The Message Leaders Forget

 

 

We also are men

Of like passions with you,

And preach unto you

That ye should turn from these vanities

 Unto the living God,

Which made heaven,

And earth,

And the sea,

And all things that are therein.

 

The gods are come down

In the likeness of men

And straight away Paul had perceived

There was a problem.

 

From the very outset

He tried to nip it in the bud

As any modern-day apostle

Also should.

 

Barnabas became Jupiter

And Paul they called Mercurius

And they were just about ready

To make a huge fuss.

 

They were going to sacrifice

The oxen they brought

But the apostles rent their clothes

And of the living God taught.

 

Why do you do these things?

They sincerely asked

And scarce had restrained them

In this herculean task.

 

Herein is a lesson

For our modern-day gurus

Who often mislead the people,

Even me and you.

 

Taking some of the glory

That belongs to God

And often their followers don’t see

That they are frauds. 

Unlike Paul and Barnabas

Who knew their place

And to accept any of God’s glory

Would be a disgrace.

 

There is much gullibility

Among Christians today

That allow so-called modern-day apostles

To over them hold sway.

 

They are seen like trees

Like that blind man of old

Who had to receive a second touch

From Jesus, we are told.

 

Oh, that they were mature

Like Barnabas and Paul

And point out to such followers

They made the wrong call.

 

For there is only one God

And always will be

And that one God reveals Himself

In the blessed Trinity.

 

An apostle is no greater

Than the least in the pew,

No believer is more significant

When in God’s view.

 

There is an equality

That should be very obvious

Once we are part of that oneness

That exists in Christ Jesus.

 

We are one in Christ

As he is one in the Father

And the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Makes us one together.

 

And as I end this poem

It is wise that I repeat

The verse with which I started;

Please do not delete.

 

 

Acts 14:15

 

We also are men

Of like passions with you,

And preach unto you

That ye should turn from these vanities

 Unto the living God,

Which made heaven,

And earth,

And the sea,

And all things that are therein.

 

Stewart Russell © August 9, 2025

 

Not Inserted but Asserted

 

 

Some in arguing a point

Will speak to a particular word

And if that word is not in the text

They will consider you absurd.

 

For example: take the Bible

And some of the things therein,

If the word is not entered

Then your point is rather dim.

 

It’s not inserted, is their point

Hence, you don’t have a case,

And though the evidence is strong

Asserted is still displaced.

 

Not inserted but asserted

Major on the concept not a word,

If the evidence is holding true

Then it’s full time that you concur.

 

Now for just two examples:

I will take them from the Word,

Give careful consideration to each

Before writing me off as absurd.

 

I will start at the beginning

With the most important of all,

The Trinity is where I am at

That is my first port of call.

 

John 1:1-2

 

In the beginning was the Word

And the Word was with God

And the Word was God.

 

All things were made by him

And without him was nothing made

That was made.

 

John was given a glimpse

Of what the beginning was like

And exactly as God inspired him

Was just the way he did write.

 

In the beginning God created…

But how could that be?

When the Word was the Creator

In John, that’s what we see.

 

Unless of course,

These two were one,

Let’s take a look at verse two

And then we can move on.

 

Genesis 1:1-3

 

Now who is this Spirit

That can move over the deep

And cause light to come alive

As though from its sleep?

 

Of course, God spoke by the Word

And His Spirit did move,

Right in these three verses

The Trinity was proved.

 

John 14:26

 

The Father sends the Spirit

In the name of His Son

And out of his coming

We have the Church and salvation.

 

John 15:26

 

It is the other way around

In John 15:26

So, tell me, Is this a mix-up?

Is someone playing tricks?

 

These three are one

That’s how they operate,

They do everything together

That’s how they relate.

 

 

Genesis 1:26

 

“Let us make man

In our image and likeness”

Couldn’t have been the angels,

They couldn’t pass this test.

 

In the image of God

Must have been the Word

And certainly, the Holy Spirit

As in creation they concurred.

 

Acts 2:24; Romans 8:11; John 2:19

 

Take the resurrection of Jesus:

Who raised him from the dead?

It was God and the Holy Spirit

And note, Jesus himself.

 

1 Peter 1:1-2

 

See their operation in the born again

In 1^st Peter 1 verses 1 and 2,

If you are born again, here you will see

The Trinity’s operation in me and you.

 

Elect by the foreknowledge of God

And sanctified through the Holy Spirit,

Sprinkled by the blood of Jesus Christ

The expression of Holy Writ.

 

So, Trinity is not in the Bible

But the evidence is there,

Not inserted but asserted

That is definitely clear.

 

Let us take another one

Maybe I will settle for two,

I don’t want this to be too long

And neither do you.

 

Rapture is another one

I am certain you have heard,

Again, follow me closely

And please, don’t call me absurd.

 

It is not in the Bible

You can search up and down,

So please don’t go arguing it’s there,

You will look like a clown.

 

Not inserted but asserted

In a minute I will show

Straight from the pages of the Bible

And for certain you’ll know.

 

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

 

First them that sleep then the living

When the Lord from heaven shall come,

With a shout and with the voice of the archangel…

The “Lord himself” is God’s Son.

 

The dead in Christ shall rise first

Then we which are alive and remain,

In the air we’ll be caught up with Jesus

Forever with the Lord who shall reign.

 

This is the comfort of the believer

Of all them that are born again,

You won’t find rapture in the Bible

But you’ll find “caught up” all the same.

 

Understand I am not here to argue

Exactly when this will be

But it is there in the Bible

And some sweet day we will see.

 

Not inserted but asserted

It is as clear as ABC,

The Trinity and the rapture:

It’s there for all to see.

 

Stewart Russell © April 2020

 

The Trinity’s Operation in Ephesians

 

“In one hope of your calling”; it’s in the Bible do read it

“Even as ye are called” there’s “one body and one Spirit”,

“One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all”

“Who is above all and through all and in you all” the apostle recalls.

Verses 4 through 6 of Ephesians chapter four

Show three in operation; no less and no more,

One God, one Lord and one Holy Spirit that are co-equal

And are involved in much activity throughout the Bible.

The letter to the Ephesians is profoundly doctrinal

Written not only for them but also for us modern day people,

Throughout this epistle there is the Holy Trinity

Frequenting its message with unmistakable clarity.

Now turn with me to Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 18,

Time and again you’ve read this but had not really seen

That through Christ we have access by one Spirit to the Father

So that Father, Son and Spirit are prominently the theme.

 

Let’s look at other references for the Father, Son, and Spirit,

Ephesians chapter 1 verse 17 is a verse of such merit,

Paul prayed that the God of Jesus, the Father of glory

May give revelation and knowledge in the wisdom of the spirit.

He also prayed to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

That he would strengthen us inwardly with might by His Spirit,

And that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith

Being filled with the fullness of God would be the believer’s limit.

Go and check verses 14 through 19 of Ephesians chapter 3

And you will see the Divine three-in-one operate in unity;

The Father grants that the Spirit would strengthen the inner man

And that Christ may dwell in our hearts; this completes God’s plan.

Consider “whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption”

So “grieve not the Holy Spirit” as in Ephesians 4: 30 and 32

But “be ye kind one to another tenderhearted and forgiving

Even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you”.

“Be not drunk with wine”…”but be filled with the Spirit”

“Giving thanks for all things unto God and the Father” commit,

All this “in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” submit

Accordingly as Ephesians chapter 5 verses 18 and 20 depict.

  

The conclusion of this triune matter is so very clear to me,

It indicates God’s tri-unity in us and in Him our unity,

In the word of God we read of a magnificent mystery

But in our hearts, right there lives out a wonderful reality.

“One God, Father of all, above all” speaks of the Father above,

“He that is through all” speaks of the Son, God’s expression of love,

“He that is in you all” the Spirit once descended like a dove,

And there you have the Trinity indwelling us yet in heaven above.

Stewart Russell © 2015