Get in the Wheelbarrow!
A stranger showed up one day and nobody seemed to know exactly where he had come from. He was scrutinized carefully by the regulars but not much could be made of him until one day he began to go about an tell people that he intended to stretch a cable across the Grand Canyon and walk all the way across to the other side. Needless to say, he was met with jeers and hoots and all sorts of cynical remarks of derision. This went on for quite some time until one day, after being ridiculed by pretty much the least to the greatest, one of the guys came skidding into town yelling, Hey, listen to this! There is a cable stretched all the way across the Grand Canyon and theres a crowd there!
Sure enough, word had got out and television sound trucks were everywhere, photographers were falling over each other and reporters were interviewing everybody, including each other. A large crowd had gathered at the scene........and the stranger was there too. Without much ado, he hopped up onto what appeared to be a large concrete footing of some sort, securely anchored into the ground. While cameramen jostled to get a good shot and microphones dangled everywhere, he turned to the group standing nearby and said, Do you believe I can walk this cable all the way to the other side? The jeers, catcalls and laughter was thunderous and reporters grinned at each other, positive that they would have a sensational story of some guy plunging to his death in the abyss below.
But, lo and behold, the stranger took a few steps out onto the cable, turned and looked back at the crowd, and without hesitation walked all the way to the other side! Zoom lenses on the cameras followed him as he reached the other side, stepped off the cable and waved back at the crowd. And then, he leaped back onto the cable! He walked all the way back with the same steady, sure footsteps and standing directly in front of the large crowd he said, Now do you believe I can walk all the way across? The cheering and applause was thunderous!
And then, of all things, he pulled a wheelbarrow up onto the cable. He turned to the crowd and said, Do you believe I can walk all the way across......and push this wheelbarrow in front of me? Once again jeers, sneers and catcalls........which momentarily turned to gasps of disbelief as the crowd watched him steadily and surely pushing the wheelbarrow further and further away.......all the way to the other side. As he turned and started back, once again he was a hero of sorts and the crowd broke out into wild cheering and applause.
As the stranger rolled the wheelbarrow off the cable onto the secure concrete pillar his piercing eyes met the eyes of a man standing nearby. He said, Do you believe I can walk all the way across? Yes, Yes, Yes, the spectator exclaimed. Do you believe I can walk all the way across and push this wheelbarrow across in front of me? Once again the man exclaimed, Of course, of course, I just watched as you did it! There was a long pause as their eyes remained fixed on each other and then the stranger said, Get in the wheelbarrow.
How long, will we as professing Christians, follow the religious system of the world? What will it take to get us to really understand the truth of the Gospel of Christ? That Christ died for our sins, all of them? What will it take to make us realize that no matter how hard we try we just cannot attain unto the righteousness of God and that we need a Saviour? WHEN WILL WE STOP TRYING AND START TRUSTING? Confusion in religion today, results from people failing to see the difference between the preaching of Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of prophecy and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery given to the Apostle Paul, the Apostle to the Church, the Body of Christ.
Peter, in Acts Two, Three, Four and Five and so forth, preached the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul in Romans through Philemon also preaches the resurrection of Jesus Christ, BUT THERE IS A DIFFERENCE IN THE PREACHING. Peter in Acts preaches that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead to one day return and sit upon the throne of David and rule over the whole house of Israel in an earthly kingdom. Paul, however, preaches that the hope of the calling of the church, The body of Christ is Heavenly. It is Paul who says that our citizenship is in Heaven, and that Christ died for our sins and was raised for our justification, God having forgiven us ALL TRESPASSES!
Not so with Peter. Peter teaches them in the book of Acts to observe all things whatsoever the Lord had commanded them, as in Matthew 28, verses 19 and 20. Peter teaches them about the tribulation and about selling all that they own .taking no thought of what they will eat or what they will wear ..to love not their lives unto death ..to endure unto the end, as in Acts Three, verses 19-21 until the second coming of the Lord .the time for the DAY OF ATONEMENT FOR ISRAEL and the time when their sins will be blotted out.
Paul warns us not to be ignorant of this mystery in Romans 11:25. The fact that there is a time coming in the future when ALL ISRAEL SHALL BE SAVED. But, that Kingdom program was put on hold for the forming of a new body of believers called The Church, the Body of Christ. And what was true for those in Acts Two is not true for a believer today! While the Lord told them to endure unto the end and to love not their lives unto death He did not leave them without the comfort and ALSO THE POWER to do just that. Those people had an anointing, an unction and a power that is not given to us today .in spite of hocus pocus and false teachers on television and around the world. Why dont we have such power? Because we DONT NEED IT. Every thing that needed to be done and that will be done for us in this present age has already been done.
The salvation of the little flock in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and those in the early part of Acts those Peter called the holy nation, royal priesthood, peculiar people in I Peter 2:9 IS FOR A DIFFERENT PURPOSE AND IN A DIFFERENT PLACE than those today who are saved by grace alone through faith alone in the finished work of Christ. In this present dispensation of the grace of God, the only way any person can come to God, that is, be saved, is by grace through faith. Paul says, in Ephesians 2:8:
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: and he goes on to say, in the next verse that it is:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Most of the religious system teaches that you can somehow gain favor with God by good works. Those who teach that a believer can LOSE HIS SALVATION also invariably teach that you can GAIN YOUR SALVATION by good works Their problem is, that what was true for one group of people ..for one purpose .is not true of another group of people .for an entirely different purpose. Peter preached a different purpose of the resurrection of Jesus Christ than Paul did.
Look at the following Comparisons
THIS:
(Mat 6:14 KJV) For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
(Mat 6:15 KJV) But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
WITH THIS:
(Col 2:10 KJV) And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
(Col 2:11 KJV) In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
(Col 2:12 KJV) Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
(Col 2:13 KJV) And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
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THIS;
(Mat 19:16 KJV) And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
(Mat 19:17 KJV) And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
WITH THIS;
(Col 1:12 KJV) Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
(Gal 5:4 KJV) Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
(1 Cor 15:3 KJV) For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
(1 Cor 15:4 KJV) And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
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THIS;
(Acts 10:34 KJV) Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
(Acts 10:35 KJV) But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
WITH THIS:
(Titus 3:4 KJV) But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
(Titus 3:5 KJV) Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
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AND FINALLY:
(Rom 11:6 KJV) And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
Just comparing the verses clearly shows that things are different and that things that are different are not the same. It shows that you cannot do both at the same time. It shows that you cannot do what Peter said to Cornelius, work righteousness to be accepted of God while at the same time do what Paul said and not work righteousness. YOU CANNOT have it both ways .so which way is it?
What we need to do is heed the instructions given to us and study to show ourselves approved as in II Timothy 2:15 by approving things that are excellent as in Phillipians 1:10 It is clear that you cannot follow Peter and the doctrine given to the nation of Israel, even if religion says you should, .because THAT PROGRAM has been set aside for a reason and a season. It is because God chose, before the foundation of the world, to conceal a mystery and tell no one about it, not even Peter, James and John, until he told it to Paul and Paul revealed it to the church, the body of Christ. The mystery that Peter didnt know, that Christ died for our sins, that he was buried and that he rose again the third day. That is the LIVING PROOF that God in his great love and mercy toward us, has (Collosians 2:13) FORGIVEN US ALL TRESPASSES!
Religion is not necessary for salvation. Joining a church is not necessary for salvation. Praying through, walking the aisle, saying a sinners prayer, asking Jesus to come into your desparately wicked above all things heart (Jeremiah 17:9), shaking the preachers hand, or any other thing is necessary for salvation. Trusting in the Lord is! Believing ON the Lord Jesus Christ is trusting the Lord and what he did for you .not what you are doing for Him. Trust the Lord. Get in the wheelbarrow!
By J. Brackin
however.
