Headline News
Why I Am A King James Bible Only Christian Has Nothing To Do With The Greek, Hebrew, Or Any Other Movement, Group, Organization Or Individual
This is why I have been King James only for 30 years now, and why I will not ever, by God’s grace, move from that foundation at any point in the future.
Funny thing, though, whenever I picked up an NIV or some other modern translation, it didn’t speak to me, it felt like I was holding a balloon that was rapidly leaking air. I can’t explain that, I only know that’s what happened.
A few weeks ago, we opened up the NTEB Bible Believers Bookstore here in Saint Augustine, and the Lord is blessing us with favor in the community and online as sales remain encouraging and steady. But more than a few people who have visited the store have asked why we don’t sell any other bible or commentary other than the King James. The answer is really quite simple, and I would like to share my thoughts with you on that today.
“Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?” Ecclesiastes 8:4 (KJB)
I didn’t come to be a King James Only Christian because of any one charismatic bible preacher or teacher, and I was not introduced to the Independent Fundamental Baptist movement until years after I was saved. I became a King James Only Christian on March 14th, 1991, because I held that Book in my hands, read it, believed it, and got saved. That Book spoke to me, and God allowed me at once to see that it was the truth. Now, I didn’t know any Christians, no one ‘led me to the Lord’ other than the Holy Spirit, and I had never set foot inside a Christian Church. All I had was God, the King James Bible, and salvation. I was blissfully unaware that the ‘King James Only Controversy’ was even a thing.
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 (KJB)
After getting saved, things happened quickly. I soon found myself in a small, non-IFB Baptist Church, where the pastor was not King James only. But that made no mind to me because I had my bible and no one was going to talk me out of it. Funny thing, though, whenever I picked up an NIV or some other modern translation, it didn’t speak to me, it felt like I was holding a balloon that was rapidly leaking air. I can’t explain that, I only know that’s what happened.
I began to read Christian literature and biographies of great men that God used like DL Moody, Robert Sheffey and others, and what did I find? I found them all to be King James Bible people. I had little to no interest in most of the ones in the 20th century other than people like Clarence Larkin and Peter Ruckman, and when I got to that stage in my journey, it was there I was introduced to the raging battlefield that is the IFB Movement. But following sound advice to ‘eat the meat and spit out the bones’, I soon made substantial progress.
One thing that puzzled me was why nearly all of the ‘brain boys’, the Greek and Hebrew scholars, all seemed to be highly critical of the King James, and nearly all of them defaulted to versions like the NIV, ESV and others. Why would such smart people want a book that, to me, had no power? Good question, we’ll answer that in a bit. One day, I thought it would be fun to compare scripture in the King James with scripture in the NIV, and what I found shocked me.
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King James Version – KJV
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New International Version – NIV
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| Why did Jesus come to earth? | |
| Luke 9:56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.Matt. 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. |
Luke 9:56 and they went to another village.Matt. 18:11 (missing) |
| Is repentance important? | |
| Matt. 9:13 …I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. |
Matt. 9:13 …I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. |
| For whom did Jesus die? | |
| I Cor. 5:7 …Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: |
I Cor. 5:7 …Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. |
| In Whom must you believe to be saved? | |
| John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. |
John 6:47 I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. |
| Was Joseph really the father of Jesus? | |
| Luke 2:33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. |
Luke 2:33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. |
| Did Jesus give His disciples power to heal? | |
| Mark 3:15 …power to heal sickness, and to cast out devils. |
Mark 3:15 …authority to drive out demons. |
| If it’s hard to do, should we just remove it? | |
| Mark 11:26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. |
Mark 11:26 (missing) |
| Who is in charge? | |
| I Cor. 10:28 …for the earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof: |
I Cor. 10:28 (last part of verse missing) |
| How must we deal with our enemies? | |
| Matt. 5:44 …Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. |
Matt. 5:44 …Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. |
| Where did Jesus go? | |
| John 16:16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father. |
John 16:16 In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me. |
| Is it John or the Devil? | |
| Revelation 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. |
Revelation 13:1 The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. |
I don’t know how to explain that, do you? And what you see there is only a few examples, there are hundreds and hundreds more. How could there be such a great discrepancy between the King James and the NIV? Was it done out of ignorance, was it intentional, what was behind it all? Those questions would be answered when I bought my first copy of ‘New Age Bible Versions’, and read the amazing, Holy Spirit-led research done by Gail Riplinger. I highly recommend you get yourself a copy, we happily sell it at the bookstore.
Do you know the one thing that all bible versions over that past 410 years have in common? I bet you don’t. The one thing that all bible version from the King James on forward have in common is that they are all different. Common sense and logic would dictate that things that are different cannot be the same. So if they are all different, which one is the one where God has preserved His word? Since the word of God cannot contradict itself, can you show me where God has preserved His word? I can. Now look at the following verses from Psalm 12 in the King James and in the NIV. The King James gives you a promise that God will preserve His word on earth for all generations, and then the NIV swoops in and erases that promise! See for yourself.
- GOD’S PROMISE TO PRESERVE HIS WORDS IN THE KJB: “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” Psalm 12:6,7 (KJB)
- GOD’S PROMISE TO PRESERVE HIS WORDS REMOVED: “And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold[fn] refined seven times. You, LORD, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked,” Psalm 12: 6,7 (NIV)
If you’re a bible believing Christian who loves the Book, that one example alone should make you fighting mad, does it?? The King James in verse 7 gives you God’s absolute, rock-solid promise to preserve His words throughout every generation, that’s a huge promise! What does the NIV do? It erases it and substitutes it with meaningless nonsense that has nothing to do with preservation of scripture at all. Verse 7 in the NIV is not anything at all like verse 7 in the King James. I’m from New Jersey, we call this a scam, the old ‘bait-and-switch’. Verse 7 in the King James is talking about the preservation of words, verse 7 in the NIV is talking about the preservation of people. Not even remotely close on any level.
This is why I have been King James only for 30 years now, and why I will not ever, by God’s grace, move from that foundation at any point in the future. I hope you have enjoyed this snapshot of my faith in the King James Bible, and who knows, maybe this will become an ongoing series. But let me challenge you today to pick one modern bible where you think God has preserved His words, there can be only one, and defend your choice by comparing it to the King James. If you do it honestly and before the Lord, you will come to the exact same conclusion that I came to.
Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church
- HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page
Please continue to pray for us, and for wisdom for me especially, as we continue taking steps to print the NTEB branded King James Bible for our free Bible and Bibles Behind Bars program. It is exciting and intimidating at the same time. If the Lord has prospered your financially, we ask you to donate to help us continue to send out free Bibles at this level, and even higher than we are at the moment. It takes a lot of prayer, and a lot of resources to do all this. Praise the Lord we are doing it, all of us together, labouring in the Lord’s harvest field. TO THE FIGHT!!!
When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.
But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)
“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB
Headline News
The Children Of The Glory Fellowship Orphanage In Kenya Sleep On Cardboard And Now Operation Africa! Wants To Give Them New Cots And Clean Blankets
Operation Africa! Has Been Given A New Mission To Provide 44 Mattresses And 44 Blankets For The 84 Children At Glory Fellowship Orphanage Sleeping On Cardboard Floors
The children at Glory Fellowship Orphanage in Kenya are sleeping shoulder-to-shoulder on pieces of cardboard spread across a bare concrete floor. There are no mattresses beneath them and no warm blankets covering them on top. That is an actual photo at the top of this article, showing you how these precious children actually go to sleep every night. What if that was your child, would you be happy with that? I say we do something about it.
“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” James 1:27 (KJB)
Through Operation Africa!, the Lord has already allowed us to send more than 1,100 King James Bibles to Kenya, provide them with life-saving medicine, and complete a water well and tanker program at the orphanage. Now God has placed another urgent need directly before us: 84 children need 44 mattresses and 44 blankets. This is not a request for luxury. We are talking about the most basic human necessities, like a comfortable place to lay their heads and a clean blanket to keep them warm through the night. These children should not have to spend another night sleeping on cardboard when, together, we have the power to change their situation. We can’t fix all of Africa, but Lord willing, we can fix this.
The Bible does not tell us merely to feel sorry for the fatherless; it tells us to visit them in their affliction. That means seeing the need, stepping into the need and doing something about it. Through Operation Africa!, God has brought these children into our lives and given us an opportunity to put our faith into action. Let’s get every one of these 84 children off the floor, put a clean mattress beneath them and place a warm blanket over top of them. The children will sleep two-to-a-bed. The cots are $45 each, the blankets are $30 each, and we need 44 of both. Altogether that comes to $3,300, a very reasonable price to pay to put all 84 children into the type of sleeping arrangements you would want for your precious children. All of us together should easily be able to do this, pray for this outreach, and come help us!!
- HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page
If God has prospered you, please take a moment to click on the donate button to help us in this overwhelmingly urgent task of providing the children of Glory Fellowship Orphange with medicine and clean drinking water. We need your prayers, we need your generous financial support, and we need you to stand with us in the closing days of the Church Age. Thank you so very much, TO THE FIGHT!!!
NOTE: If you need a 501 C3 Letter of Donation for tax purposes, please send your donation to:
NTEB Ministries
1340 N Great Neck Rd.
Ste. 1272-129
Virginia Beach, VA 23454.
Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church
- HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page
When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.
But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)
“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB
Headline News
THE BIBLE BELIEVERS SUNDAY SERVICE: I Quit
I Quit: When God’s Mightiest Servants Reached Their Breaking Point, Lost Their Courage And Discovered That Their Calling Was Stronger Than Their Discouragement
“I Quit” are two words that nearly every servant of God will be tempted to say at some point in the ministry. The Bible does not airbrush its heroes or pretend that men of faith never collapse beneath the burden. Jeremiah decided to stop preaching, Peter returned to his fishing boat, Elijah asked God to let him die, John the Baptist questioned Christ from prison, Moses could no longer carry the people, David became convinced that Saul would eventually kill him, and Paul despaired even of life. These were not weak men playing at ministry; they were mighty servants who discovered that calling does not make the flesh indestructible. The difference was not that they never reached the breaking point—it was that God met them there and refused to allow their darkest moment to become the final chapter. Christian, do you feel like quitting today? This message is for you.
“O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.” Jeremiah 20:7 (KJB)
The Bible Believers Sunday Service: I Quit
I Quit
“For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;” 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 (KJB)
God’s calling does not make His servants immune to exhaustion, fear, disappointment, loneliness, or doubt. God sometimes allows His servants to reach the end of their own strength so they will learn to trust “in God which raiseth the dead.”
MAIN POINT: The breaking point does not have to become the quitting point.
Dispensational Note: Jeremiah and Elijah ministered to Israel under the law and the prophetic program. John the Baptist and Peter ministered in connection with Israel, Messiah, and the kingdom. Paul is our apostle and doctrinal pattern for the present Church Age. These men did not occupy the same dispensational position, but the spiritual principle remains: God’s servants are weak, but God remains faithful.
I. Jeremiah: When Faithful Preaching Brings Reproach
“O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me. For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the LORD was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily. Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.” Jeremiah 20:7-9 (KJB)
A. Jeremiah was faithful, but faithfulness did not protect him from discouragement
Jeremiah preached exactly what God told him to preach. Instead of producing repentance, his preaching produced mockery, opposition, persecution, and reproach. His discouragement was not caused by disobedience. It came while he was faithfully carrying out his calling.
B. Jeremiah allowed his circumstances to distort his perception
When Jeremiah accused the LORD of deceiving him, he was speaking out of anguish, not giving a doctrinal statement about God’s character. God had already warned Jeremiah that the people would fight against him. Jeremiah had not been deceived; he had become overwhelmed by the cost of obeying God.
C. Jeremiah attempted to resign
Jeremiah said:
- “I will not make mention of him.”
- I will not “speak any more in his name.”
- I am finished preaching.
- I will remain silent.
D. The Word would not release the prophet
Jeremiah could close his mouth, but he could not extinguish the Word burning inside him. The pain of holding back the message became greater than the pain of delivering it. Jeremiah tried to silence the message, but the message would not release the messenger.
II. Peter: When Personal Failure Makes You Go Backward
“Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.” John 21:3 (KJB)
A. Peter had once appeared fearless
Peter had promised to follow Jesus even unto death. But when confronted during the Lord’s trial, Peter denied Christ three times. His confidence in himself was shattered. That’s a great starting point for the Christian, to have your self-confidence broken. You must decrease, He must increase.
B. Peter returned to something familiar
Peter did not formally say, “I quit.” Nevertheless, his actions indicate retreat. Not knowing what place remained for him, Peter returned to the occupation he had known before Jesus called him.
He could return to the boat, but he could not return to his old life as though Christ had never called him.
C. Peter’s retreat influenced other people
When Peter said, “I go a fishing,” the others answered, “We also go with thee.”
A discouraged leader rarely retreats alone. Other people are watching, and they may follow him into his withdrawal.
D. The Lord allowed Peter’s nets to remain empty
Peter had years of fishing experience, but “that night they caught nothing.” The empty nets demonstrated that Peter could accomplish nothing independently of Christ. Jesus already had fish and bread waiting on the shore. Christ did not need Peter’s catch; Peter needed Christ’s provision.
E. Christ restored Peter through love and recommissioning
“So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.” John 21:15 (KJB)
“He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.” John 21:16,17 (KJB)
Jesus did not ask Peter whether he still felt brave. Peter’s self-confidence was gone. The question was, “Lovest thou me?”
Peter’s restoration was followed by a renewed commission:
- “Feed my lambs.”
- “Feed my sheep.”
- “Follow me.”
Teaching Truth: Failure said, “Go back.” Jesus Christ said, “Follow me.”
III. Elijah: When Exhaustion Follows a Great Victory
“But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.” 1 Kings 19:4 (KJB)
A. Elijah’s collapse came immediately after his Mount Carmel victory
Elijah had confronted 450 prophets of Baal. God had answered by fire. The people had confessed that the LORD was God.
Then one threat from Jezebel sent Elijah running.
- Yesterday, Elijah faced 450 prophets.
- Today, he was afraid of one woman.
- Yesterday, he prayed for fire to fall.
- Today, he prayed for his life to end.
- Yesterday, he stood before a nation.
- Today, he sat alone beneath a tree.
B. Great victories can be followed by dangerous emotional lows
Spiritual victory does not make the flesh indestructible. Elijah had expended tremendous physical, emotional, and spiritual energy. When the excitement ended, exhaustion, disappointment, fear, and isolation descended upon him.
C. God addressed Elijah’s physical exhaustion
“And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.” 1 Kings 19:5-8 (KJB)
God did not begin by rebuking Elijah. He allowed him to sleep, provided food and water, and allowed him to sleep again. Sometimes a servant does not immediately need another sermon. He needs rest, nourishment, and time in the presence of God.
D. Discouragement distorted Elijah’s perception
“And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” 1 Kings 19:10 (KJB)
Elijah felt alone, so he concluded that he was alone. But feelings are not facts.
“Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.” 1 Kings 19:18 (KJB)
Elijah saw no one. God saw seven thousand.
E. God restored Elijah in five ways
God gave Elijah:
- Rest for his body.
- Food for his strength.
- Truth for his distorted perspective.
- Work for his prophetic calling.
- Elisha for companionship.
MAIN POINT: Elijah’s juniper tree was a terrible moment, but it was not the conclusion of his ministry.
IV. John the Baptist: When Circumstances Contradict Expectations
“And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” Matthew 11:1-6 (KJB)
A. John had been a mighty and fearless preacher
John had publicly identified Jesus Christ:
“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29 (KJB)
John had seen the Spirit descend upon Christ. He had identified Jesus as the Son of God. Yet confinement, uncertainty, and approaching death brought him to a moment of doubt.
B. John struggled to reconcile his circumstances with his preaching
John had announced:
- The coming King.
- The approaching kingdom.
- The axe laid to the root.
- The fan in Christ’s hand.
- The coming judgment by fire.
Yet Herod remained on the throne, and John remained in prison. The King had come, but John was still bound. Other people were receiving deliverance, but John’s prison door remained shut.
C. John did not understand the interval between the Advents
John belonged to Israel’s prophetic and kingdom program. He saw the prophecies concerning Messiah’s coming, His kingdom, and His judgment, but he did not yet understand the gap between the First and Second Advents or the still-unrevealed mystery of the Church Age.
The prophetic timetable was unfolding differently than John expected.
D. John took his question to the right Person
John did not send his disciples to Herod, the Pharisees, or public opinion. He sent them directly to Jesus Christ.
Faith is not the absence of painful questions. Faith takes those questions to the right Person.
E. Jesus answered John with scriptural evidence
“Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” Matthew 11:4-6 (KJB)
Jesus did not explain every detail or promise that John would be released. He directed John back to the evidence of fulfilled Scripture.
The answer was essentially: Do not judge who I am by the bars surrounding you. Judge who I am by the Word of God.
F. Jesus did not define John by his weakest moment
“Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Matthew 11:11 (KJB)
John was questioning Jesus, but Jesus was not questioning John’s faithfulness. Christ knew the difference between hardened unbelief and a faithful servant suffering through a dark hour.
MAIN POINT: John’s question did not erase his calling, his courage, or his entire ministry.
V. Moses: When the Burden Becomes Too Heavy
“I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.” Numbers 11:14,15 (KJB)
A. Moses became overwhelmed by responsibility
Moses was attempting to carry the burden of the entire nation. The work truly was too heavy for one man.
B. Moses saw death as his only escape
Overwhelming pressure can narrow a person’s thinking until he can no longer see any solution except escape.
C. God provided shared responsibility
God instructed Moses to gather seventy elders. The LORD did not remove Moses from his calling; He provided other men to help carry the burden.
MAIN POINT: Sometimes the answer is not quitting the work but sharing the weight.
VI. David: When Fear Becomes Greater Than the Promise
“And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.” 1 Samuel 27:1 (KJB)
A. God had promised David the throne
Saul could not kill David without overthrowing the promise and purpose of God.
B. David listened to his heart instead of God’s promise
The verse begins, “David said in his heart.” David looked at Saul’s repeated attacks and concluded, “I shall now perish.” His circumstances appeared more powerful than God’s Word.
C. Discouragement drove David into enemy territory
When a servant stops resting in God’s promises, the world begins to look like a place of safety. David fled into the land of the Philistines because fear told him there was “nothing better.”
MAIN POINT: Discouragement causes us to calculate the future without including the faithfulness of God.
VII. Paul: When a Church-Age Servant Reaches the End of His Strength
“For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:” 2 Corinthians But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:” 2 Corinthians 1:8,9 (KJB)
A. Paul was pressed beyond his natural ability
Paul did not say that God would never allow something beyond human strength. He said that he was “pressed out of measure, above strength.” The pressure exceeded Paul’s natural ability to endure it.
B. Paul “despaired even of life”
This was not an immature believer. This was the apostle to the Gentiles. Yet he reached a place where death appeared certain.
C. God was destroying Paul’s self-reliance
The purpose is stated plainly:
“But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:” 2 Corinthians 1:9 (KJB)
God brought Paul to the end of himself so that Paul would place his complete confidence in the God of resurrection.
D. Paul also experienced abandonment
“At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.” 2 Timothy 4:16,17 (KJB)
Every human companion may leave, but the Lord remains.
MAIN POINT: When no man stood with Paul, the Lord stood with him. As it turned out, that was all he needed.
Spiritual Application
- Recognize the Different Causes of Discouragement
These servants became discouraged for different reasons:
- Jeremiah: mockery and rejection.
- Peter: personal failure and shame.
- Elijah: exhaustion, fear, and isolation.
- John: confinement and unmet expectations.
- Moses: overwhelming responsibility.
- David: prolonged persecution and fear.
- Paul: suffering, pressure, and abandonment.
The cause may differ, but the temptation is the same: stop, retreat, isolate yourself, or abandon the calling.
- Do Not Make Permanent Decisions During Temporary Collapse
Jeremiah decided never to preach again.
Peter decided to return to fishing.
Elijah asked to die.
David fled into enemy territory.
None of them was seeing clearly at that moment. Exhaustion, fear, humiliation, and loneliness are terrible counselors. Do not make a permanent decision while standing inside a temporary storm.
- Distinguish Between Rest and Retreat
Elijah needed sleep and food. Moses needed help carrying the burden. Peter needed restoration. John needed reassurance from Scripture. Rest is not quitting. Receiving help is not weakness. Stepping back long enough to regain strength is not the same as abandoning God’s calling.
- Do Not Turn Feelings Into Facts
Elijah felt alone, but seven thousand remained.
David felt certain that Saul would kill him, but God had promised him the throne.
John felt confused by the prison, but Jesus was still the Messiah.
Peter felt finished, but Christ still intended to use him.
Feelings are real, but they are not always reliable.
- Return to the Word of God
Jeremiah had the Word burning inside him.
Jesus directed John to the scriptural evidence.
David needed to remember God’s promise.
Paul learned to trust the God who raises the dead.
Discouragement grows when circumstances interpret the Bible. Faith returns when the Bible interprets the circumstances.
- Take Your Questions Directly to God
Jeremiah poured out his complaint before the LORD.
Elijah spoke honestly to God.
Moses cried unto the LORD.
John sent his question directly to Jesus.
God already knows the condition of the heart. Honest anguish brought into His presence is better than silent bitterness carried away from Him.
- Accept God’s Provision
God may provide:
- Rest, as He did for Elijah.
- Help, as He did for Moses.
- Correction, as He did for David.
- Scriptural reassurance, as He did for John.
- Restoration, as He did for Peter.
- Strength in loneliness, as He did for Paul.
- Renewed fire for the message, as He did for Jeremiah.
Do not reject the form in which God sends His help. He knows best, let HIM do it.
- Remember That Your Retreat Can Affect Others
When Peter said, “I go a fishing,” others followed. Leaders must remember that their responses to discouragement can influence families, churches, ministries, and younger believers. This does not mean pretending to be invincible. It means taking weakness to God before that weakness becomes a path others begin following.
- Do Not Define a Servant by His Weakest Moment
Jeremiah was more than his complaint.
Peter was more than his denial.
Elijah was more than his juniper tree.
John was more than his prison question.
Moses was more than his frustration.
David was more than his fearful retreat.
Paul was more than the moment when he despaired even of life.
God recorded their weakness, but He did not allow their weakness to write the final chapter.
- Understand What God Is Accomplishing
“But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:” 2 Corinthians 1:9 (KJB)
The ultimate purpose is the destruction of self-confidence. God does not need invincible men. There are none. He uses weak men who have learned that His grace, His Word, and His strength are sufficient.
Closing Challenge
Jeremiah tried to silence the message, but the Word burned within him.
Peter tried to return to fishing, but Jesus stood on the shore.
Elijah asked to die, but God fed him and sent him back.
John questioned Christ, but Christ answered him with the Word.
Moses wanted to escape the burden, but God sent men to help him.
David feared he would perish, but God’s promise remained unchanged.
Paul despaired even of life, but the Lord stood with him.
The common thread is not the strength of these men. The common thread is the faithfulness of their God.
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9 (KJB)
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 (KJB)
Final Questions
- Are you interpreting God through your circumstances, or your circumstances through the Word of God?
- Are you calling yourself alone when God still has seven thousand?
- Are you returning to old nets because of one terrible failure?
- Are you making permanent decisions while physically and emotionally exhausted?
- Are you looking at prison bars instead of the works of Christ?
- Are you trying to carry a burden God never intended you to carry alone?
- Are you trusting in yourself, or “in God which raiseth the dead”?
Final Challenge: Do not quit in the dark what God called you to do in the light. Rest if you must. Receive help when it is offered. Pour out your heart before the Lord. Return to the Word. Then arise, go back to the work, and continue in the strength which God supplies.
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38,39 (KJB)
Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church
- HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page
When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.
But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)
“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB
Free Bible Program
Life At The Crossroads: Bibles Behind Bars Is Bringing King James Bibles And The Gospel Of Jesus Christ To Men Living Inside A Maximum-Security Missouri Prison
At Crossroads Correctional Center In Missouri, Bibles Behind Bars Is Putting The Preserved Word Of God Into The Hands Of Men Who Need Truth And Hope Before It Is Too Late
Crossroads Correctional Center is not an abandoned relic from Missouri’s prison history; it is once again an active maximum and medium-security institution housing roughly 1,250 men behind concrete, steel, electrified barriers and coils of razor wire. Closed in 2019 and reopened in 2022, the facility stands as a grim monument to the consequences of choices made, laws broken and lives forever altered. From the air it resembles a cold, mechanical wheel, with cellblocks radiating outward from central corridors and every road ultimately ending at another locked gate. For the men living inside, however, this is not some trivial architectural curiosity or bland government statistic—it is daily life at the Crossroads.
“The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.” Psalms 68:11 (KJB)
There is something hauntingly appropriate about that name, Crossroads, because every man inside that prison has arrived at a crossroads far greater than the one that brought him before a judge. The State of Missouri can confine a man’s body, regulate his movements and determine the hour when his cell door opens, but it cannot prevent the word of God from reaching his heart. This is why the work of Bibles Behind Bars is so necessary and needed, placing the preserved word of God into the hands of prisoners who desperately need truth, hope and the gospel of the grace of God. These men do not need another watered-down paraphrase, religious pamphlet or empty program, they need a King James Bible they can open, read and believe. Some will leave Crossroads through the front gate, while others may never leave at all, but the blood of Jesus Christ can save any sinner who believes. No man is beyond the reach of God’s grace, and no prison wall is thick enough to stop his preserved word. Chaplain Matt at Crossroads wrote to us and said “We have had an influx of inmates hungry for the Word of God and they have been asking for Bibles in mass requests and we about out of Bibles and would appreciate a donation for as many as you can give!” There it is, waist-high and over the plate, let’s hit this thing out of the park.
In addition to Crossroads, we also have pending requests for Bibles from:
- Orange County Department of Corrections – FL
- Torrance County Detention Facility – CA
- Macon County Sheriff’s Office – IL
- One Bible requested by Mom Nancy for her son in Bay County Jail, Panama City – FL
Christian, the only way this works is if you will lift this ministry up in prayer as often as the Lord brings it to your mind and heart. The only way this works is if you will go above and beyond to help us with this “great commission” the LORD has given us. Come help us, we need you!!
- HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page
If God has prospered you, please take a moment to click on the donate button to help us in this monumental task of providing King James Bibles, New Testaments, scripture portions, gospel tracts as well as Spanish Bibles to inmates in jails and prisons from Florida to Alaska, and every state in between. We need your prayers, we need your generous financial support, and we need you to stand with us in the closing days of the Church Age. Thank you so very much, TO THE FIGHT!!!
NOTE: If you need a 501 C3 Letter of Donation for tax purposes, please send your donation to:
NTEB Ministries
1340 N Great Neck Rd.
Ste. 1272-129
Virginia Beach, VA 23454.
Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church
- HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page
When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.
But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)
“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB
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