“Committed to the Absolute Truth of the Word of God”

Friend of the Family is a newsletter that is published quarterly by Biblical Family Ministries.  You will find articles on the family and other topics, as well as prayer requests and praises.  We hope you enjoy reading our latest edition of Friend of the Family!

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How quickly the year 2011 has gone! People always say to me, “the older you get, the faster time goes.” Tis true!                                             

What a blessing to be alive to face a new year; a new beginning! I was so blessed to be able to praise the Lord for my daddy’s first Christmas in heaven. I miss him, as well as all those who are rejoicing in heaven with him, but I am thankful for the knowledge from God’s Word that we will see them all again one day.

Family becomes so very important as the years roll on. We are so burdened for all our family, extended family, friends, neighbors and all mankind. They are what we can take to heaven with us, if they accept the precious gift of salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ died on that cross of Calvary in our place. He took our sin on Himself and suffered such agony, so that we might, by believing on His name, be saved for all eternity. That is the only reason He came to earth as a baby in Bethlehem – to die on that cross for you and for me! Only one problem! We must ask for His forgiveness for our sins and believe that He died for us and ACCEPT HIS GIFT OF SALVATION. So simple, but so many will not believe. It is all so plain in God’s Word, why won’t people trust His Word, not a church, God’s Word.

Well, once again, my prayer for 2012 is to be a witness by word and deed to all around us. We are praying for a harvest of souls this year – surely our time is running out to be able to openly proclaim God’s truth. He may come this year and take all those who have been born again to heaven. Won’t you join me in searching for souls for our Savior?

Last time in this column we pointed out that the Apostle Paul lived his life in anticipation and expectation of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, in his own time. In verse 15 of I Thessalonians 4, when speaking of the return of Christ, he wrote, “...we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.  As we suggested, Paul was waiting for Christ.

In verse 16 of chapter 4, Paul tells of the Lord himself descending from heaven.  It will happen, “with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God ...”At that point the dead in Christ shall rise first. This refers to their resurrection from the dead. Then comes the rapture. The text says, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up (raptured) with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air...”What a day that will be!

When we move to I Thessalonians chapter 5 a sharp contrast is drawn. Paul talks about the “day of the Lord.”(5:2). He refers to that day as a time when men will profess to be living in peace and safety, but then will come sudden destruction, from which there will be no escape. He refers to it in verse 9 as wrath.  In Isaiah 9: 11-13 the Old Testament prophet describes the day of the Lord. He writes, Behold the day of the Lord cometh cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

The question we are dealing with is this: will the church be here for the day of the Lord or will the Lord deliver us from that day, by the rapture? Was Paul waiting for the day of the Lord, or was he waiting for the Lord himself?

                                     There are a good number of verses in the Bible that are specifically written about dads. The most sobering ones to me are those that present the role of fathers as parallel to the role of our heavenly Father. Psalm 103:8-14 is a standout passage. I am taking the space to quote it. “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not chide: neither will he keep his anger forever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; not rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.”

This text teaches us about the LORD, but a great part of the lesson to be learned is based on how fathers treat their children. In essence God tells us that if we want to learn about him, who we cannot see; we can learn by observing fathers, who we can see. Let that sink in.

I have long believed and taught that when a young person rejects God, it is usually because he has first rejected his own father. Children form opinions about God based on how their dads treat them. That is why some dads need to change their ways.

Consider the message of verses 13 & 14 which we put in bold print. We are being taught about the pity/compassion that the LORD has for them that fear him. That compassion is based on the LORD’S understanding of our frame. We are formed of the dust and carry with us the inherent weakness of a sinful soul. He understands far better than we; that the spirit may be willing to reject temptation, but the flesh is weak. Our heavenly father maintains the truth in perfect balance. He holds high the standards of righteousness, but is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy”. We see that balance expressed in verse 17 of the same psalm. “But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children.” These aspects of God’s character are to be taught to children through the life of a father. Oh that dad’s would see this truth and grasp its significance. It is not verbal instruction that makes the difference. Dads must care enough to handle parental obligations with these things in mind. He must hold high standards for his children, but understand their struggles as they move through life and face its challenges. Being a great dad is no easy task, but it is a must! More next time, on being a successful dad.

                               In our last article we began to talk about love. Real love is the foundation for building and maintaining a lasting relationship. However, the word is thrown around in conversation with little understanding of what it means and how it works. As we pointed out, love can be defined in the realm of the physical, the emotional and the spiritual. There are some valid aspects to all three, but you cannot build a relationship on the physical and the emotional. So, what is spiritual love? By spiritual love, we mean a love that will work properly and will endure all the tests it may face, because it is produced by the Spirit of God. It is not a substitute for the physical and emotional. They are very beneficial and very meaningful in our family relationships, but they are inherently weak, because they are dependent on mere human will and strength. The Spirit of God will work to curb human selfishness, but left to our own devices we will tend to function in total self interest, both physically and emotionally. Love produced by the Holy Spirit is devoid of self and the self centeredness that gets in the way of strong family ties. It is this kind of love that God requires of us toward Him, Matthew 22:37, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind; toward others including family, Matthew 7:39, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself; and especially from a man toward his wife, Ephesians 5:25, Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.  

So what is this love and how does it work? The first concept to grasp about this love is related to placing value on another person or object. How much value do you place on your spouse, your children, your parents or other family members? How much do they really mean to you? As a Christian, I would expect you to say you place greater value on God than on any human being. If you are married, I would expect you to say you place greater value on your spouse than on any other person. If you have children I would expect them to be next on the list equally. Then I would ask, “How do you demonstrate their value to you?” Strong feelings of love will not suffice. It will take more than feelings and more than tender words to prove your love. More next time.

  *On the website you can now view the itinerary for our April 1-11, 2013 tour to Israel. Prices, brochures and reservation forms will be available in May. Mark your calendar now!  

If you or someone you know is called of God to serve in full time ministry, we hope you will consider Keystone School of Biblical Theology. With many colleges and seminaries changing their views on doctrine and standards, Dr. Griffith is pleased to serve on the founding committee of this new institution. KSBT is scheduled to open its doors in September 2013. Visit the website just being developed at:

               www.ksbt-PA.org

India Invitation - September

My son Craig and I have been invited to preach a conference in India in September. We do not know costs at this time, but ask you to pray with us and for us. We will need to raise the funds to go and we long to be used for God’s glory.