Contending for the Faith

By Dr. Brian J. Bailey

Sadly, in this modern age countless people have fallen into the deception of thinking there are many roads to heaven. In reality, the Lord Jesus Christ alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man comes to the Father but by Him. Dr. Bailey has sought to enable us to victoriously contend for our faith by proving the infallible glorious truth of Holy Scriptures with Scripture itself. This anointed book will place such a burning desire in your heart to study the Truth, and be so well-grounded in it, that you will stand strong in the faith, even in these last days. Know the Truth, and then lead others to know the Truth that they too might have life, and life everlasting. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zion Christian Publishers
• Release date: Aug 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781596651517

Book preview

God.

PREFACE

In examining many other religions in this world, I have found that most recognise Jesus Christ as a good man or as a prophet. The difference between Christianity and all other religions is that we recognise Him as the Son of God and the Saviour of the world.

Thus the key to discussing our faith with others centres on the fact that we need to convince others of the deity of Jesus of Nazareth, and then lead them to accept Him as their own personal Saviour. To this end is this little book written. It is the very same reason John wrote his gospel,…that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, ye might have life through his name (Jn. 20:31).

INTRODUCTION

Vision

Contending for the Faith was birthed by a vision of the End Times where I saw a young Christian woman verbally enticed by other women who were of the Muslim persuasion to apostatise and convert to Islam. So strong was the spirit emanating from this group of women (who appeared to be Persian) that this girl in the vision was overcome with their arguments. Sadly, she did indeed deny the Christian way of life, and became a Muslim.

Was this just an isolated vision? No, afterwards I was informed by others that they too have had similar spiritual warnings always directed towards women. It was a vision that was confirmed again and again.

Regretfully, I have met notable Christian leaders with tragic tales to tell of women missionaries in Islamic nations who have even divorced their husbands to become converts to Islam. To bring it even closer to home, a girl whom I had personally dedicated soon after her birth, in later years, left her husband and followed an Arab of Islamic persuasion to live with him.

After these experiences, the burden to write this book became so intense. The purpose of this book is that in reading it, Christians will realise that the Bible is God’s Book and that the Lord Jesus Christ alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that no man comes to the Father but by Him. He is the Door, and if any man enters in, he shall be saved. Except a man be born again (which occurs when one asks the Lord to come into his heart), he cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven.

Therefore, I solemnly plead with you, dear reader, not to neglect the reading of His Word. Furthermore, I exhort you to encourage others to so do. I urge you to pass this book on to others, with the hope that it will also prove to be a blessing to them, and keep them on the straight and narrow path of the just until the very end.

This book shows us how to contend with others for the Faith that was once delivered to the saints and by which and for which they have fought a good fight, turning many into the paths of righteousness. May you, too, be a valiant soldier of Christ, putting the enemy to flight, prying many from Satan’s deceiving ways and subtle ruses.

One must never forget when presenting the Gospel of the Lordship of Christ that we cannot convince people without the action of the Holy Spirit. It is He who convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment (Jn. 16:8). The Holy Spirit guides into all truth and glorifies Jesus. Therefore, we must not strive, but be gentle unto all men, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves, for we are our own worst enemy (2 Tim. 2:24-25).

It is God who gives repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, for it is the wicked works that a man has committed that alienate his mind from the truth (Col. 1:21). Therefore, God’s gift of repentance is essential to understanding the Gospel of Truth.

We can only know who Jesus is by revelation. This is clearly shown by the Lord Himself when He asked His disciples, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven (Mt. 16:13-17).

All religions that deny the deity of Christ are not of God. Moreover their followers are deluded and are walking in darkness. They are controlled by evil spirits and are without hope. All that they do is in vain, for they teach the traditions of men.

Let us make it very clear; Jesus said in John 14:6, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. There is but one way to enter heaven’s gates of splendour, and that is by the way of Jesus. The Apostle Peter stated plainly in Acts 4:12, Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Specifically, we are told in Jeremiah 10:2 that we are not to learn the ways of the heathen. Learning the tenets of other religions is not helpful; it is actually dangerous to the faith of a believer.

The Apostle Paul stated clearly in 1 Timothy 1:4-6 that we are not to give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do… Rather, we are to hold the faith and a good conscience, which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck (1 Tim. 1:19).

I have known of many missionaries who have diligently studied the heathen religion of the land of their calling. The result has been that a number have actually lost their faith, whilst others have experienced a dullness of spiritual perception and revelation, even when reading their Bibles. Their messages have lost the anointing and they speak without conviction. They experience doubts and depression, for they have given heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils (1 Tim. 4:1).

The best defence is attack; the proof of the deity of Christ that we will now present in the following chapters will be like a sword piercing the ploys of the enemy. It will cause the devils who teach such erroneous doctrines to tremble. It will set every honest heart dancing with joy and expectation, for they will know the truth of the deity of Christ, which will set them free (Jn. 8:32).

CHAPTER ONE

Contending for the Faith

As we know, that great Apostle to the Gentiles, the Apostle Paul, contended much for the faith in the presence of religious leaders, governors, and kings. His methods and instruction are therefore of great value to us as we seek to follow in his footsteps.

Firstly, he warns us in his Ephesian epistle that our battle is spiritual. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of this world, and against spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12). We made mention of our vision of those young women being overcome by the arguments of the Islamic women. Yet it was not just the arguments—these young women were being attacked by the very strong spirit of Islam.

In order to fight, we must be equipped; therefore, we have the admonition to put on the whole armour of God that we might be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. This is clearly stated in Ephesians  6:13, Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. We see here the emphasis that the Apostle places on standing for he repeats himself by saying in verse 14, Stand therefore…

The Heavenly Armour

Now we have the components of the heavenly armour: Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph. 6:14-17).

Our loins girt about with truth—King David declares that it is the truth of the Word of God that the Lord wishes us to have in our inward parts (Ps. 51:6), for it is the truth of the Gospel that sets us free (Jn. 8:32).

Next we have the breastplate of righteousness. It was because of their unrighteousness that the Israelites of old were given over by God to statutes that would do them no good. Therefore we must live the life of the Christian in all holiness with sobriety, for in walking in the Spirit we will indeed fulfil the righteousness of the law of God (Rom. 8:4).

Thirdly, we are to have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. We must realise that our Leader is the Prince of Peace, and that we are called to follow peace with all men wherever possible (Heb. 12:14).

We must then take up the shield of faith to fend off the fiery darts of doubt that the adversary seeks to hurl at us (Eph. 6:16). Words of doubt, if permitted to lodge in our hearts, can send their deadly poison throughout our being and corrupt the pure truth of the Gospel and cause us to question, Hath God said?

Now comes the helmet of salvation we are to put on to protect us from the enemy who seeks to erect those strongholds in our mind, which are alien to the ways of God (2 Cor. 10:5). Oh, that we might have the mind of Christ as the Apostle Paul possessed.

The above pieces of armour are all protective pieces, and made to defend us, but as every soldier knows, one does not win wars on the defensive but through bringing down the strongholds of the enemy. This we do through offensive weapons. For the Christian soldier, he is provided with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

While on the Isle of Patmos, the Apostle John, when contemplating our blessed Lord, saw that out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword. Hebrews 4:12 tells us, 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.

It is with this sword of the Spirit that the Lord confounded the barbs of Satan in the wilderness. With those words, It is written, Jesus sent the devil away defeated by the eternal Word of God (Mt. 4). That is the way we, too, may not only contend for the Faith, but also defeat the enemy through whichever mouth he chooses to use when he seeks to turn us from the pathway of righteousness.

I would like to give a personal word of testimony concerning the power of the Word. I was in the old land of Yugoslavia at the height of