Do You Remember When........Part One

I often think back to the point in which I became a Mid Acts Dispensational Pauline right divider of the authorized King James Bible and fully persuaded in my own mind of it's absolute rightness. If you are like I was, you thought everybody would want to have the same understanding and knowledge of the scriptures that you have discovered through study to be true and the only possible way to be "approved unto God. Well, it didn't take very long to find out that the majority of folks you determine to present the doctrinal information to are thinking that you have gone over the rainbow to visit Dorothy and Toto. That was discouraging to say the least and really got me thinking that the problem must be my approach, or I had no credibility with these folks because after all they knew I had been a Baptist, then a Pentecostal, then just dropped out of sight in the Sunday morning church scene and in their mind, how could I possibly know what I was talking about. It didn't take long after numerous rejections to the presentation that I came to understand the problem wasn't with me, the presentation, nor was the problem of acceptance due to the message itself. The problem with the dispensational message being rejected derives from numerous sources, one being the obstacle of the "god of this world".

• 2 Corinthians 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:


• 2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

The god of this world is not running around in red pajamas carrying a pitch fork and sneaking into your homes at night, nor is he making you engage in sinful activities, your flesh can do that all by itself. The god of this world has transformed himself into something that imitates that light of the glorious gospel of Christ, in other words, a false light, an imitation of the true light attempting to out shine the light of the glorious gospel of Christ.

• 2 Corinthians 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.


• 2 Corinthians 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

For example, if you place a light into a totally dark room, the light is obvious and easily discerned. Now add another light in front of the first light, and the first light becomes harder to distinguish doesn't it? That is exactly what the god of this world is engaging in today by means of perverting the gospel. Perverting the gospel of the grace of God is rather simple. Add water baptism, add repenting of your sins, add saying words to be saved, add tithing, add enduring to the end, add asking God to forgive you of your sins, add asking Jesus into your heart, add following Jesus footsteps and so on....By the addition of all of these things to be saved one has taken away from the sufficiency of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the full and total payment for one's sins and has placed their faith in Christ AND what they themselves have done based upon their own performance.

• Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:


• Ephesians 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Can you find scriptures to back up tithing? Sure you can. How about getting water baptized? Absolutely. Asking to be forgiven of your sins and repenting? You bet you can. But you cannot find those scriptures speaking to anyone alive and operating in this present dispensation of the grace of God. Those doctrines of water baptism, tithing, asking God for forgiveness of sins, confessing with your mouth to be saved are indeed Biblical and scriptural, but they are not our instructions and doctrine which were given to the apostle Paul by revelation from the risen Jesus Christ to be implemented for this present dispensation of the grace of God.

So one means of hiding the gospel resulting in the masses remaining lost is to hide the dispensational distinctives that are clearly set forth in the scriptures. There are numerous ways being used in the perverting of the gospel or hiding the gospel and dispensational message today such as the celebrity Christian entertainment venue, making your pastor into some kind of rock star or by using a perverted corrupted Bible which hides the existence of more than one plan of salvation for different dispensations .....or all of the above and more. Confronting the promulgators of the errors is not an easy task nor will it make you popular among the masses. In fact, you will loose your friends from the church or churches you have attended. Don't expect any Christmas cards to be coming in the mail, especially since you have already told them Jesus was not born in December but in late September and we are not to glory save in the cross. Bible believing is a forgeign concept to your Christian friends so don't expect to be loved for attempting to help them along in getting their Bible right.

• 1 Corinthians 4:13 Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.

Our apostle Paul, the pattern to them which should hereafter believe certainly wasn't winning any Nobel peace prizes. In fact, in Paul's last days we are informed that only Luke was with him therefore we should not expect any fanfare either. Knowing the task before us we can rejoice in knowing we have what they need so we press on........

• 1 Corinthians 15:58 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.