehoshaphat, right there! If the only genuine prophet in town says “Ahab is a bad guy,” and you already know his history, why would you even consider pressing on with such a bad idea??) This is the Road to Failure!

Red Flag #2 (Potential Results of a bad Choice in Fellowship)

But Micaiah was called in, and ultimately said Ahab would not be coming home alive. (Wow! And you still want in on this? This should have been a second huge red flag. Stop!)

Red Flag #3 (The Hypocrisy of Bad Fellowship.)

But Ahab decided on a bright idea: He would disguise himself as a common soldier, but Jehoshaphat would wear his normal royal robes. (“You put a target on your back, and I will fight incognito!” Honestly, if you can’t see a problem with that, then you must be blind!)

But Jehoshaphat went along with it! (Wow…!)

Prophecy Fulfilled

So, you know the rest of the story. Predictably, the Syrian army went after Jehoshaphat, thinking he was Ahab. In fact, their king had commanded them to only go after Ahab! But Jehoshaphat cried out in terror, and the enemy soldiers somehow realized from his voice that he was not Ahab, so they turned their attention elsewhere. They had no quarrel with him personally. Ultimately, Ahab was hit by a “random” arrow (just another coincidence!) and he bled to death in his chariot.

(By the way, the specific curse on Ahab included the prediction that “where the dogs had licked up the blood of Naboth, whose death by stoning Jezebel had arranged, there the dogs would also lick up the blood of Ahab.” Want to guess where they washed out his chariot after he bled to death in it? Yep. Right where Naboth had died!)

The Rest of the Story

So: Ahab is dead and gone, and Jehoshaphat heads home, just glad to be alive. But the story is not really over: A prophet of God, named Jehu, met Jehoshaphat on the road, with a message from God. The prophet said, “Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord.” The bad choices of Fellowship and Partnership caught up with him!

That is BAD News! “You are in trouble, brother!”

Fortunately, God also allows us to see the good news: “³ Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God.”

Jehoshaphat’s position was still secure in Christ, just as my position and yours are secure in Christ. But God was definitely not pleased! And 2^nd Corinthians 6:13-18 reminds us that God has not changed. He still hates sin, and specifically hates to see us joining together with His enemies, and literally working with unbelievers, against His cause. He can’t have fellowship with us when we are working against Him!

So, What do We do With All of This?

Verses 17 and 18 tell us the answer:

¹⁷ Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. ¹⁸ And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

If you find that you have been partnering (joining in fellowship) with unbelievers in a cause that ultimately will work against God’s values, repent! Knock it off! Turn back, and go do what you are supposed to be doing! That is repentance!

Repentance

This is a “1^st John 1:9” matter, to start out, but then it becomes a lifestyle change, if we hope to bear fruit in our walk with God. Repentance (Greek “metanoia “) means a change of mind.  But “separation” has the same meaning as “sanctification,” which is the same as saying “Be ye holy for I am Holy!” (1^st Peter 1:16) We are “separated unto God, for His purpose!”

So, the command to “come out from among them and be separate” is a call to commit oneself to living for God. Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I but Christ liveth in me, and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who Loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Paul demonstrated the “separated life” by spending every bit of his energy, time and strength in serving the risen Christ. He threw himself completely into his partnership and Fellowship with Jesus.

So, how did Jehoshaphat demonstrate Repentance?

2^nd Chronicles 19:4-7

⁴ And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and he went out again through the people from Beer-sheba to mount Ephraim, and brought them back unto the Lord God of their fathers.

He went back to working WITH God, partnering with HIM, and fellowshipping with Him.

⁵ And he set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city,

⁶ And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the Lord, who is with you in the judgment.

⁷ Wherefore now let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.

Jehoshaphat went home and began mending his fences, so to speak: He traveled around among his people (Judah, Benjamin, and the half tribe of Manasseh.) He functioned as an “evangelist” of sorts: He turned people back to the LORD, the God of Israel, and he restored the judicial system of God in all the cities in his country. He drew others into fellowship with the Living God.

So, What Can We Do?

Well, of course, it varies with every person. But it still always comes down to confessing your sins (1^st John 1:9,) and then seeking God’s face in prayer and in the Word, and asking what He wants you to do next.

“Do the Next Thing” is what walking implies. We can’t coast, or glide. Uphill, downhill, or on the level: Walking still requires “putting one foot in front of the other!” Take the next step! Do the Next Thing!

Will it be easy? No! Emphatically, No! It is not just “difficult:” It is impossible, apart from allowing Jesus himself to use us at His choosing. In John 15, He says that with His empowerment, we can bear much fruit. Without it, we bear none. Give that some thought!

Lord Jesus, teach us to daily seek Your face, seek Your will, and seek Your blessing. Teach us to walk by faith and not by sight. We desire to serve You, and we confess that we are not able, apart from Your intervention and supervision, Your direction, and Your empowerment. Give us Grace to seek You with a clean heart.

How Can We Be “Workers Together With Him?”

© 2026 by C. O. Bishop

2nd Corinthians 6:1-4

Workers together With Jesus! What does that mean? And, How can we be those workers?

¹ We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. ² (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) ³ Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: ⁴ But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,

Introduction:

We are among the recipients of this epistle, though nearly 2000 years removed. We should take this passage personally, not as a theory. Yes, He calls us “workers together with Him.” God also directs us to take the Great Commission personally, as well as most of the epistles. (The few exceptions might include things like a personal greeting to an individual, by name…or similar passages. And such passages still have teaching for us.)

But, in this case, Paul begins to address the question of how we can be workers together with Jesus. In the next several verses, he gives personal testimony as to what it meant to the apostles. But we can apply these four verses directly to every believer. What does it mean to US?

WE, Then, As Workers Together With HIM

Is this the apostle Paul talking? Yes it is! And is the “we,” here, specific to the Apostles? Undoubtedly, yes! But the next three words are his plea. He begs that we follow in their steps, as they follow in the steps of Jesus! The Apostles worked together with Jesus. We are also workers together with Him.

This exactly matches what Paul said in 1^st Corinthians 11:1 “Be ye followers of me as I am of Christ.” How can we even imagine trying to “wiggle out of” such a calling? Our call is precisely the same as that of the apostles, with the exception that, though we are workers, we are not apostles.

But, we definitely are Ambassadors. And, Romans 8:28-30, says that we definitely are among “the called of God.” Workers, together with Him.

“²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰ Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”

Are You Called To Be A Worker With Him?

Most believers like to quote the first half of Romans 8:28. They claiming that “God will work all things together for Good” on their behalf. But that promise is only “to them who are the called, according to His Purpose.” If God hasn’t called you, then He does not offer that promise to you. And, according to the rest of that passage, if you aren’t called…you aren’t born again!

A genuine believer can’ t say, “Well, discipleship isn’t for everyone!” or, “Well, I just don’t feel called!”

Paul suggests that if we do that, and miss the central issue of discipleship, then we have “received the Grace of God in vain.” We have made it a useless and fruitless thing, both for God and for ourselves. That is sad even to consider, and somewhat frightening, as well. If we deny that He calls us Workers together with Him, then we cannot walk with Him, as He works.

In a Time Accepted, In the Day of Salvation

(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured (helped) thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

Jesus died at the right point in time, according to Romans 5:6. “⁶ For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”

God says Jesus died at the correct time in History. Frankly, that is just one more thing that is “over my pay grade.” Why is it that Revelation 13:8 calls Him “the Lamb Slain from the foundation of the Earth?” But we see Him crucified in Jerusalem, nearly 2000 years ago. How can both be true? And which one was the “Right Time?”

1^st Peter 1:18-20 says, “¹⁸ Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; ¹⁹ But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: ²⁰ Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,”? According to that passage the crucifixion was a “done deal,” in God’s perspective, before He created the Earth at all!

How Can These Things Be?

Ephesians 3:8-12 gives us a clue: “⁸ Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; ⁹ And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: ¹⁰ To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, ¹¹ According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: ¹² In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.”

So, God had a plan before He created planet Earth! And, surprisingly, it did not center on people. It centered upon His Righteousness and Wisdom. His Eternal Purpose was, through the Church (that’s us!) to teach the Holy Angels (the ones still in heaven with Him, perhaps) the manifold wisdom of God.

What Had Just Happened in Heaven?

God does not give a precise timeline, but, immediately after God’s creation of the human race, the enemy set about to destroy us all through sin: And a blood sacrifice for sin was provided, right there in the Garden of Eden.

From Adam, through Abraham, to the Thief on the Cross, to the last person who ever chooses to trust in Jesus, we are all saved the same way: By God’s Grace, through Faith in God’s chosen Sacrifice: Jesus, the Messiah!

Judgment had already fallen on the angelic host who rebelled with Satan. But God had also already set up an eternal “object lesson” for the entire heavenly host. (Remember, this is still before the Creation!) His plan was to demonstrate His Own Wisdom through a group of People called the Church.

(Not through Noah, though he demonstrated a great deal about the coming Savior. Not through Abraham, though he was a great man of faith; and not through Israel, though it truly is the Chosen Nation of God. He chose to do it through the Church, which is a “motley mob of mixed-breed mongrels,” whom God has called from among both Jews and Gentiles.

So, What is the Church: The “Called-ones of God? We Are Workers, Too!

In 1^st Corinthians 1:26-31, we see what typifies the calling of God: It is not the best-educated, the ones with greatest physical prowess, nor the rich, etc. It is the common people.

He says, “²⁶ For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

²⁷ But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; ²⁸ And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: ²⁹ That no flesh should glory in his presence.

³⁰ But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: ³¹ That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”

That is the group through whom God has chosen to teach the angels something about HIS Wisdom! That is “our calling!” God says so! We may look like a “bunch of ignorant savages,” compared to the Angelic hosts who watch our progress (and whom God occasionally sends in, to give us a boost!) But He says that is who we really are. God deliberately chooses people with nothing much to offer, through whom to do His best Work.

He chooses, as a group, all those who will confess that they have nothing to offer of their own. He helped us: first by means of the Cross, then by the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and finally by the Indwelling Holy Spirit and the Living Word of God.

And How Does He Want Us to Respond As His Workers?

^“3 Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: ⁴ But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses…”

God tells us that as a general rule, we are to be model citizens: We are not to cause offense…not to give people a cause to stumble, and so to reject the Gospel. Does God ever authorize disobedience to Civil Law? Very seldom!

In general, Civil Law does not go against God’s Law. (Can it do so? Yes, but it seldom actually happens.) It is good to remember that when Romans 13:1-7 told us to be in subjection to the civil authorities, they were living under the “Iron Fist” of Rome. This was not some progressive, nice-smelling, sweet-talking Utopian world-system! That specific Government heavily persecuted the church for three hundred years, but Romans 13:1-7 never changed. Jesus paid taxes, knowing full well that Rome would (at least partially) use it for evil.

When we make trouble, bicker among ourselves, stir up rebellion, or utter railing complaints against politicians, etc., we give cause for unbelievers to despise the Church, and with us, they despise Jesus. He says, “In all things” demonstrate that we are approved as the servants of God.

We are called to endurance in hard times and sufferings, in poverty in some cases. And through distresses of all sorts, we have the opportunity to demonstrate the Grace of God in the Christian Life. These are the kinds of things that demonstrate that we are approved as servants of God. Failing to respond well to those challenges demonstrates the opposite.

Jesus Gave The World The Right To Judge His Workers In Three Areas:

• The Agapé Love among believers, (John 13:34, 35)
• The Unity of the Spirit among believers, (Ephesians 4:3, John 17:21) and
• The general pattern of “good dealings:” Good Works among and through the believers. (Matthew 5:14-16)

These are the criteria Jesus gave the World, by which to Judge the Church. That is why Paul reminds us to “Give no offense!”

What About Today? How Can We Be Workers Together With Him?

We have all known men and women who claim to be believers, some claiming special prominence in the Church, but who consistently deal with other people unkindly, and exhibit self-centered pride, instead of humble submission to a Holy, Righteous, but Merciful God.

The Pharisees claimed to be genuine believers, but were constantly at odds with Jesus, the very God they claimed to serve! He said that He sent the prophets to them down through the years, and those to whom He sent them rejected the Prophets, one and all, killing many of them.

The common people knew the Pharisees were arrogant, and that they were harshly judgmental of the common folk around them. They knew they were hypocrites. And, they could see that Jesus was the “Genuine Article,” where the Service and Character of God was concerned.

People need to be able to see that in our lives as well. Make certain that your relationship with Jesus is actually producing the pure character  and genuine Agapé Love of God in you, not just a man-made piety.

Lord Jesus, raise us up to be workers together with You. Allow us to see the World and the Church through Your Eyes, and not judge by Human Standards.