2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

Busted!! Part Two

2010-04-13T20:16:00.000-07:00

Not so many years ago if I were asked the simple question "how is a soul saved" I would have said something silly like "ask Jesus into your heart" or "you have to say the sinner's prayer" which is actually the beggars prayer in which you beg for forgiveness of your sins. Fifteen years into attending different churches, Pentecostal, Baptist and non denominational varieties, not once did I hear the Gospel that saves our never dying souls with any amount of clarity yet I would have told you that I was saved and a Christian. Every church I attended quoted Bible verses, taught the scriptures, offered Sunday school classes, had prayer time and of course a time of so called worship with either a choir or band playing. One brand of church taught you could lose your salvation, another taught you could not lose your salvation. One church taught speaking in tongues is for today and the other taught speaking in tongues was not in operation today but could not explain why. One church had basically a rock and roll contemporary band and the other church had just a piano, organ with a full choir. Both types of church had Bible to explain why they taught what they taught and operated as they do.....and yet....they were extremely different in their teaching, even on opposite ends of the spectrum. How can both types of churches be so different in what they believe and both churches have Bible to back up what they believe? The answer is the failure to rightly divide the word of truth as instructed by the Apostle Paul in 2ND Timothy 2:15.

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

As sincere and as well meaning as a person may be, right is still right and wrong is still wrong. Someone may be the kindest, nicest, politest, honest, and generous person you will ever meet and yet they can still be wrong when it comes to their Bible understanding. It would probably not be a stretch to believe that most people that stake claim to being a saved Christian are no more saved than the man on the moon if they cannot with clarity state how a soul is saved during this present dispensation of God's grace. You cannot look at someone and make the determination if a person is indeed a Christian, it is according to what one believes and places their faith in that makes that determination. Many will say they believe in Jesus, but what does that actually mean? As children, we were taught to believe in Santa Claus and the Easter bunny and in so doing, we would receive gifts only later to discover there were no such characters. Our childish beliefs were not based upon knowledge, but upon what we were told to believe. That same scenario is pervasive in churchianity whereby the people are being led by a pastor or a teacher rather than basing their belief system grounded by personal Bible study. This is one type of person that says they are a Christian.

The other type of person that says they are a Christian is one that may have a fair to good deal of Bible acumen and have failed to understand the doctrinal differences between the covenant nation of Israel and the church, the body of Christ which is the new creature. The first type of person is a joy to deal with because they are not tainted by false teaching and are clean slates ready to be presented the gospel of the grace of God with clarity. The second type is most challenging in that they are in need of reteaching but will be hard to convince of their error. They have already accumulated doctrines from all over the Bible and have blended everything from everywhere, here a verse, there a verse, everywhere a verse verse into one belief system which happens to be an egregious error. They read things back into scriptures things that were not revealed until later, failing to see the progression in revelation of the scriptures. This type of sincere person who has been taught or even studied by himself will use terminology from anywhere in the Bible and apply it to themselves such as saying they are "born again" or say things like they will "endure unto the end" to be saved. Terms like repent being dealt around as if it meant to "turn from you sins" or everywhere they see the word "baptize" their mind goes to thinking about a water ceremony. They may refer to themselves as a "priesthood" of believers, or a "flock", a "royal priesthood", "chosen", "sheep", "new testament Christian". These folks will answer the simple question of "how is a soul saved" with statements like " If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" or they will pull out the big guns on you and quote John 3:16 and then tell you we need to keep the commandments.

In both types of people we should be able to discern their need is one and the same, a clear presentation of the Gospel of the grace of God in that Christ did everything necessary to save our never dying souls. It was Jesus that died for our sins. It was Jesus that was buried. It was Jesus that rose again the third day with victory over death, Hell, and the grave. The only participation that we have in the salvation transaction is that we are the sinners for whom Christ died and if we place our belief, trust, and faith in what Christ did, God counts our faith for righteousness and the Holy Spirit of God baptizes us into the body of Christ, the new creature. It is just that simple!!

Busted!! Part One

2010-01-25T18:26:00.000-08:00

Surely, you have seen on television where a witness to a crime stands behind a one way mirror and from a police lineup of suspects, the witness then picks out the criminal. Hopefully that would be the only way your are familiar with this process having never been the victim of a crime. Well of course everyone in the lineup claims innocence and there is one that is guilty. By looking at the accused the victim then picks out the true criminal. Wouldn't it be nice if you could just look at someone and know full well if they are actually a Christian or not? The victim of a crime has evidence knowing what the criminal looked like. As a Mid Acts Dispensational right divider of the King James Bible, we have the evidence against the pretenders because we have studied to shew ourselves approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. In other words, they stick out like a sore thumb! Not by appearance, but by doctrine. As the before mentioned criminal is the enemy to civil society and justice, the person who is not following the doctrine according to the Apostle Paul's "my gospel" and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery has placed themselves as the enemies of the cross of Christ.

Philippians 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
Philippians 3:18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

When a nation goes to war as did America in WWII, our soldiers proudly wore the uniform bearing the stars and stripes of this great nation. The enemies would also wear the uniform of their nation therefore making it easy to distinguish which side someone was on. The uniform of a Christian is the doctrine given by Christ to the Apostle Paul to usward as we operate in this present dispensation of the grace of God. It would be a disaster for the USA to go off to war today using the battle plans from WWII just as much as it is a disaster for a person to go to their Bibles and utilize the doctrines that God Himself has set aside and is not in operation during this present dispensation. Unfortunately, when the typical church goes selects an assembly it is not based upon doctrine but rather what aspects appeal to their wants and taste. Have you ever been invited to a church wherein the person says something like "we have the best music in town" or "the people are so nice"? How about "our preacher isn't long winded" or "you can feel the Lord is there when you walk in the doors"? I have heard all of those. As I reflect back on my church experience never do I recall anyone saying that their church will equip and edify you in sound doctrine. Am I the only one? (tongue in cheek)

If a service man was known to be endorsing our adversaries position he would be labeled an enemy of the state and his or her picture would be all over the news channels. When a person endorses or adheres to doctrines not associated with the Gospel of the Grace of God, they have identified themselves as an enemy of the Gospel and that requires a Bible believer to mark them, make it known, warn others, and avoid them.

Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
Romans 16:18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

Beseeching someone is not something that leaves a choice between acting or not acting. The case has been made and the only action or choice you have is to follow Paul's direction. It's not a warm and fuzzy situation where nobody gets their feathers ruffled. It is soldiering and is hardness. You will be called names, despised, made fun of, and the such. These things should not come as a surprise because our pattern Paul gives us a heads up......

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.
1 Corinthians 4:14 I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.

If you heard someone say that Jesus had two heads and walked on his hands, the error would be so obvious, who could miss it. When the distinction is not so obvious to the unsuspecting hearer or the person who is not yet weaned from the milk, it is the duty of the person of full age having their senses exercised capable of discerning good and evil to identify the error and correct the issue. This will not make you famous or popular among the church crowd which is the largest mission field in your area as well as mine, but who is going to do the job if you do not? Remember, we have been besought!! Paul tells us of a time when....

2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
2 Timothy 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

That time has come and was established long ago, even in Paul's time. Therefore, Paul gives us this charge.....

2 Timothy 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

Ready or not, here I come! In season, out of season. Reprove, nobody is gonna like that one because they think they have it all figured out already. Rebuke, folks are gonna say you don't have any looooooove, Exhort, give them encouragement and something to look forward too. Longsuffering, don't give up on them knowing you didn't understand Mid Acts either and it takes some time. Doctrine, don't start with doctrine if the person isn't saved. A doctrinal discussion with an unsaved person is like trying to teach a baby how to drive and automobile when their feet won't even touch the pedals. It's a process. Now let's get engaged in the battle for the souls of men. When an army is taking an enemy position, often times the commander will shout..."CHARGE"....Paul has given us that command in 2 Timothy 4:1....Let's roll!!

Hostillashundai

2009-11-28T18:42:00.000-08:00

Can someone please interpret that? Surely someone has the gift of interpretation and could decipher what Hostillashundai means. If you have ever been to an Acts 2 Pentecostal assembly you are familiar with such a language or so called speaking in tongues. The churches involved in this activity are steeped in the Acts 2 doctrine of tongues and the baptism of the Holy Ghost with no regards to whom these instructions and events are concerning. The scriptures solve the confusion to this example of failing to "rightly divide the word of truth" and at the same time direct us to those who do not have a clear understanding of salvation during this present dispensation of the grace of God according to the revelation of the mystery. If someone has the mindset that you can go anywhere in the scriptures for doctrinal application, what are the chances they have a clear understanding of salvation in this present dispensation of the grace of God? Sadly, the chance is just that, a chance. Let's take a quick look at what the Bible declares to be true about this misconception of speaking in tongues.

Firstly, what is "tongues"?

Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Acts 2:5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

Acts 2:6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

From this passage we see : 1)the Holy Ghost gave the utterance, 2) everyone present were Jews, 3) every man heard their own language. The ability to speak in another language was not brought about by the will of the one speaking but by the Holy Ghost giving the utterance. The most important details in this passage is the fact that "tongues" is a known language and NOT some gibberish or babbling as displayed in Pentecostal assemblies everywhere.

Secondly, there was a purpose and promise of this gifting of tongues forasmuch as it was NOT something that was to be used in an assembly during a praise service after the band gets the crowd all lathered up singing endless choruses of we worship you songs.

The promise: Acts 1:4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

When it was promised by Christ: Mark 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

The Purpose: Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.....Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:....

From this we can clearly see the promise and purpose. If Israel was to go unto all nations and the uttermost parts of the earth, it only follows as the night to day they would need the equipping of the Holy Ghost giving them the utterance which would be heard in their own language. Pretty simple to understand isn't it? Here lies the bigger problem. The same folks who believe the gifting of tongues are active today are the same folks that believe the church was born in Acts chapter 2 and go to Acts 2:38 as the plan of salvation. If they would only slow down and read the passage preceding Acts 2:38 they would realize what is taking place is not the beginning of anything but the end of something.

Acts 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

Was Joel giving information about the beginning of something? Let's read on.....

Acts 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

On the contrary, it was the LAST DAYS...

Acts 2:18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
Acts 2:19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
Acts 2:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:

Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Do you see it? This is speaking to the time of Jacob's trouble, Daniel's 70th week, the great tribulation....NOT the church, the body of Christ! It is even clearer when we see again to WHOM it is directed....

Acts 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

Did you see the Assemblies of God? or the Church of God? or the Open Door nondenominational full gospel pentecostal holiness Assembly? Of course not! It is the house of Israel!

Now, the slogan verse for so many assemblies today as the plan of salvation,

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Repent means by definition to have a change of mind. What would it be the house of Israel is repenting about?

Acts 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

Verses 23-36 lay it out plainly. They crucified their Messiah therefore they had to repent, have a change of mind. They were pricked in their hearts and asked "what shall we do"? They didn't ask what shall we do to be saved did they?

Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Notice the nomenclature in verse 38, for the "remission" of sins. That is not the same as the "forgiveness" of sins is it? When your Pentecostal or Baptist friends take you to these verses, take them to Acts 3:19-21 for clarification as to what remission of sins entails.
Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

Acts 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

Acts 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

From Acts 3:19-21 you can show your friends that remission of sins is different from forgiveness of sins in that Israel will get their sins dealt with when Christ returns and sets up his Kingdom, the times of refreshing, the times of restitution of all things. We on the other can rejoice in that we have NOW received the atonement, have been forgiven all trespasses, are quickened together with Christ, have been translated into the kingdom of His dear son, and are judicially seated in heavenly places in Christ!! Right division according to Mid Acts Pauline dispensationalism matters....not only to aberrant doctrines such as speaking in tongues, but more importantly to the matter of salvation!

1 Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

1 Corinthians 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:3 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 Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Only through the apostle Paul can we get the gospel of OUR salvation. It does NOT involve Israel, speaking in tongues, keeping the commandments, walking in statutes, enduring to the end to be saved and the such, If you are saved today it is a result of the gospel Paul was given to usward alone!

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Do You Remember When.....Part Three

2009-11-08T17:18:00.000-08:00

Do you remember getting your very first Bible? Maybe it was your parents or a relative to present you one as a gift or the church you were visiting presented you a Bible along with a packet of information about that particular assembly after of course you filled out a visitor card so they could follow up with you. Either way, as a baby Christian we presumed all Bibles are alike in content and were not aware of the vast amount of "versions" that are out in the marketplace. Now the common myth about the Bible version issue is that they are all the same as the King James Bible but the newer translations are easier to read being compiled of the modern language of the people. I have actually had someone tell me they use the NIV because it doesn't have all them "thee's" and "thou's" in it. Think about that, are the words thee and thou so difficult to understand or read? Aren't they just simple four letter words? The fact is that the modern translations have removed much more than the thee and thou words, they are missing so much more as we will see as we continue.

From the last post I attempted to show how the Gospel is being hid in the new translations by failing to distinguish the difference in the gospel of the circumcision from the gospel of the uncircumcision as set forth in Galatians 2:7. Here is another instance in Romans.

KJB....Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
NIV....Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
Message...Romans 1:16 It's news I'm most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God's powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else!

Only the apostle Paul refers to the gospel he received as the gospel of Christ. The King James Bible has it right. The new translations make no distinction in the two, therefore leading people to believe the gospel is the same gospel referred to in Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. The apostle Paul said "if our gospel be hid" in 2ND Corinthians 4:3, and here we see it being hid. I didn't even see a "thee or thou" in that verse and yet something was removed wasn't it.....the name of our Lord and savior...CHRIST. Surely that was just an oversight by the translation committee wasn't it? I'm afraid not. I will post below all of the verses where the NIV translation committee removed the name Jesus, Christ, Lord, God , Son ....and more....This will be a huge post in that the NIV has removed the names of deity not once or twice but count them, 164 times. That was not a typo, I said 164 times.

1) Mathew 6:33...Jesus
2) Mathew 8:29...Jesus
3) Mathew 13:36...Jesus
4) Mathew 13:51...Lord
5) Mathew 15:30...Jesus
6) Mathew 16:20...Jesus
7) Mathew 17:11...Jesus
8) Mathew 17:20...Jesus
9) Mathew 18:2...Jesus
10) Mathew 18:11...Son
11) Mathew 19:17...God
12) Mathew 21;12...God
13) Mathew 22:30...God
14) Mathew 22:32...God
15) Mathew 23:8...Christ
16) Mathew 24:2...Jesus
17) Mathew 25:13...Son
18) Mathew 28:6 ...Lord
19) Mark 5:13...Jesus
20) Mark 6:34...Jesus
21) Mark 7:27...Jesus
22) Mark 9:24...Lord
23) Mark 11:10...Lord
24) Mark 11:14...Jesus
25) Mark 11:26...Father
26) Mark 12:27...God
27) Mark 14:45...Master
28) Luke 2:40 ...Spirit
29) Luke 4:4...God
30) Luke 4:41...Christ
31) Luke 7:22...Jesus
32) Luke 7:31...Lord
33) Luke 9:57...Lord
34) Luke 9:59...Lord
35) Luke 12:31...God
36) Luke 13:25...Lord
37) Luke 21:4...God
38) Luke 22:31...Lord
39) Luke 23:42...Lord
40) John 4:16...Jesus
41) John 4:42...Christ
42) John 4:46...Jesus
43) John 5:30...Father
44) John 6:39...Father
45) John 6:69...Christ
46) John 8:11...Lord
47) John 8:20...Jesus
48) John 8:29...Father
49) John 9:35...God
50) John 16:16...Father
51) John 18:39...Jesus
52) John 19:38...Jesus
53) Acts 2:30....Christ
54) Acts 3:36...Jesus
55) Acts 4:24...God
56) Acts 7:30...Lord
57) Acts 7:32...God
58) Acts 7:37...Lord
59) Acts 7:46...God
60 Acts 8:37...Jesus
61) Acts 8:37...Christ
62) Acts 8:37...God
63) Acts 9:5...Lord
64) Acts 9:6 ...Lord
65) Acts 9:29...Jesus
66) Acts 15:11...Christ
67) Acts 15:18...God
68) Acts 16:31...Christ
69) Acts 19:4...Christ
70) Acts 19:10...Jesus
71) Acts 20:21...Christ
72) Acts 22:16...Lord
73) Acts 23:9...God
74) Romans 1:16...Christ
75) Romans 6:11...Lord
76) Romans 8:1...Spirit
77) Romans 14:6...Lord
78) Romans 15:8...Jesus
79) Romans 15:19...God
80) Romans 16:18...Jesus
81) Romans 16:20...Christ
82) Romans 16:24...Lord
83) Romans 16:24....Jesus
84) Romans 16:24...Christ
85) 1 Cor. 1:14...God
86) 1 Cor. 5:4...Christ
87) 1 Cor. 5:5...Jesus
88) 1 Cor. 6:20...God's
89) 1 Cor. 9:1...Christ
90) 1 Cor. 9:18...Christ
91) 1 Cor. 10:28...Lord's
92) 1 Cor. 15:47...Lord
93) 1 Cor. 16:22...Jesus
94) 1 Cor.16:22...Christ
95) 1 Cor. 16:23...Christ
96) 2 Cor. 4:6...Jesus
97) 2 Cor. 4:10...Lord
98) 2 Cor. 5:18...Jesus
99) 2 Cor. 10:7...Christ's
100) 2 Cor. 11:31...Christ
101) Gal.3:17...Christ
102) Gal. 4:7...Christ
103) Gal. 6:15...Christ
104) Gal. 6:15...Jesus
105) Gal. 6:17...Lord
106) Eph.3:9...Jesus
107) Eph. 3:14...Lord
108) Eph. 3:14...Christ
109) Eph. 3:14...Jesus
110) Eph 5:9...Spirit
111) Phil. 4:13...Christ
112) Col.1:2...Lord
113) Col.1:2...Jesus
114) Col. 1:2...Christ
115) Col.1:28...Jesus
116) Col. 2:2...Father
117) 1 Thess.1:1...God
118) 1 Thess. 1:1...Father
119) 1 Thess. 1:1...Lord
120) 1 Thess.1:1...Jesus
121) 1 Thess. 1:1...Christ
122) 1 Thess. 3:11...Christ
123) 1 Thess. 3:13...Christ
124) 2 Thess.1:8...Christ
125) 2 Thess. 1:12...Christ
126) 2 Thess. 2:4...God
127) 1 Tim. 1:1...Lord
128) 1 Tim. 2:7...Christ
129) 1 Tim. 3:16...God
130) 1 Tim. 5:21...Lord
131) Titus 1 :4...Lord
132) Philemon 1:6.....Jesus
133) Hebrews 3:1...Christ
134) Hebrews 10:9...God
135) Hebrews 10:30...Christ
136) James 1:12...Lord
137) 1 Peter 1:22...Spirit
138) 1 Peter 5:10...Jesus
139) 1 Peter 5:14...Jesus
140) 1 John 1:17...Christ
141) 1 John 3:16...God
142) 1 John 4:3...Christ
143) 1 John 5:7...Father
144) 1 John 5:7...Word
145) 1 John 5:7...Holy Ghost
146) 1 John 5:13...Son
147) 1 John 5:13...God
148) 2 John 3.....Lord
149) 2 John 9....Christ
150) Jude 4...God
151) Rev. 1:8...Beginning
152) Rev. 1:9 ...Christ
153) Rev. 1:11...Alpha
154) Rev. 1:11...Omega
155) Rev. 1:11...First
156) Rev. 1:11...Last
157) Rev. 12:17...Christ
158) Rev. 14:5...God
159) Rev. 16:5...Lord
160) Rev. 19:1...Lord
161) Rev. 20:9...God
162) Rev. 20:12...God
163) Rev. 21:4...God
164) Rev. 22:12...Christ

If you remove the name of deity one time it would be bad, twice would be worse, but what do you call it when the name of deity is removed 164 times? Not only is the gospel hid or blended in the new translations there is also something going on when the name of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ is being erased from the so called new translations. Who would it be that has a bone to pick with God? Isaiah 14 tells the tale very well in that the god of this world, the one who is blinding of them that believe not lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Isaiah 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Isaiah 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Now before you think I am taking the Flip Wilson theology as in " the devil made me do it", but certainly Satan has used the corrupt text of Wescott and Hort used in every translation since 1881 to his advantage. God promised to preserve His words and has done so in the King James Bible. If you don't have one....get one!

Do You Remember When.......Part Two

2009-11-03T17:51:00.000-08:00

Do you remember when you first became a Mid Acts Pauline dispensational right divider of the authorized King James Bible having seen verses with clarity that you possibly used to just read past such as:

Galatians 2:7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;

I don't know about your situation, but this verse never caught my attention until I slowed down and examined what it actually says. Clearly, the verse demonstrates that the belief system that the Bible says the same thing to everybody at all times is not a solid foundation. Like most folks that get saved, I began to read my new Scofield Bible from cover to cover accumulating the data form Genesis to Revelation as one message. Nothing could be more wrong in doing so. The above verse declares there is more than one message in the scriptures and more than just one gospel. The gospel of the "uncircumcision" and the gospel of the "circumcision". Can it be any more clear? Two gospels in one verse.

Instead of detailing the distinct differences between the two gospels I want to approach this in the context of the last post, Do You Remember When, Part One, specifically in reference to 2ND Corinthians 4:3-4.

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 gospel being hid from them that are lost does not necessarily mean that they have never heard the gospel of the grace of God but also means that it is hidden in a way that it is not "rightly divided" from the gospel of the kingdom resulting in "our gospel" being hidden. Remember the analogy of the two lights in a dark room whereby you find it difficult to distinguish between the two? If you combine the two gospels together into one belief system, failing to heed to 2ND Timothy 2:15 wherein we are told to "rightly divide the word of truth" the result is what is spoken of in 2ND Corinthians 4:3-4.

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

If perhaps you began your Christian life as a Mid Acts right divider, you are very fortunate not having the task of re-learning major portions of the Bible. Sadly, most of us had to go back and take inventory of everything we were taught by our former pastors and teachers who were not dispensational. If you want to learn how to rightly divide the word of truth in order to be that workman that needeth not to be ashamed, it is extremely important to have someone that knows the material . Not only is it vital to have a teacher that is more than just familiar with the doctrines associated with the dispensation of the grace of God, it is just as important to have the correct, perfectly preserved word of God in order to do the study whereby we can install the right doctrine into our inner man which enables the effectual working of the word.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Of course the correct, perfectly preserved word of God in the English language is none other than the authorized King James Bible. So at this point I want to show the "hiding of the gospel" which is pervasive in the corrupted texts utilized in popular so called versions such as the "Message" and the New International Version. I will only post two verses in this post and more in subsequent posts. The first verse I will post here is the first verse I used in this particular post.

KJB....Galatians 2:7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;

NIV....Galatians 2:7 On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews.

Message....Galatians 2:7 It was soon evident that God had entrusted me with the same message to the non-Jews as Peter had been preaching to the Jews

What happened to the two different gospels? The NIV and Message both are guilty of hiding the gospel by simply making the two gospels as one. What did Paul tell us in 2ND Corinthians? "If our gospel be hid, it is hid from them that are lost" Do you see how subtil the deception is? Who do we know that is described as "subtil"? Let's look at one more verse. The banner verse for Mid Acts Pauline dispensationalism, 2ND Timothy 2:15

KJB....2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

NIV....2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

Message....2 Timothy 2:15 Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won't be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple.

What happened to "rightly dividing"? Seems as if someone doesn't want us to know we are to study the word of truth, rather we are to handle it properly or just concentrate on being a good boy. The text matters. The truth is hidden form them that are lost. Plain and Simple!! How would you even know that there is a right way that is approved unto God which is clearly by means of right division. Not only have the publishers and so called translators corrupted the text by changing and deleting words, but they are guilty of hiding the gospel to them that are lost. Now, who do we know who is descibed as the "subtil" one?

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Now we know the subtil one is Satan. But he isn't hanging around the garden any longer is he? He has transformed himself into something rather different.

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

And that ties the rag on the bush as to who is behind the deception doesn't it! From the beginning the aim of the serpent was to place that doubt in the mind of the hearer saying "Yea, hath God said" Corrupt Bible versions utilizing corrupt texts is not something that has just happened lately, it started in the garden and the tactics of Satan have not changed one bit in 6,000 years.

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

2009-11-02T19:43:00.000-08:00

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.

Case in Point!!

2009-10-16T14:19:00.000-07:00

You will need to read the previous post to best understand the basis for this one. As time marches on, more and more people are falling into the cracks of false doctrine, terribly bad teaching and just plain blather from the deceitful workers of iniquity posing as ministers of the gospel. These enemies of the gospel give a false sense of security to their unsuspecting, simple minded listeners with catch phrases , a feel good message, a do it yourself gospel and just down right blather instead of sound doctrine from God's word.

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.
2 Corinthians 11:15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Okay, here is the reason for this post "Case in Point". I was conversing with someone the other day who made the statement professing to be a Christian, My followup question was "how do you know you are a Christian" and then I just shutup and listened. The answer to my question from this very nice, very sincere person I have come to know over a few weeks time was not in any way shape or form surprising, rather, I expected it. It is as follows:

I have God in my heart.
I have asked forgiveness for my sins.

Now, if you are a mainstream denominational covenant thinking church goer, you would say amen amen!. If you were to go to your phonebook and call every church in your town and ask how a soul is saved and then listen to what they say, you will get really close to getting the same answer this kind lady gave to me. But as a Bible believing Mid Acts dispensational Pauline right divider of the authorized King James Bible, it was obvious to me I was speaking to an unsaved person. After explaining to this individual that it wasn't that long ago, after attending many different churches that in fact, I would have answered the question "how do you know you are a Christian?" exactly the same way she had and that I was not saved according to God's word. After explaining to her the truth of the matter, Jesus Christ did everything necessary to save our never dying souls and that He left nothing undone for us to accomplish according to the scriptures.....

1 Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1 Corinthians 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:3 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 Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

I told her if she believed that passage which declares with clarity the "gospel of your salvation" and invoking Ephesians 1:13, God would count her faith as righteousness and save her never dying soul.

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Once again, her response was not at all a surprise. She responded with "It sounds much too easy" So after a few minutes of reinforcing the Gospel of the grace of God and writing down passages for her to read through, I asked another question and her response reinforces exactly the message from my previous post "Is Paul our Pattern or What". She said she finds the gospel presentation that I gave her difficult to believe because others, including Pastors have told her otherwise. I told her I understand why it would be a confusing issue and hard to get sorted out and that I would be honored if she would allow me to assist her in her Biblical understanding. Of course we all know the first step would have to be the salvation issue in order to have any Bible understanding at all.

1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The point of this entire post is not to demean an unsaved person, nor to elevate my stature, but to demonstrate the destructive message being bandied about by nice looking, kind hearted, smooth talking unsaved Pastors and preachers everywhere. The unsaved, hell bound person who listens to and believes these deceivers are blinded to the glorious light of the gospel of Christ. The ones propagating the false message are doing the work of the god of this world and are the exact ones whose mouth must be stopped.

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.

If we are going to be the soldiers of the cross we should be, we have to get engaged in confronting these folks who serve not our Lord Jesus but serve their own belly. We are told by our Apostle, our pattern to preach the word in and out of season, reprove and rebuke with longsuffering and doctrine. Paul goes on in the same passage to describe what we are engaged in as a fight and from where I am standing, it looks as if we are losing badly. The ministers of deception are planting churches everywhere you look, even in a nightclub here in my hometown and the grace movement can hardly be called a movement at all since it is basically standing still. We need to quit saying we are following Paul and actually start doing it and quit hiding in the bunkers waiting for the fight to be over.

2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
2 Timothy 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
2 Timothy 4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
2 Timothy 4:6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

Let's get up an go fight the good fight!!

Is Paul our Pattern or What?

2009-10-10T12:25:00.000-07:00

1 Timothy 1:16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

Every Grace believer I have ever encountered is quick to give a resounding yes to the question "Is Paul our pattern"?....but where do you draw the line? Do you draw the line at the point of salvation in that you understand Paul is the apostle to the gentiles for this, the dispensation of the grace of God?. Or do you understand that the baton has been passed from Paul to "usward" as we are the ground and pillar of the truth operating as God's ambassadors for Christ? If we are to follow Paul's pattern, and we should, there seems to be quite a bit of information we are ignoring or at best are simply not engaging in to our detriment. What am I talking about?

Titus 1:10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
Titus 1:11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.

How many of your friends (if you have any left now that you are a Mid Acts Dispensationalist) are you regularly engaging in doctrinal discussions knowing they are sitting under terribly bad teaching from Baptist pastors? You may say you are doing this quite frequently which is wonderful. But notice in Titus 1:10-11 whose mouth must be stopped. It is the one teaching the false doctrine deceiving whole houses, teaching things which they ought not. Now if that passage says what I think it says,,It says it is the Church of Christ elder who needs to shutup! It is the one slapping his congregation under the law requiring the people to pay the "tithe" every Sunday that needs to zip their lip, or the guy wearing waders in the bathtub behind the pulpit requiring a water baptisim for either salvation or church membership to stuff a sock in it. These fellows need to SHUTUP and sit down and learn the right doctrine and get on the same page as God as we operate under the data given by Christ to Paul for this present dispensation.

How are we to make them shut their trap? Well, personally what I have done is go to them with a reproof on a certain message they have given which I have heard. If you cannot do that you can do it via of the world wide web. Almost every church in the world has a website where you can easily send the leadership of these enemies of the Gospel a message engaging or reproofing and even rebuking them on their ungodly doctrines. If you are reading this now you already know you can leave a comment to engage me or discuss anything I publish.... and so do the vain talkers, the Assembly of God Pastor who deceives the hearts of the simple, who serve not our Lord Jesus Christ but their own bellies.

Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
Romans 16:18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

If we follow Paul as we say we do, we should not hesitate to mark those who teach contrary to Pauline doctrine, nor should we hesitate to call them by name, how else will anybody know who they are if we do not make them famous for teaching what they ought not teach? Paul was not shy about it when it came to marking the false teachers and neither should we, even if it is our own camp. We all cherish the verse is 2ND Timothy chapter 2 as our banner in that we are to study to who ourselves approved unto God, rightly dividing the word of truth, but the workman that needeth not to be ashamed is somewhat lacking as there isn't very much work being accomplished. Marking the hereticks is a portion of the work which seems to be lacking. Paul our pattern named names in the same chapter in verse 17.....

2 Timothy 2:17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;

Our Apostle Paul didn't shy away from naming names so folks were aware of the profane and vain babblers who do more damage then any good whose false beliefs would only increase to more ungodliness which can be nothing other than doctrines which are contrary to Pauline principals. How would anyone have known a coppersmith named Alexander was a problem unless Paul made him famous in the same book of 2ND Timothy?

2 Timothy 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:
2 Timothy 4:15 Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.

Is there someone you have presented the dispensational truth of Mid Acts Pauline doctrine and they understand what you presenting but choose to withstand? Well, make them famous, warning others of the error of their ungodly doctrines and avoid them. Sounds hard doesn't it? It is, but it can be done. Remember now, we are dead and our life is hid with Christ if God. It's not our life anymore, it's Christ's life in us. We have nothing to lose. You may want to start with a youth pastor, or a Sunday school teacher or someone on the witness team from the Free Will Baptist Church when they come knocking on your door before you move up to doing what Paul did in calling out a whole bunch of folks as he did in the book of Titus.

Titus 1:12 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.

Paul called out and marked the Cretians. Who can you call out and mark? The Roman Catholics? The Jehovah Witnesses? The Morons? opps, I meant the Mormons? How about the Independent Fundamental Baptists whose plan of salvation is saying a sinner's prayer and the saying of words from Romans 10:9-13 as well as asking Jesus into your heart ? The Methodists who teach salvation is secured by a lifestyle?, the Church of God who teaches a second blessing sanctification and no security of the believer but that thou must endure unto the end and nobody can know if they are saved or not? or the Church of Christ who proclaims getting into their bathtub is the means of salvation and that we are establishing a kingdom on the Earth? What are we waiting for? Their mouths MUST BE STOPPED! The eternal souls of their audiences are in the balance.

1 Timothy 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

We are the pillar and ground of the truth ! We need to get busy! We go to extremes to attend assembles hours from where we live because there are no Grace Assemblies in our town. How about starting an assembly where you live? How about a Bible study in your living room teaching Mid Acts Pauline Dispensational right division of the KJB on a Tuesday night inviting all your friends that attend their contrary churches on Wednesday night, giving them the material for edification which they will never get from their assembly. Eventually they will quit attending the false teaching Baptist church resulting in their pastors mouth being stopped!...It's a process, but if we don't do it, who will? We only have a certain amount of time and we should be using it wisely as Paul says in Ephesians 5...

Ephesians 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Grace and Peace!!

Strong in the Grace

2009-09-13T16:50:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been especially frustrating and draining and has left little time to concentrate on any new material to post to this blog, and for that I apologize. Just to get you up to speed as to what has been going on here concerning my wife's condition, she is now taking dialysis three times per week for up to four hours per session. The in-home dialysis should begin in the next few weeks if all goes as planned, that is if the physicians can determine as to why her blood pressure rises to the ozone layer as well as her pulse goes over 160 during the treatment. The concern now is focused on her heart that possibly there is another situation that needs immediate attention. Now the ladies that read this will be able to relate to the next problem I have had to deal with, my wife is very depressed due to the surgery scarring as well as the exposed plumbing from her chest and abdomen. For a man, these things would be trophies of a battle, but for a lady they represent disfigurement. She is now getting therapy (shopping) about twice per week with very positive results.

For the Grace Believer, wouldn't it be easy to revert back to your former covenant thinking and begin praying for God to heal your spouse? of course adding the phrase "if it be your will" or as the nurse in the hospital began to pray the Mathew 18 , "That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven." Wouldn't it be nice in these types of situations if we could invoke the Mark 16 doctrine for Israel in their tribulation setting whereby we could "lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover". Let's not forget if we were Israel in their tribulation setting, we could " Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.as is instructed in James 5:14-15. As a former member of my local Assemblies of God church which practices these doctrines and wholeheartedly believes in physical healing for today......I never saw one person healed of even the common cold in the five years I attended that assembly. The only miracle I ever saw was that the congregation could make up every excuse possible for the healing not taking place and believing they had an inside track to God. Unfortunately, I did see many turn from what ever faith they had in the Lord because of the fraud being perpetrated in this assembly. It is tragic and even dangerous to take your Bible as if it all belongs to you as doctrine. It is not an option but a must to heed to Paul's instruction in 2ND Timothy 2:15 whereby we are to "rightly divide the word of truth" being the unashamed workman studying to shew thyself approved unto God!

God will not sin to save us, neither will He cross dispensational lines because we ask Him to do so. It seems almost everybody that refers to themselves as Christians wants all of Israel's blessings being discontent with what the Bible actually declares to be doctrine for the church, the body of Christ in this present dispensation of the grace of God. The apostle to the Gentiles, the pattern to them which should hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting explains our situation in 2ND Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

2 Corinthians 12:8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Corinthians 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

What do the faith healers do with a sick apostle? Why didn't Titus lay hands on Paul or anoint him with oil and see the sick recover? Why didn't Timothy come to Paul and agree with him in prayer as in touching anything, believing? Because they knew better that's why. The apostle Paul received different marching orders from the risen Christ than that of Israel's marching orders for their kingdom. The doctrine was completely different and they operated accordingly, as we are to as well. We could cry out and beg and plead or play let's make a deal with God for His intervention in our distresses and infirmities, or, we could be the workman that needeth not to be ashamed , rightly dividing the word of truth understanding we have a new set of plans given to us by Christ through the apostle Paul. His Grace is okie dokie? pretty good? it will do in a pinch? How about His Grace is sufficient!! How many Baptist, Church of God, Church of Christ, Assemblies of God church goers do you know that can make the statement "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me"? Not many if any but rather let the begging begin. Look at any church bulletin on any given Sunday and what will you find people wanting prayer for? infirmities, distresses, persecutions, necessities, reproaches, etc.

Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

There is going to be suffering in this present evil world but take heart, it does not even compare to the glory which shall be revealed in us....when?

Romans 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

The redemption of our bodies, when is that?

1 Corinthians 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

1 Corinthians 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

1 Corinthians 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

1 Corinthians 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

Without a doubt, we as the church the body of Christ has the absolute best healing program in scripture, we get a new body, one fashioned like unto His glorious body! A body incorruptible and immortal.

Philippians 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Philippians 3:21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Is that good enough for you? or would you rather trade that promise for a temporary physical healing as promised to the nation of priests, Israel? Or are you like just about every professing Christian that attends their church every Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night Bible study or Prayer service which first goes for the covenant promises given to Israel concerning physical healing and when that doesn't work out for them, then and only then do they consider Paul and the information Christ had given him for us in this present dispensation of the grace of God. I like what Paul told Timothy, his son in the faith in 2ND Timothy chapter 2 saying......

2 Timothy 2:1 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

That speaks to all of us, we need to be strong in the grace and the grace message. We need to get busy in the marketplace of ideas declaring and presenting the gospel of the grace of God with clarity with assurance as to from whom the message comes which is Christ Jesus for everyone that lives in this present dispensation of God's grace. Teach others the grace message who are able to teach others also, then we will see the growth required to see souls saved and saints edifyed

2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

For the most part, folks will think you are wacko because they never heard of this Mid Acts Pauline dispensational message before. I meant to say the church going crowd will think you are nuts, the unchurched, untainted folks will listen and see the simplicity which is in Christ and you will see the lost get saved. Every once in a while you will encounter an honest church going person consider what you are saying and realize the message you declare is the truth according to the scriptures. I have had the pleasure in seeing an ordained minister in the Church of God come to the understanding of Mid Acts Pauline dispensationalism and say to me that he wasn't sure of his salvation until I presented it to him. What a blessing! It isn't an easy task so prepare for the battle, get engaged.

2 Timothy 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

It is going to be hard but who will do the job if we do not? Soldiers are engaged in battles not sitting in the bunker waiting for the fight to cease. I want to encourage you and myself as well, Be strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus and let's get in the fight!!!

Sorry!!!

2009-08-27T19:24:00.000-07:00

If you have visited this blog before, you know I do not usually post personal details for many reasons, mostly not to bore you to tears but due to something taking place this week I want to apologize for not posting new material. This past Sunday, my dear wife who is awaiting a kidney transplant suffered complete renal failure at home. No kidney function at all. Her blood pressure shot off the chart and was accompanied by nausea and a migraine headache. We headed to the local ER where she was admitted into the hospital to get the wheels turning for her to get on dialysis. Monday, she had a port placed into her chest for hemo-dialysis and received treatment immediately after. Tuesday, she received her second round of treatment and she responded very well regaining her skin tone and color. Wednesday was not as good as she had again another surgery to place a port into her mid section for Peritoneal dialysis in order for us to do the treatments at home. She did not do as well with this surgery due to fluid build up and the starvation required in order to perform the procedure. That brings us to today which was also a rough day as the fluid continues to build up and she has no appetite. The doctors are dealing with the fluid and tells us all of this is normal. My experience with hospitals and the staff tells me that nothing is normal and therefore I have been at the hospital almost 27/7 since Sunday.
Now that I have told you this, I would appreciate it if you would pray for us according to knowledge. Our former pastor came to the hospital to pray for us by request from my wife's parents who are founding members of this Baptist church and it was silly at best. He prayed something like....Oh Lord, help Teresa and Dean get through this situation and pour out blessings on her parents for being faithful to the church. I am not kidding, it was just about exactly what was prayed. Of course the Lord is chastising us for leaving their assembly a few years back, we have heard that mentioned more than once about us being out of the Lord's will. If I'm not mistaken, the Lord's will is found in ....

1 Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

I haven't found any passages or verses that state the Lord's will is that we attend a certain church. I do know the Lord's will can be found in......

1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Before the first surgery we spoke to a nurse for a few minutes, when she had determined we were Christians she wanted to pray for us saying....we are going to pray......

Matthew 18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

Honestly, I had to stop her saying I had the prayer covered. Little does the nurse know, that type of prayer is a covenant prayer for Israel in their kingdom situation and NOT a prayer for anyone living in the last 2000 years in the dispensation of the grace of God where we know not what we should pray for as we ought.....

Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

I wonder if the nurse wanting to invoke the Mathew 18:19 prayer would be willing to invoke Mathew 18:9 in dealing with a sin problem....

Matthew 18:9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

I wonder if her church has eye plucking services or foot lopping revivals. Silly huh? You really make a mess out of your Bible when you fail to rightly divide the word of truth according to Pauline principals. That is why we should pray according to knowledge. In every thing give thanks. We are believers, not beggars. We are thankful, not complainers. We know....

Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Glory and take pleasure in infirmities? in reproaches? in necessities? in persecutions? in distresses for Christ's sake? Take a look at any church bulletin and you will find all these listed in numerous forms for God to take them away. Doesn't sound much like taking pleasure or glorying in now does it? Instead of giving God a grocery list of wants, give him an endless list of thanks for what He has done for you. He saved your never dying soul. HE died for your sins, HE was buried, HE rose the 3RD day according to the scriptures...HE quickened you together with Him having forgiven you ALL trespasses, HE seated you in heavenly places in Christ, HE made you accepted in the beloved by HIS grace, HE blessed you with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places, HE made you complete in Christ, HE baptised you into HIS body, HE baptised you into HIS death. HE blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us .........get the idea? When you begin thanking HIM for what HE has done, whatever situation you are in does not compare to the glory which shall be revealed in us...Thanks be unto God for HIS unspeakable gift!!!!

Thank you all for praying....Grace and Peace!

The Last Word

2009-08-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

If you have followed this blog for a while or have just recently begin following, you know I am not shy when it comes to pointing out the error in the modern church machinery when it comes to doctrine. Recently I posted a series entitled "Discovery Church or Ignorant Brethren" exposing the false teaching on the subject of forgiveness and the misuse of Romans 10:9, 10 and 13 as the plan of salvation. It caught their attention, especially one individual who decided to undertake the defense of their Pastor's teachings by responding to my posts.

This individual and myself played Bible ping pong for a few days posting scriptures back and forth in the attempt to defend our beliefs. The individual responder from Discovery Church made mention more than once they did not know what my doctrine was even after claiming to have read the material contained within this site. That is disingenuous to say the least due to the fact this entire blog is about one thing which is Mid Acts Pauline dispensational right division of the King James Bible. There is no way you could read this blog and have no understanding of what my belief system entails. You can go here and read the entire dialogue between this individual and myself and see for yourself how it evolved into the LAST WORD.

Often times the last word of an individual is very telling to what a person has placed their belief in , this case is no exception and is very revealing. So what I want to do here is give you the verses given me in what I believe was an attempt to disapprove Mid Acts Pauline dispensational right division of the King James Bible.

2 Timothy 3:14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
2 Timothy 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Do you think the responder which gave this passage believes salvation as it is offered today can be found just anywhere in the scriptures? Would that have been the point for the individual to give this passage? Does not verse 14 declare the commendation of the Apostle Paul? Does not verse 15 declare that salvation is in Christ Jesus? The verse does not say you can go anywhere in the scriptures to find the gospel of your salvation ,but they do provide wisdom. Certainly the scriptures provide wisdom in that it makes the Gospel of the Grace of God more distinct comparing what was written aforetime with the doctrines given to Paul for us ward as we operate in this unique dispensation of the grace of God which was kept secret since the world began until it was revealed unto Paul. Verse 16 commends Paul's writings to be just as inspired as what was written aforetime and does not speak to all scripture being our doctrine. That should be so obvious if you have any Bible acumen. Do we bring turtledoves to a priest so that he can offer them upon an alter as an offering for sins? Do we keep the sabbath days? if so, why aren't we killing those that do not keep the sabbath days? Are we to be tithing? If we are to be tithing, what about when we do not tithe? are we under a curse? I thought Christ became a curse for us and nailed it to the cross. You make a mess out of your Bible when you fail to rightly divide the word of truth as Paul instructs in 2ND Timothy 2:15. Moving on to the last passage from the responder in Luke.

Luke 7:49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?
Luke 7:50 And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

Then the responder said "Jesus tells this woman that her "faith" has saved her...and to go in peace. I do the same...I go in peace.

Was this person saying no hard feelings, I go in peace? or was this person saying "my faith has saved me"? You tell me, what is missing in this passage. I'll give you a hint, two pieces of wood and three rusty nails. The woman in the passage was working her brains out doing everything she could to demonstrate her faith in Christ as Israel's king, their messiah. No way in this world was the woman placing her faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as total payment for her sins and his resurrection for her justification. Just 2 chapters later was the first time Jesus told His disciples anything about the crucifixion and they not only had no idea what He was talking about, but they were afraid to ask him.

Luke 9:44 Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men.
Luke 9:45 But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying.

The woman in Luke 7 could not have placed her faith in the finished work of Christ before He had accomplished the work. Nobody was privy to the Gospel of Christ until it was given to Paul in the 9TH chapter of the book of Acts. The dispensation in which we reside did not begin until the 9TH chapter of the book of Acts. What we see going on is what happens when folks move away from the cross in their belief systems. You end up with a gospel without the cross, the blood, the atonement, the resurrection, without grace. It becomes an according to their faith gospel . In this present dispensation of the grace of God, salvation is merited when a soul places his or her faith in the death, the burial and the resurrection of Jesus Christ ALONE. The woman in Luke 7 was demonstrating her faith by works. We demonstrate our faith without works.

Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

The gospel which saves our never dying soul today as we operate in this present dispensation of the grace of God can only be found in Paul's "my gospel" which was kept secret since the world began until revealed to Paul.

1 Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1 Corinthians 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:3 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 Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Paul declares the gospel by which we are saved and our response should be.....

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

It is so simple yet folks want to make it into a process of turning from their sins, forgiving everybody that offended you, asking Jesus into your hearts, praying a sinner's (beggars) prayer, getting water baptized, joining a church, making Jesus Lord of your life......and the list goes on and on. Works, works, works.

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.

Now that I have confronted the error of the responder to the original post, it is time to press on!!!

Another Picker and Chooser

2009-08-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

If you haven't figured it out yet, what the Pickers and Choosers are doing is called proof texting. Proof texting is the method of taking any old verse from anywhere in the Bible and using it to advance an agenda. The agenda may be a good thing or the right thing, but the method to implement the agenda is dishonest and requires one to wrest or spiritualize a passage in order to force performance from their audience. I have already given two examples in the previous posts, here is one more. I have actually heard this one used more than once and see if you have as well.

Bless God Hallelujah, I thank God He has called me here to lead this church as your Pastor. God expects me to watch over this flock and guide you in the right path for straight is the gate and narrow is the way and few there find it. God has spoken to my heart and given me this message to speak today about something that God has brought to my attention lately which needs dealt with. I am speaking about the way certain people in this auditorium are dressing especially you ladies. God is clear in His word which tells you ladies you should not be wearing them pants and slacks and should be wearing dresses. God tells us in Deuteronomy 22 it is an abomination to God when you ladies walk around looking like men wearing those devilish pantsuits....and so on....

Deuteronomy 22:5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.

What just happened? First, the preacher covered himself by saying "God spoke to his heart" and also gave him this message specifically for this assembly. How many times did you hear that one ? Second, the preacher said "God brought it to his attention". If I had a nickel for every time I heard that delivery I would be rich. Third, because the preacher doesn't like ladies wearing certain articles of clothing, namely pants, he is willing to put the people back under the weak and beggarly elements of the law in order to whip them into shape by trotting out Deuteronomy 22:5. Of course the preacher doesn't want his people walking around looking like bums or the ladies letting it all hang out but to put the smackdown on them by putting the yoke of bondage back around their necks is dishonest and demonstrates ignorance to the passage. I wonder if the same preacher or pastor which pulls Deuteronomy 22:5 out of his arsenal to force performance from his people also yields himself to the instruction just six verses away?

Deuteronomy 22:11 Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woolen and linen together.

That would include the elastic in his jockey shorts wouldn't it? How about that polyester tie? As far as I know, every piece of clothing today is a blend of some sort isn't it? Would not there have been a better way to encourage the folks to dress appropriately? Sure there is!

1 Timothy 2:9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

There are a few verses to encourage folks to think about their image or clothing in a way that doesn't force performance based on the law. We are ambassadors for Christ with the word of reconciliation therefore we should look the part and not be conformed to the world. Today there is a movement in evangelical circles which encourages believers to conform to the world calling themselves relevant or cultural Christianity. The music is rock and roll to the core, the musicians dress like they would at any rock concert, the lyrics are all about "love" and if there is any scripture referenced at all, it mostly from Israel's messianic psalms.....but that is another subject.

In the dispensation of the grace of God we have the liberty to do the right thing. People will say things like "you think you can do anything since you are under grace and not the law" and they are right. We could do all the wrong things if we wanted to, we are just not the candidate for doing those wrong things now because the old man has been crucified. We have the liberty to do the right things. When you truly get that doctrine downloaded into your inner man, everything changes and the things of this present evil world have no glimmer, no attraction and no desirable attributes. When the word of God rightly divided resides in your inner man, the effectual working of the word works through you, that is what 2 Timothy 3:17 deals with in saying "throughly furnished" unto all good works.

2 Timothy 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Proof texting is dishonest on many levels and displays the heart of the person attempting to manipulate the folks in their use. Using any old verse because it addresses a certain topic disregarding the audience to whom it was spoken is a disease in mainstream Christianity that needs marked and avoided. Mid Acts Pauline dispensational right division of the KJB is the cure to the problem. Let's press on as we continue to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery!!!

More Pickers and Choosers

2009-08-14T10:37:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been associated with a church assembly where the crowd seemed to be declining for what ever reason or maybe the Sunday night crowd was much less than the morning attendance? Well, if you were not aware of the decline in attendance there is one person who is fully aware of the problem, that being the Pastor. So what is he to do to get the folks coming back to every service? He trots out the well used passage in the book of Hebrews chapter 10 to get his agenda accomplished to put his audience in subjection.

Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Bless God Hallelujah!! Don't you folks be as the manner of some is by not being faithful to your church by staying home and watching American Idol or the football game. God knows who you are (actually, the Pastor knows full well who they are) and He is withholding blessings from those who forsake the assembling. You need to be here whenever these doors are open so God can pour out those blessings beyond that which you can imagine. If God would come this very evening, would He find you being faithful to this assembly or would He find you plopped down on the couch scratching your belly watching the boob tube....and so on......

Certainly the Pastor above has the right motives, he wants you to attend the services provided by your assembly in a faithful manner. Did he go about it in a right manner? Absolutely NOT! He should have just said he would prefer you come to the services provided because he is teaching some important material that you would benefit from hearing, instead, he wrested a scripture to advance the agenda to force performance from the audience. What does that tell you about someone that plucks a verse from anywhere in the Bible to promote an agenda? Does it speak to their ignorance the context of the material? Does it speak to their dishonesty in using verses out of the context in which they are intended for edification? If the person is ignorant of the context, well,,why are they in a teaching position? If they are fully aware of the context and use the passage to force performance from their people, they are dishonest and believes they can control you. None of the choices are very favorable nor demonstrate the unashamed workmanship which is lacking in most if not practically every assembly today. If a Pastor uses a verse to control you....that is wrong. If a Pastor thinks he can control you, well, that is just as wrong. Do you see the problem? If you maintain the use of Hebrews 10:25 was used properly, I would like to hear your exegesis on verse 26, 27, 28 and 29

Hebrews 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,

Hebrews 10:27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

Hebrews 10:28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:

Hebrews 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

Wow, sounds like I better get to every church service a little earlier next week huh? Really now, what is going on in this passage? Sounds like you could lose your salvation in this passage if you sin wilfully . When was the last time you sinned when it was not wilfully? Judgement and fiery indignation? That sounds like Mathew 3:10-11 which is based upon a works, performance, covenant system.

Matthew 3:10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

Well, I must have that right because verse 29 mentions the covenant relationship according to the law....wow...now I see the mention of the law in verse 28. I think I am on to something here, this sounds like Israel's material I am reading. Now I am having a DUH moment, the book is named HEBREWS. Hmmm, I wonder who it is written to?, could it be the Hebrew people? Whenever the Bible separates the Hebrew people from the gentiles, you know this is not material regarding the body of Christ which consists of both Jew and Gentile, for there is no difference. I could go farther with the evidence to whom this passage is written but this is a blog so I want to keep this condensed.

Is there another way to get folks coming back to your church services besides slapping them in Israel's program, under the law in a covenant relationship? Sure there is. Teach them right doctrine for the church, the pillar and ground of the truth. We are the new creation, the church, the body of Christ, not under the law but under grace. We are not to force performance from someone, it is the word of God rightly divided that works effectually in them that believe. The law is not the teacher anymore as it was before faith came, Grace is the teacher for us in this dispensation of the grace of God.

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

Titus 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

We have been set at liberty. We have the liberty to do the right thing which glorifies Jesus Christ who died for our sins, was buried and rose again the third day. We should be looking for the appearing of Christ when we meet Him in the air, not fiery indignation and judgement. We are complete in the complete one, forgiven ALL trespasses, judicially seated in heavenly places, blessed with all spiritual blessings, made accepted in the beloved!

Colossians 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

Colossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

Ephesians 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Thank God for His amazing Grace!

If you teach people who Christ has made them and all He has done for them, why wouldn't they want to come back and learn more? I look for the opportunities to adorn the doctrine given to us from the Apostle Paul delegated to him from my savior, Jesus Christ, do you?

All of that is true when it comes to studying the word of truth, rightly divided. Wouldn't that be a better way to engage folks in learning the material , coming back to additional services throughout the week instead of forcing performance on them by utilizing verses that have nothing to do with the church, the body of Christ or anything being implemented in the dispensation of the grace of God. I think so, but I am just a fella that actually believes his Bible. A Bible believer! what a concept!

Pickers and Choosers

2009-08-13T09:43:00.000-07:00

As I have come unto the full understanding of Mid Acts Dispensational Pauline right division of the authorized King James Bible over the last 5 years or so, I have been accused of or called many things. Folks have poked fun at the fact I actually have a final authority, the authorized King James Bible and reject the perverted versions which utilize the corrupted Westcott and Hort manuscripts. People have said things to me such as "You worship Paul" or "You make too much out of Paul because we are to follow Jesus". People will actually pluck one verse from anywhere in the Bible to attempt to throw a stick in the spokes of your Bible understanding and say things like "See, what do you think about that" never considering the context of the passage or the audience to whom it is directed and at the same time accuse you of picking and choosing which scriptures you accept as doctrine. Let's take a quick look at some verses used by the "pickers and choosers" and see if we can discern the thoughts and intents of their heart.

Have you ever been to a "missionary conference" or have a missionary speak in your assembly in which the verse In Isaiah 6:8 was not referenced to get folks to give funding for a missionary or recruit new missionaries to the field?

Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

Bless God Hallelujah, Is there anyone here who has heard the voice of the Lord speaking to your heart? Which one of you can say "Here I am, send me"? You need to obey the voice of the Lord , He has spoken to your heart and is calling you right now to go the uttermost parts of outer Smackdabbastan, answer that call right now while God is speaking to you, come down front, we have alter workers ready to pray with you. For the rest of you here, God is speaking to your hearts about giving to this missionary so he can go and spread the good news to those afar off, get out those checkbooks and obey the voice of the Lord as the choir sings 3 choruses of I surrender all. .......Did that sound the slight bit familiar? I bet it did. I cannot count the number of times I heard the same sort of thing to get folks to go to the mission field and more importantly, to get you to reach for your wallet and give. Let me get one thing straight right now, I am all for missionaries and all for giving to support them, it is the method used to get the job done that is dishonest. what do I mean by that? Well, just look at the passage in Isaiah 6 and then you tell me if that mission is the same mission your church is sending missionaries on today. Let's see what the sending was to accomplish is Isaiah 6 and then you tell me if that is what missionaries are sent to do today.

Isaiah 6:9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

Isaiah 6:10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

How many missionaries today claiming to have received the call from Isaiah 6:8 are doing as instructed in verses 9 and 10? You cannot name one doing that and rightfully so. The verse was used to force a response, either to go or to give. The preacher or evangelist or missionary picked a verse to promote an agenda without regard to the context of the passage or the audience to whom it was directed primarily to get the money honey. Should people go to the mission field? Yes!, Should people give to the work of the ministry? Yes! Should pastors, preachers and missionaries wrest the scriptures to force a response from people to give or go? NO! What can you discern from a minister that does such a thing? Is the preacher dishonest? how about ignorant? Can you think of any other choices? What does the preacher do when this passage shows up again in....

Matthew 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

Matthew 13:15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Is your church sending missionaries in order that folks WILL NOT understand the gospel? I think not. What happens when the passage turns up again in....

Mark 4:12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

Luke 8:10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

And you thought parables were to make it understandable, when Luke 8:10 proclaims that parables were to NOT make it understandable but were spoken so that folks would NOT understand. What does that do to your exegesis of Luke 15 and the parable of the prodigal son? Again, Isaiah 6:9 and 10 is repeated in....

John 12:39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,

John 12:40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

Clearly, the passage of Isaiah 6 is not a command to preach the Gospel of the Grace of God whereby God will have all men to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth as stated in 1st Timothy 2:4, but just the opposite.

1 Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Clearly, It is not the role of an ambassador for Christ with the word of reconciliation to make people NOT see and NOT understand as the passage in Isaiah states.

2 Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

We are instructed by our Apostle Paul to make people see, not to make people NOT see or understand.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

But many, and by that I mean practically every missionary, preacher and pastor uses Isaiah 6 to garner a response in order to promote an agenda in going and giving. Their motive might be right, their agenda might be right, but to go about it by "picking and choosing" a passage out of it's context is either being ignorant of the message in the passage or being dishonest with the passage. Either choice is not a favorable one and demonstrates a willingness to wrest the scriptures to promote a particular agenda. Did you get it? If not, I have a few more when I continue this discussion on "Pickers and Choosers" Grace and Peace!

We don't need to "get the Bible right"

2009-08-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

I wonder if Jim Jones, founder of Jonestown questioned whether the Word of God is the truth, and as long as he examined his own heart and motives and believed he was in line with the word of God, they were in God's will. That situation did not turn out so well now did it ? even though they were following the instruction in God's word. How about David Koresh of the Branch Davidians, This group is a Sabbath observing group who branched off of the Seventh Day disadvantaged who follow the instructions closely of the word of God, the problem being they are following the instruction for the nation Israel under the law, The Branch Davidians thought they had the Bible right believing the Messiah was about to show up and declare the Last Days were upon them. They were preparing for the great tribulation according to scripture and yet, they had it all wrong not knowing we are in the dispensation of the grace of God and not that of the prophetic period concerning the nation Israel which God Himself has set aside. The Branch Davidians had a major church split to say the least.
If you have been keeping up with the News reports lately, you are probably aware of a family in Wisconsin who believed God would heal their sick daughter of her illness according to their faith and believing prayers. The father and mother believed they were in God's will as they trusted what the scriptures said about God's desire to heal all manner of sickness and yet, the little girl died. What they believed was indeed Biblical. What they were doing was exactly right according to the instruction given in the scriptures. What they were doing was NOT correct according to the instruction given to us in the present dispensation of the grace of God, It is not enough to be Biblical. It is not enough to be scriptural. We must of necessity be dispensational in order to get our Bibles right.
Was Jim Jones heart and motives right? He thought they were as it was Biblically based. Was David Koresh's heart and motives right and in line with the word of God? The boy could quote scripture all day long. How about the father and mother in Wisconsin who lost their little girl due to illness believing God would heal her according to their faith and prayers? Do you think they loved his daughter and only desired for God to heal her? Was his motives and heart right? All of the above mentioned situations ended tragically and in some cases, the loss of multitudes who were involved directly resulted. All three cases were the people involved trusting what was in their Bibles, the problem is they were trusting what was spoken concerning the nation Israel as they operate according to their covenant promises which has absolutely nothing to do with anybody who has been alive for the past two thousand years as we operate according to the mystery information given to the apostle Paul from the risen Christ for us in this present dispensation of the grace of God.
So when someone spouts off a remark saying "we don't need to get the Bible right" you know you are dealing with someone that believes it is all spoken to us and we are to follow whatever it says, whenever it says it no matter to whom it says it because it is all the truth. That is exactly the mindset that led Jim Jones to start Jonestown, David Koresh to head up the Branch Davidians, and that is the mindset of the folks who buried their little girl in March 2008 who died from an illness which could have been easily dealt with under a doctors care.
Jim Jones and David Koresh were following the doctrines given to Israel pertaining to their tribulation period, Daniel's 70Th week, The family is Wisconsin were trusting the Gospel of the Kingdom doctrine pertaining to the "nation of priests" which promises physical healing to Israel because a priest cannot be maimed or lame or have any blemish. We have different marching orders and doctrine today which are found only in Paul's writings. Why is this important? If you are going to tribulation doctrine to find YOUR plan of salvation, you are in the wrong place, If you are following Jesus teachings to the nation of priests, Israel for YOUR salvation, you are in the wrong place. Only through Paul's "my gospel" can you find the gospel of YOUR salvation. You may not come to a tragic ending here on this earth for all to see as Jones, Koresh or the family in Wisconsin. Your end may be just as tragic landing in the pit of Hell, believing your Bibles, trusting the scriptures and yet failing to be dispensational understanding that salvation is by grace through faith alone in the finished work of Jesus Christ in His death, burial and resurrection for your salvation. If you add one measure of works, whether it be turning from your sins, calling on the Lord, confessing Jesus is Lord, making Jesus Lord of your life, a sinner's prayer, whatever it is, it is a work and not faith. We need to get our Bible right by rightly dividing the word of truth!!

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Discovery Church or Ignorant Brethren and The F-Word (part 5)

2009-08-07T19:13:00.000-07:00

Before I move on to the verse that the Pastor of Discovery Church suggested is the way a person obtains salvation, being Romans 10:13. You cannot miss the fact the audience of chapter 9 is none other than unbelieving Israel who had missed their Messiah. Paul addresses them as his kinsmen in the flesh, Israelites to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises. Don't let any of that be wasted on you especially the "covenants" and the "giving of the law". Israel is NEVER separated from the covenant relationship with God, neither are they separated from the law program. New or Old, both covenants contain the law and are for Israel.
Moving into chapter 10 of Romans, Paul continues dealing directly to Israel's situation in having missed their Messiah saying that his hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. Paul speaks to their situation several times quoting Old Testament prophets such as Isaiah, Hosea and Moses with the language that they would be familiar. We come to Romans 10:9-10. the subject is confession, and once again this is Israel's issue and language as we see in the following verses:

John 9:22 These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
John 12:42 Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:
Luke 12:8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
Matthew 10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

Clearly, the issue is confessing Jesus as Israel's Messiah and nothing at all with the Gospel of the grace of God which is trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as full and complete payment for all of your sins. To make it even clearer, 6 chapters after Mathew 10 in chapter 16 is the first time mentioned anything about his crucifixion and their response was:

Matthew 16:22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.

Apparently, Peter did not know the gospel that was going to be given to Paul because the gospel of the grace of of God IS the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ! So in the OT books of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John, confession would have nothing to do with trusting Christ's payment for sins, rather, the issue is Christ being Israel's Messiah.

So, now we have summed up 33 verses of Romans 9, 12 verses of Romans 10, a total of 45 verses in which the Apostle Paul is pouring his heart out over his kinsmen in the flesh pertaining to their situation in missing their Messiah, not one single mention of the gospel of the grace of God, not even a hint of information that was "kept secret since the world began", but only that which was "spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began", not one mention of the church, the body of Christ. And now we come to verse 13 of Romans 10.

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

For what possible reason would you believe that the Apostle Paul ended his conversation with the audience in view, Israel, and has turned to presenting the gospel of the grace of God? Has Paul presented anywhere in Romans 9 or 10 that Christ died for their sins, was buried and that He rose again the 3rd day according to the scriptures and they need to place their faith in what Christ has done which constitutes the gospel of Christ which is the power of God unto salvation? Or could it be Paul is still speaking to Israel concerning their situation and their language with the material they would be familiar? These are questions which demand a DUH response. The gospel which saves our never dying soul in this dispensation of the grace of God has not been presented and what Paul is doing is consistent with the previous 45 verses in that he is speaking to unbelieving Israel concerning their Messiah and their situation by quoting the OT prophet Joel in:

Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

Once again, we see the Apostle to the circumcision, Peter, quoting the same verse in:

Acts 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Joel wasn't presenting the Gospel of Christ, Peter was presenting the Gospel of the grace of God, so what were they talking about? let's see it in the verses between Acts 2:16 and 32.

Acts 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
Acts 2:18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
Acts 2:19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
Acts 2:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:
Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Does the word "tribulation" ring a bell at this point? The time of Jacob's trouble? Certainly you do not have in your belief system that the church, the body of Christ is a partaker of Israel's tribulation period or do you? Let's move on and wrap this up at looking at the verses concluding chapter 10 of Romans.

Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
Romans 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Romans 10:16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10:18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
Romans 10:19 But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.
Romans 10:20 But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.
Romans 10:21 But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.

Verses 14 and 15: Paul quotes Isaiah 52 with the information concerning and familiar to Israel.

Verse 16: Paul quotes Isaiah 53 once again with the information concerning Israel and familiar to them concerning the suffering of their Messiah and His seed which is none other than Israel.

Verse 17: The emphasis is the truth pertaining to the scriptures, the Bible is the absolute truth and the source of everything we know about God.

Verse 18: Paul quotes Psalms 19:4 which pertains to the remnant of Israel.

Verse 19: Paul quotes Deuteronomy 32:21 about a foolish nation which is Peter's little flock of Luke 12:32.

Verses 20 and 21: Once again the Apostle Paul speaks to Israel alone concerning their fallen situation and not a single word of any revelation of a mystery but only that which was spoken by a previous prophet.

Do you see the problem with determining Romans 10:13 is the plan of salvation for anyone today as we operate according to the "my gospel" of the apostle Paul which was kept secret since the world began?

Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Colossians 1:25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
Colossians 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

The problem is the failure to rightly divide the word of truth. All of the Bible is truth, but it also requires to be rightly divided, truth from truth. What is true for one group is not necessarily true for another. The right division is clearly Israel under the law from the church, the body of Christ which is not under the law but under grace. The right division is clearly that which was spoken by all the holy prophets SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN from that which was kept secret SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN. That would constitute rightly dividing prophecy from mystery.

To conclude this post I want to emphasize the importance of getting your Bible right, rightly divided of course, your never dying soul is relying on it. Believing in Jesus will not get you to heaven. Calling on the Lord will not get you to heaven. Following Jesus footsteps or following the information and doctrines of the Old Testament which on the authority of Hebrews 9:15-17 includes Mathew, Mark, Luke and John will not get you to heaven. Being someone that thinks love is the answer for everything will not get you to heaven. Confessing your sins, asking God to forgive you, asking Jesus in your heart, being a God chaser or God stalker (whatever that goofy junk means) will not get you to heaven. Confessing with your mouth will not get you to heaven. Commandment keeping, tithing, getting dunked in a tub of water will not get you to heaven.

Trusting the Gospel WILL get you to heaven!

1 Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1 Corinthians 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

Notice the nomenclature....ARE SAVED...not,,,thou shalt be saved...one is present, the other is yet and still future. So what is this gospel by which we ARE saved?

1 Corinthians 15:3 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 Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

There it is! Christ did everything necessary to save our miserable worthy of Hell souls. HE died for your sins. HE was buried. HE rose again the 3rd day. That is the Gospel of YOUR salvation. NOT confession,,,NOT calling on the Lord,,,,,NOT keeping the commandments,,,,NOT asking Jesus in your heart...NOT making Jesus Lord of your life....and so on....

Your response to the Gospel if either believe and trust or reject it. Rejecting it is not only unbelief in the Gospel, it includes the belief there are other things necessary to seal the deal such as ....Calling on the name of the Lord and thou shalt be saved....Confessing your sins and asking God to forgive you.....getting baptized,,,commandment keeping,,,,repenting of your sins (whatever that means since repent actually means to have a change of mind and is not turning from your sins) Confessing with your mouth and so on and so on. Anything you think you have to do to seal the deal is exactly what will send you to Hell because if you think what Christ did was not sufficient then you are not trusting what Christ did...period. You are saved by Grace through Faith,,,,what does Ephesians 2:8-9 say?

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

And that NOT of yourselves, it is a what of God? A Gift!

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

Have you ever noticed how folks who claim to be saved always boast of how they were saved by the list of works THEY did without as a mention of what Christ did or what Christ did is way down the list after the likes of "I repented of my sins" or "I asked Jesus in my heart" or "I called on the name of the Lord" or "I love Jesus with all my heart" responses.

You have heard the Gospel of YOUR salvation in 1ST Corinthians 15:1-4, your response should line up with Ephesians 1:13.

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

If the sentence structure is too difficult, read it backwards. You were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise...after that you believed....the gospel of YOUR salvation,,,which you got from the word of truth,,,

Sounds too easy doesn't it? If it is so easy, why are you finding it so difficult? Ponder that until next time and I will try to conclude this look into the perverted teaching which is mainstream in practically ever church you will find in your phonebook. Discovery Church is not the only assembly which fails to "rightly divide" the word of truth, it just happens to be one in my particular area. It is not about persons or personalities and was never intended to be taken personally. It has been from the outset about......the doctrine.

Discovery Church or Ignorant Brethren and The F-Word (part 4)

2009-08-02T08:33:00.000-07:00

The last post on this response to the post on Pastor Jason''s blog dealing with the topic of forgiveness, the pastor showed his hand in saying and referring to Romans 10:13 as to how a soul is saved. I left off in part 3 of my commentary demonstrating the intended audience, beginning in Romans 9 is not anyone that has been alive for about 2000 years, instead was directed to stumbling, falling, blinded Israel. Today, the stumbling and falling is completed and is not taking place, rather, Israel has fallen and has no standing. Last time, I demonstrated every verse in Romans 9 has Israel's address on it as well as Romans 10 up to and including verse 5. Why would anyone think the Apostle Paul would shift gears in the next few verses and begin dealing with the church, the body of Christ at this point?

Romans 10:6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
Romans 10:7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

Did you see the issue being presented to Israel? Is the gospel of the grace of God being presented anywhere in the scriptures from Romans 9:1 to this point? No, the issue for Israel is faith and accepting their Messiah, Jesus Christ as it was pointed out in the previous chapter in verses 29- 32.

Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Is the issue being discussed the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as a substitutionary atonement or propitiatory sacrifice? or is the issue the personage of Jesus Christ? The matter of confession is always Israel's issue and language. In the OT book of Mathew we see Jesus sending his men only to Israel and not to Gentiles, and with the message concerning confession of Christ as their Messiah.

Matthew 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
Matthew 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Matthew 10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

Have you noticed the many times Paul says "as it is written" or simply quotes passages from the prophetic books in order to upbraid his kinsmen in the flesh, Israel as to what they missed? The next verse is another example demonstrating to his brethren that they missed their Messiah.

Romans 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Paul is quoting Old Testament passages showing them Jesus is their Messiah being presented in their books, in this case, the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 28:16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

Paul is without a doubt addressing Israel concerning their prophetic program with Christ seated on David's throne in Zion. No where in this passage beginning from Romans 9:1 has Paul presented the gospel of 1ST Corinthians 15:1-4, instead, Paul is speaking their language and addressing their problem being they missed their Messiah and their need to make a decision. That decision would be to accept Jesus as their Messiah. The next verse throws a lot of folks off since it says "Greek" but we must remember there were also Gentile proselytes into the nation Israel such as Cornelius in Acts chapter 10.

Romans 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

I want to stop here before going to the verse in view from the original post, that being Romans 10:13 because that is the verse the Pastor uses to demonstrate how a soul is saved today. What a mess we can make out of our Bibles if we do not pay attention to who is speaking, to whom are they speaking, and do we fit in the audience spoken to. If we fail to heed to those instructions, we can easily demonstrate that salvation would be by works, keeping the commandments or any number of things. It is so important to get it right, your never dying soul relies on your getting it correct. I'll pick up in verse 13 of Romans 10 as I proceed with this commentary next time. Grace and Peace!

Responses So Far...

2009-08-01T14:00:00.000-07:00

To to be honest, I was not looking for any positive responses regarding the series I began a week or so ago examining a teaching point being delivered to Discovery Church from their Pastor Jason Ebeling. What I was expecting was more of a defence to the issue on the table, the doctrine. Of course, many people emailed me saying I was mean, low, attacking their preacher. On one comment, I was referred to as a blog stalker and implied I did not have a heart for God and others, and the sort, never once mentioning what the whole post is about, the doctrine. In any of my posts, I never once called anyone, the Pastor, or any attendee of this church a derogatory name such as stupid, dump, idiots, the whole post is directed at, the doctrine. So, the problem must be twofold as I can see it.

First, the responders do not understand the use of the word Ignorant, instead believing I said they were all boneheads over there, which is not the case. Ignorant from the root word "Ignore" means to simply be missing some information or are choosing to dismiss some information Even the corrupted text of the NIV contains the word "Ignorant" so these folks should be familiar with the language. Secondly, the responders are more interested in a person instead of what matters most, which would be, the doctrine.

I was referred to as a "jerk" on the Discovery Church blog by someone that is active in ministry in my area claiming to be on a mission to see the restoration of the Kingdom to Israel (the tabernacle of David) as set forth in Acts 15. What are the chances this person is preaching Christ according to the revelation of the mystery, or making all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery?, but rather they are engaged in an activity God himself has set aside for this present dispensation of the grace of God? But without controversy, the most amazing response is on the blog of the Pastor. Pay attention to what this responder is defending, it is not , the doctrine!

Dean, I'm sorry, but please stop. You might not approve of our pastor or disagree with his theology or even think he is a heretic. That's fine. However, even if he's completely wrong, an ignorant brethren (as you called him in your blog), or not even a Christian, for you to use this as an opportunity to to try and tear him down is just low and mean. I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish by acting this way, but it's not appreciated by any of us. Maybe that will make you happy or maybe you'll use this as fodder for your blog to point out how we are all blinded by the tainted doctrine he's spewing from the pulpit or something, but none of us put any respect into the hurtful ways you choose to make your points.

This, like every responder so far has defended the Pastor and not, the doctrine. I know, it's not popular to actually be a Bible believer, or use the scriptures as they are intended to be used as 2ND Timothy tells us in....

2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

2 Timothy 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Doctrine, reproof, correction, for instruction in righteousness. Doctrine schmoctrine. Reproof, can't have that. Correction, no way, we can't offend the tithers. Instruction in righteousness, that one's okay as long as we follow Jesus. Burger King was not the first to offer a "have it your way" menu, churches have been operating that way for way too long. Perfect, furnished unto all good works cannot be accomplished until you get the doctrine right, and that requires reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness. But who cares about the doctrine? Do you?

Discovery Church or Ignorant Brethren and The F-Word (part 3)

2009-07-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

If you have read the original post entitled The F-Word (part 1), and then look at my commentary on the error in the teaching being presented on the topic of forgiveness, you will come to the same conclusion I am realizing as I continue this series....this is going to take quite a while due to the fact the Pastor uses so many verses that have absolutely nothing to do with anyone that has been alive for the past 2000 years. I may not choose to comment on part 2 and part 3 of Pastor Jason's blog post due to the amount of posts and time it would require to do an adequate job in demonstrating what is obvious to anyone that understands right division. You know, it is easy to do a word search in a Bible program , in this case the word is forgiveness, and then believe every time the word is mentioned it is right doctrine for yourself without taking into consideration as to when it was spoken, who is speaking, and to whom is the speaker speaking to. Clearly, that is the case with this Pastor's post, never considering the above mentioned criteria. Let's see to whom Jesus, while in His earthly ministry was speaking.

Matthew 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
(instructions to His disciples) Matthew 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
John 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
John 1:31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
Luke 1:69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
Romans 15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:

That is just a few, but if you believe your Bibles, you MUST believe Jesus only came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel in His earthly ministry. If you do NOT believe that, well, you will never get your Bibles right. I say that from experience and have no fear of contradiction. Let me get back on track now in the original post where the Pastor says....

Since that's the case, we know that all who call on the Lord will be saved, they'll be forgiven,

That is in the Bible, but that is not spoken to us. That portion of scripture is from Romans 10:13 saying...

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

The speaker is the Apostle Paul, but to whom is Paul speaking. The Apostle Paul is indeed the Apostle given the information by the risen Lord Jesus Christ for us in this present dispensation of the grace of God, but Paul does not always address only the body of Christ. For example....

Romans 2:17 Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,

So when we approach the verse in Romans 10, we must determine to whom is Paul presenting the material. We can find the initial presentation beginning in Romans 9 where the Apostle Paul begins this material saying....

Romans 9:1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,
Romans 9:2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.
Romans 9:3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:
Romans 9:4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;

Paul's brethren, his kinsmen according to the flesh, Israelites. Is it me, or is Paul speaking to Israel here? Continuing on...

Romans 9:5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

Did Paul just say that Christ came in the flesh for Israel? Kind of sounded like Romans 15:8 once again.

Romans 9:6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
Romans 9:7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Romans 9:8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

My, can there be any doubt to whom Paul is speaking? I am not going to post the whole chapter because that would take to much space and people tend to lose interest. Every verse in chapter nine has Israel's address all over it, and not only chapter 9, the material being presented continues in chapter 10.

Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
Romans 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
Romans 10:3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
Romans 10:5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

Seeing a pattern yet? Paul names the audience as Israel, also pay attention to the little words also such as "they" and "them". Words mean stuff and in this case they and them ain't us, it's Israel. I am going to stop here as we approach the scripture in question which is Romans 10:13. Digest what has been presented so far and I will pick up in Romans 10 about verse 6 next time. If you do not see with clarity to whom this passage is intended, read it again, it screams off the page having Israel's address all over it. Romans should be the first book taught to a new believer, if it was, we wouldn't have all the problems in the church machinery as we do today. Until next time.....Grace and Peace!!

Discovery Church or Ignorant Brethren and The F-Word (part 2)

2009-07-28T18:22:00.000-07:00

This next section concerning the topic of "forgiveness" in the original post authored by the Pastor of Discovery Church is without a single doubt the root cause of the error in doctrinal understanding not only this church, but every church that fails to rightly divide the word of truth. Firstly, the Pastor states that for this series covering the topic of forgiveness, they are setting up "base camp" in Psalms 32. To base the teaching series on the Old Testament doctrines given to a nation under their covenant, under the law, before the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, before the dispensation of the grace of God, before the revelation of the mystery was known by anyone alive at that time......well, how can I say this without being hard? I'll just say it would be likened unto starting a race facing the wrong direction. It would be difficult if not impossible to end up in the right place. And as we continue, the direction never changes but stays exactly where it begins...in the doctrines associated and directed solely to the nation Israel under their covenant. To make this a little easier, I will re post this next section here for a quick reference.

That promise is available, but not guaranteed. This was by far the most troubling thought for many - that forgiveness is conditional. Look at Ephesians 4:32 where Paul writes "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you" Our forgiveness of others (believers here) is to be modeled after God's forgiveness of us through Christ. Since that's the case, we know that all who call on the Lord will be saved, they'll be forgiven, but there are some who call, who won't repent, who won't believe and they won't be forgiven. Not because forgiveness wasn't offered, but because the conditions weren't met.

Did you see the conditions to be saved in that paragraph? Calling on the Lord, repenting, and believing. That all sounds good doesn't it? But is it right? Here lies the problems. First, No scripture directs us to "call on the Lord to be saved". Second, the word "repent" means to have a change of mind and does not speak to lifestyle modification as implied in the above paragraph. Third, "believe" is not specific, believe in what exactly? I would lean to the thinking the use of word "believe" would be referring to the belief in Jesus rather than believing, trusting and placing your faith in the Gospel of the grace of God wherein Jesus died for our sins, was buried and rose the third day which constitutes the Gospel as set forth by the Apostle Paul in 1ST Corinthians 15:1-4. If the uses of the word "believe" in the original post does indeed refer to the Gospel, than, the Pastor is saying that the finished work of Christ is insufficient and there is a list of work we must do to seal the deal. Either way you look at it, it is disturbing, even to the point of preaching another gospel.

Since there is a great deal of material to cover from that paragraph, there is no way to handle it in just one response, therefore, let's look at the scripture which was quoted, Ephesians 4:32 and next time I will handle the scripture which was NOT quoted but was suggested in the saying "calling on the Lord" which is Romans 10:13 and we will wee how that works out.

Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

So from this great verse, can you tell for what sake we are forgiven? Is it for YOUR sakes? Could it be for the sake that there was a confession? How about for the sake since there was a change in lifestyle? Do you forgive others for their sakes seeing they came and asked for forgiveness? If my English teachers were correct, and I think they were way back then, the verse clearly says, we forgive as God forgave us, for Christ's sake. Isn't that fairly simple? Why and how could you make it anymore than what it so plainly says, we forgive for Christ's sake. Did not Jesus die for the forgiveness of ALL of our sins? Does the blood shed on Calvary's cross have the efficiency to forgive ALL of our sins or was it insufficient?

Colossians 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Where is the forgiveness of sins? Is it in asking for it? Is forgiveness found in repenting as it is commonly used to mean a change in direction or lifestyle? Could this mean forgiveness is settled when you call on the Lord, or as the Pastor seems to imply, when someone comes to you and asks for forgiveness? I think not! It's in the blood that was shed ONCE nearly 2000 years ago settling once and for all the issue of forgiveness, for Christ's sake.

2 Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Why does that verse say that God is not imputing trespasses unto us? Because God is not imputing trespasses unto us. God imputed them unto Jesus Christ on Calvary's cross. If I am not mistaken, that didn't happen yesterday or last week, it was nearly 2000 years ago and remains in effect unto this day. You certainly wouldn't expect Jesus to come back and die on the cross again and again and again would you? He did it once, for all. The reconciliation was put in place, you get in on that reconciliation when you place your trust and faith in what Christ did in His death, burial and resurrection. The issue is no sins, the issue is the Gospel of Christ, the power of God unto salvation. To tie this all together with where we started in Ephesians 4:32, our forgiveness of others is suppose to be based on the very fact that God forgave us for Christ's sake. So we are to also forgive others for Christ's sake. They do not have to earn our forgiveness , nor do we have to earn our forgiveness from God. If you hold to the belief system including turning from your sins to be saved, calling on the Lord, enduring unto the end, and whatever else you attach to the Gospel of the grace of God, the scripture is clear in Galatians 1:7 declaring that you are perverting the Gospel, in verses 8 and 9 declaring what you are doing is accursed. It is time to get it right, better yet, get it rightly divided and quit blending the doctrines of law and grace, prophecy and mystery, Israel's covenant doctrines with that given to Paul for usward, the doctrines of the grace of God in this present dispensation of the grace of God. We do not accept Christ, He makes us acceptable in the beloved by His grace.

Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

I hope I have made my point. If not, I'll take another swing at it next time as I pick up in the same paragraph where the Pastor of Discovery Church says "we know that all who call upon the Lord will be saved" which is in Romans 10:13. If I keep taking swings at the material I am bound to make contact at some point and this will all make perfect sense to someone wherein they will respond saying "why didn't I see this sooner" Until next time, Grace and Peace!

Discovery Church or Ignorant Brethren and The F-Word (part 1)

2009-07-26T10:21:00.000-07:00

This post is a commentary based on the blog from the Pastor of Discovery Church in Winterville, NC. in which he tackles the subject of forgiveness in a 3 part series. This is not a personal attack on anyone involved with this establishment, the fact is I have never met anyone even remotely connected to this church . The issue being discussed here is doctrinally based alone. As sure as I am writing this, someone from Discovery Church will take this personally and never consider what is being presented in order to demonstrate the error in their belief system which needs corrected, even saying something like "we must be doing something right" because we are being attacked or criticized. That approach to a serious matter such as forgiveness is not only sophomoric but is just silly. You can agree or disagree with what is about to be presented, I only ask that you consider what I say first before you come to any defensive conclusion based upon friendships or association.

2 Timothy 2:7 Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.

Before getting started , I recommend going here and read part one of the series entitled the "F-Word" so you will have an understanding to the material being presented in this commentary.

Now, if you read the original post, or if you have it onscreen, take note of the first mention of scripture being referred to as the base camp, Psalms 32. Ask yourself this, is the church, the body of Christ mentioned in Psalms 32 or any of the other 149 Psalms? Does David mention the dispensation of the grace of God anywhere in the psalms? How about the Gospel of Christ which is the power of God unto salvation? Does Psalms 32 speak to our sins being imputed to Jesus Christ on Calvary's cross? Does David make mention of any people other than Israel in a positive manner? Does David mention the blood of Christ being beneficial for forgiveness? Then what is David talking about? Let's see.

Psalms 14:7 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
Psalms 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
Psalms 22:23 Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
Psalms 25:22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.
Psalms 59:5 Thou therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah.
Psalms 73:1 Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.
Psalms 135:4 For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.
Psalms 147:19 He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.

You can close your eyes and jump in the book of Psalms anywhere and hit on to whom the Psalms are written to and concerning. It doesn't take a scholar to see that Psalms is written about the nation Israel and not the body of Christ. It is difficult at best to end in the right place if you are starting in the wrong place. In Biblical exegesis, it is impossible to do and at the same time retain scriptural integrity without twisting and wresting scripture and doctrine. So, as we start this commentary a major problem has surfaced. The failure to "rightly divide" the word of truth is not optional, it is vital in getting it right.

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

It requires study, and in this passage you can see it also is noted in the word "workman" as work. It isn't easy at first, until you see the clear doctrinal distinctive and purpose associated with the two, Israel and the body of Christ. The lack of study is one obstacle to overcome, another obstacle is what Paul refers to in 2ND Corinthians 4:3-4 saying....

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.

Doctrine doesn't mean anything to a lost person. It is impossible to have a doctrinal discussion with someone that hasn't been saved and it is useless to try, it would be like explaining the color blue to a blind man, you cannot do it. You cannot say it is like the color of the sky when they haven't seen the sky. The god of this world, Satan, is not engaged in sin encouragement ie "the devil made me do it " mentallity, Satan is engaged in doctrinal issues as seen in ....

1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

Am I saying the Pastor of Discovery Church isn't saved? Well, according to the post entitled "F-Word", why would I believe he is saved at all? As you read his blog, you see in the third paragraph him equating salvation with calling on the Lord. But, we will look into that as this commentary continues in my next post. I will leave this one where it is and pick up on his use of Ephesians 4:32. Let me say this in ending, I am not judging one's salvation fore I also am not capable of passing the sentence, but I can discern from a person's own words as to what they are trusting for their salvation, and this Pastor hasn't indicated anything other than confusion pertaining to salvation as it is activated in this present dispensation of the grace of God. Keep checking back as I will endeavour to demonstrate the rightness of Mid Acts dispensational right division of the authorized KJB. Grace and Peace!

Discovery Church or Ignorant Brethren?

2009-07-23T16:05:00.000-07:00

Did I just call Discovery Church the Ignorant Brethren? You could say that I did, but I wasn't the first. The Apostle Paul made the same statement to those who are ignorant of the revelation of the mystery, the dispensation of the grace of God given him through Jesus Christ. In Romans 11, the Apostle Paul, speaking to his kinsmen in the flesh explains to them that their favored nation status, according to their covenant, has been set aside.

Romans 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

Israel today has no standing, they have stumbled, blinded and have fallen. Salvation has now come to the Gentiles.

Romans 11:11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

So does this mean the Church, the body of Christ has replaced the nation Israel? No, not at all. The church which is His body is not a nation, is not "born again" Israel receiving their New Testament, we are something totally different with a different purpose. We are the "new creation" and not something "born again" Something that is "new" cannot be the same as something that is "again". That should be so easy to understand and yet it goes right over every one's head, especially those who have the red ink of the OT books of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John all over their fingers.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Old things are passed away would not be you having stopped cussing, smoking 3 packs of cigarettes a day and having that Budweiser after work, although I don't believe those things are good ensamples of someone that is Christ's ambassador. The old things passed away would be referring to Israel, the law, commandment keeping, sabbath observing, tithing, and the other statutes God had put in place for Israel according to their covenant. The next verse should tie the rag on the bush saying:

2 Corinthians 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

Certainly, your bad habits were not of God. It could only be the things associated with the nation Israel seeing they have stumbled, blinded and have fallen. So what does all of this have to do with Discovery Church? Easy. If you are instructing your people according the OT doctrines associated with Israel's covenant concerning their "kingdom at hand" Gospel, you would qualify yourself as the "ignorant brethren" of Romans 11:25. And that is exactly what is going on in this institution called Discovery Church in Winterville, NC. The pastor of this establishment has posted a 3 part series on his blog entitled "The F-Word" dealing with forgiveness. The approach this Pastor takes is not uncommon for someone that thinks their marching orders come from the red letters. The belief that you can go anywhere in the Bible for doctrine is not surprising in any way, but it demonstrates the failure to distinguish that the Bible is progressive in revelation and does not have the same instruction for every audience at all times. The next few posts will be dealing with the posts by http://www.jasonebeling.com/ on his blog where I will be demonstrating the dangerous doctrine being taught in this church. It will be presented not only to warn ,but also as a teaching tool to show the rightness of Mid Acts Pauline dispensational right division of the authorized King James Bible.

Colossians 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

Compare and Contrast (part 6)

2009-07-21T18:39:00.000-07:00

This will be the last post comparing and contrasting verses to demonstrate the different message given to Israel according to their covenant, commandment keeping, performance oriented doctrines with that of the grace doctrines given to the church, the body of Christ through the Apostle Paul for this present dispensation of the grace of God. The next two verses were two that got me to realize the importance of 2ND Timothy 2:15 which says:

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

These next two verses for comparison deal with the forgiveness of trespasses. One is conditional, the other is unconditional. Can you determine which is which?

Matthew 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

COMPARE TO:

Colossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

I know, that was too easy. Mathew 6:14 is so clearly conditional on your performance it jumps off the page. The next verse makes it even clearer in:

Matthew 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Forgiveness of trespasses based upon your own forgiveness of others. That is so plainly a covenant position and could not be twisted to say otherwise. The key word in any covenant is "IF". If you do something, then God will do something. We can look at a vast number of verses demonstrating the covenant doctrines given to Israel but one that everybody should be familiar with is a bumper sticker verse from 2ND Chronicles saying:

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Notice the very first word, "If "followed by the response to the correct action, "then". If and then constitute a covenant relationship. We today have no leverage over God by following the doctrines associated with Israel's covenant. We have a more excellent way. We place our faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, His death, burial and resurrection for the total payment for ALL of our trespasses and sins. That is why Colossians 2:13 states He has forgiven us ALL our trespasses. Our trespasses had not even occurred when this passage was written, yet they were already forgiven. When you make that statement to your church friends, they look at you like you have two heads or have gone off the deep end with no water in the pool. The answer is easily found in 2ND Corinthians 5 stating:

2 Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

It has been nearly 2000 years since the dispensation of the grace of God was instituted and yet, your church going friends go to churches where they will pray the Mathew 6 disciples prayer saying "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others their trespasses against us". How sad that is when the truth is God hasn't imputed trespasses unto men for nearly 2000 years. Talk about a steep learning curve, mercy. The truth is, this is a vital understanding of the revelation of the mystery given to the Apostle Paul for us ward. If a person dies and goes to Hell during this present dispensation of the grace of God, it isn't because of their sins, it would be because they have failed to put their faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, His death, His burial, His resurrection.....alone. God placed our sins upon Christ on Calvary's cross, imputation. When we trust in what He did, God places His righteousness to our account, imputation.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

These types of comparison and contrasting could continue for quite a while. Instead, start making a list of your own. Do the study and be the unashamed workman approved unto God, rightly dividing the word of truth. It gets easier and easier once you see the clear separation of law and grace, prophecy and mystery, Israel and the church the body of Christ. Oh, I forgot one. James 2:24 compared to Romans 5:1. I have an idea....you do the comparison and contrast the verses. It is enjoyable and more importantly, it is edifying. Grace and Peace!

Compare and Contrast (part 5)

2009-07-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

When buying or selling a home, the three most important factors in determining the worth of the property are location, location and location. When studying the word of God as it pertains to the church which is His body, location is always a key factor to pay attention to as we look at the next set of comparison verses.

Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

COMPARE TO:

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

The Kingdom mentioned in the passage from Luke 12 is the same as spoken of in the following passage from Mathew saying....

Matthew 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Matthew 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
Matthew 25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Matthew 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

The earthly, Davidic, Messianic Kingdom on this earth with Christ seated on David's throne with the 12 apostles sitting on twelve thrones judging the Assemblies of God, the Southern Baptist Convention, the Methodist, the Church of Christ, and let's not forget the emergent church which is ravaging so called Christian circles today. Well, if you think the OT books including Mathew, Mark, Luke and John are where you go for doctrine, as the night follows the day, you think Mathew 19:28 would have to include you. The remarkable truth is it is written to Israel and Israel alone as they await their kingdom on this earth.

Matthew 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Even after the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, the apostles concern was about the timing of the restored kingdom to Israel as seen in....

Acts 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

Well, in short, Jesus told them to hold their pants on because it wasn't for them to know when it was to be given them.

Acts 1:7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

Jesus didn't tell them things concerning the dispensation of the grace of God which was about to be revealed to another man named Saul. It was kept secret. That means he didn't tell anyone. When God keeps a secret, it is indeed a secret. Nobody before the Apostle Paul had any clue about going to heaven, being justified without the law, or that a gentile dog could gain favor with God without the institution of the nation Israel. Paul explains that our blessings today are in heavenly places and not an earthly kingdom. Paul distinguishes the earthly program from the heavenly in passages such as:

Philippians 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
Philippians 3:18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
Philippians 3:19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
Philippians 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

How many of your Church of Christ friends have their focus on the kingdom? How about your Baptist buddies? When they speak of the "kingdom" and use terminology about the kingdom and living in the kingdom, what do you think they are referring to? They believe either we are in Israel's earthly kingdom now, or, they are ushering it in. Both scenarios are dreadfully wrong. They draw no distinctions between the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven or the kingdom of His dear son. Philippians 3:17-29 pulls no punches in calling them out as the "enemies of the cross of Christ".

In the OT book of Mathew, Jesus teaches His disciples in what manner to pray focusing on the kingdom being brought down to this earth in :

Matthew 6:10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Israel's focus is on the earthly kingdom. Our focus is not on the earthly kingdom but instead where Christ is seated.

Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Colossians 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Things that are different are not the same, they are different. Rightly dividing the word of truth according to Mid Acts Pauline dispensational principals is the key to Biblical understanding.

Compare and Contrast (part 4)

2009-07-20T15:46:00.000-07:00

The next set of comparison verses do not require a global positioning system to determine the seating position of Jesus Christ. One verse declares His future seating on David's throne which would be on this earth, the other declares Jesus Christ is seated in heavenly places. The difference is not only the location, but also to whom they are speaking to. Israel looks forward to Christ seated on David 's throne in Jerusalem, the church the body of Christ has Christ now seated in heavenly places as the head of the church. Things that are different are different. The earth is not heaven and heaven is not earth.

Acts 2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

COMPARE TO:

Ephesians 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

How could these two verses possibly be saying the same thing? If Christ is seated on David's throne now, let's pack up the minivan and drive to Israel because I cannot wait to see Jesus. But for that to be true, you would also have to believe the earth is "heavenly places" or we are living in the Kingdom now, right? All I can say is that if we are in the Kingdom now, it is a pretty messed up Kingdom and we need to find a new King. Okay, I was being sarcastic. The right way of taking these verses into perspective is to "rightly divide the word of truth". Israel's hope is not our hope and neither is our hope theirs. Jesus will indeed return to the earth and set up His kingdom and sit on David's throne. The apostle Peter gives the breakdown to the audience of his message in a few chapters later saying.....

Acts 5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

Pretty clear that the message of Acts 2 refers to the same audience of Acts 5 wouldn't you say? Israel. Our Apostle Paul on the other hand tells us where our affections are to be placed as stated in Colossians 3 saying....

Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

I'll say it again, things that are different are different and not the same and should be respected as such and not wrested to fit your belief system. Let the word of God say what it says to whom it says, when it says, and the Bible will make perfect sense. The same God who inspired the scriptures which are profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and instruction is righteousness gave to the Apostle Paul information that was never given to the Apostle Peter, but was kept secret since the world began. Paul's message is for us living today in this present dispensation of the grace of God. Peter's message is for the covenant kingdom people of the nation Israel concerning their future kingdom on this earth. How can you combine them and maintain scriptural integrity? answer: You cannot! Right division according the Mid Acts Pauline Dispensationalism is right, all other contenders fail miserably.

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Compare and Contrast (part 3)

2009-07-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

Comparing and contrasting verses is the method of study that turned the lights on in my thinking when I was first discovering the importance of rightly dividing the word of truth. The verse in 2ND Timothy that explains how study should operate is not optional but necessary in having the correct understanding of the Bible. The next two verses in comparison should jump off the page when you read them in that one person was speaking about what everybody knew, and the other speaking about what nobody knew. Pay close attention to the last four words in each verse beginning with Peter in Acts 3 compared to Paul in Romans 16. Both Apostles were on the scene at the same time and yet had entirely different messages.

Acts 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

COMPARE TO:

Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

Since the world began. See it? How many times did you read these verses and not see the difference? It was quite a few for me. Peter was preaching according to what was spoken by all the holy prophets SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN. On the other hand, Paul was preaching Christ according to the revelation of the mystery, which was KEPT SECRET.....SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN. Now it isn't difficult to understand that if something was kept secret since the world began, it would not be the same as that which was spoken by all the holy prophets since the world began. What Paul was preaching was entirely new information never before revealed to anyone prior to the Apostle Paul. What was known and what was kept secret are mutually exclusive.

The Lord Jesus while in His earthly ministry confirming the promises made unto the fathers said in John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Paul, on the other hand said that what he is preaching is unsearchable in Ephesians 3:8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

The scriptures are progressive in revelation. What was correct doctrine in times past would not be correct in the "but now" dispensation of the grace of God. If your belief system has not progressed past the red letters of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John and the early part of the book of Acts, you need to get up to speed operating where God is operating today.

Galatians 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

Paul preached Christ according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began. Paul did not preach baptism in water, tithing, enduring unto the end to be saved, commandment keeping, Sabbath observing, and so on. Paul preached only what was revealed unto him from the risen Christ, Acts 9 and after. What is your preacher preaching? Does your preacher preach Christ according to the revelation of the mystery? or does he preach the "any other gospel" as stated in Galatians 1:8? This is serious business and deserves to be respected as such.

Compare and Contrast (part 2)

2009-07-18T17:52:00.000-07:00

As we continue to compare and contrast verses spoken to different audiences, I will be the first to admit the material was not installed into my inner man by a Holy Ghost unction or anointing, but rather through the process of study. In the next two verse comparisons, the contrast is stark. There is absolutely no way Jose that you can read the verses below and conclude they are saying the same thing. Let's take a look.

Deuteronomy 6:25 And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.

COMPARE TO:

Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

This one is obvious is it not? Deut.6:25; Righteousness by DOING something, keeping the commandments. Romans 10:4; Christ is the END of the law for righteousness!

The Apostle Paul speaks to the fact that righteousness WAS by commandment keeping and validates Deut.6:25 in Romans 10:5 saying......For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

One of my favorite verses in the entire Bible is Galatians 2:20 , I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. The next verse is often ignored, verse 21 should be a cross reference for Romans 10:4 if it is not already.

Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Today, as we operate under the doctrines associated with the dispensation of the grace of God, things have changed. We are not under the performance requirements under the law for our source of righteousness as seen in verses such as....

John 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Acts 10:35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
Matthew 19:17 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.
Matthew 19:21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

That is just a sampling of verses demonstrating the command to DO STUFF in order to be acceptable and counted as righteous. Our Apostle Paul ,for this present dispensation of the grace of God given to him for usward has an entirely different message, as we see in the following verses.

Titus 3:5 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;
Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
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.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Righteousness is not earned by doing stuff. Righteousness cannot be by keeping the commandments. Righteousness cannot be obtained by selling your stuff and giving to the poor and following Jesus footsteps any longer. There is a new message, new doctrines, new marching orders and new commandments given for us operating today in this dispensing of God's grace. Righteousness is imputed to our account when we trust the finished work of Jesus Christ in that He died for your sins, was buried, and rose the third according to the scriptures. It is a trade off, Christ took your sins on the cross, you trust in Him and He imputes His righteousness to your account. Paul speaks concerning Abraham in Romans 4 dealing with this imputation of righteousness.

Romans 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
Romans 4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Clearly, the Bible does not say the same thing to everyone at all times. Moses was given the information by Jehovah God for the nation Israel the same as Paul was given the information by the risen Lord Jesus Christ for the church, the body of Christ for this present dispensation of the grace of God. Things that are different are different and need not be wrested to fit your theology. If something does not fit into your belief system, your belief system needs adjusted, not the inerrant infallible word of God in the authorized King James Bible. Do not make the mistake so many folks fall into thinking you can go anywhere in the scriptures for your doctrine. Paul was clear in 2ND Timothy 2:15 saying the correct understanding of God's words are only improvable by implementing right division. It's so easy, what's Israel's is Israel's, what is for the body of Christ is for the body of Christ. They are different and demand to be "rightly divided.

Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Compare and Contrast (part 1)

2009-07-15T17:43:00.000-07:00

An excellent method in demonstrating the Mid Acts Pauline dispensational distinctive is to compare side by side verses from Paul's gospel of the grace of God, and the other being from Israel's covenant kingdom gospel. Most church going folks who claim to be Bible believing Christians do not know the difference between the two gospels given to two different audiences which have two different marching orders with two different outcomes in two different locations. Sounds simple doesn't it? It is simple when you allow the words to say what they say to whom they say them. So, let's look at a few and break them down, then you can begin to see the importance of 2ND Timothy 2:15 wherein we can "rightly divide" the word of truth and be the unashamed workman approved unto God.

1 John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

COMPARE TO:

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Does it get anymore obvious then these two verses? One has the unction or anointing of the Holy Ghost teaching you ALL things, the other requires study and work. Have you ever noticed the churches such as the Assemblies of God, the Church of God, all Pentecostal churches for that matter who claim to have the "anointing" also have Sunday School classes? Isn't that slightly on the double minded side? Even my former church which is named after an OT law abiding Jew (Baptist) would always pray before service for the "anointing" in the messages. If you have this anointing whereby you need no instruction, what's the deal with all the Sunday School programing ? Why does these same churches have Wednesday evening teaching services disguised as prayer meetings? So who are these anointed ones that need no teaching because they know all things? They are the audience of Ezekiel 36:24-27, Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Hebrews 8:8-10.

Ezekiel 36:24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
Ezekiel 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
Ezekiel 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

When did God take you (Israel) from among the heathen and gather you (Israel) out of all countries and bring them into their own land? Acts 2:1-12. God even gives the list of countries from which they were gathered. Again in Jeremiah, the same people are told of their NT promise which is implemented by Hebrews 9:15-17, the death of the testator which is Jesus.

Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Jeremiah 31:32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
Jeremiah 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.Jeremiah 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

That should be obvious now that the audience of 1st John is the same audience of Ezekiel and Jeremiah .

God said behold the days come when I will make a new covenant with the Assemblies of God and the Baptists and the Methodists and the Non denominational emergent church and the Presbyterians and the Cambellites. No No No...it is with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. We simply do not fit into that audience. We are the church, the body of Christ. We have no association with the law program in which God writes on their hearts and causes them to walk in His statutes. If you disagree with that statement, begin reciting the 613 points of law from memory and see how far you can get. Remember now, if you still believe Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Hebrews is speaking to and about yourself, you would have the law written in your heart and mind. It is doubtful you will even get through the first ten commandments word perfect or in order. Paul instructs us over and over we are not under the law, but under grace. It is simply not the same.

Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

I hope this demonstrates the error in believing all of the Bible is written TO you. All of the Bible is indeed written for you for your learning, but not for your doctrine. (Romans 15:4) I hope this post demonstrated the need to study rather than believing you have some kind of anointing which requires no need to study. God will not install doctrine in us by osmosis. We are required to do the work, rightly divide the word of truth to be the unashamed workman approved unto God. Until next time, Grace and Peace!

One Prayer 2009

2009-07-05T11:22:00.000-07:00

One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism,.......One Prayer.

A global movement of churches standing together to pray, fast, learn, and love others.

If God would answer One Prayer for the church, what would you pray? So far, almost one million believers have come together to explore the answer to that question while joining forces through shared teaching, fasting, prayer, and service to others. And as we experience unprecedented unity in the body of Christ, we’re seeing God work through His Church in amazing ways.

The above is from the website of ONE PRAYER in which nearly 2000 churches worldwide have joined together in an ecumenical demonstration of unprecedented Biblical ignorance. In order for the church, the body of Christ to achieve this unity spoken of in the above message, one must check your brain and convictions at the door because doctrine is not the issue whatsoever. Seriously, can you come into agreement with someone that holds to the belief that salvation is obtained through turning from your sin, confession of sin, asking Jesus into your heart, saying a prayer and begging for forgiveness, making Jesus Lord of your life? Could you hold hands and sing Kumbayah with someone that believes salvation cannot be sure until you get there? or salvation can be lost whereby you have to repeat the process to be saved again? Could you depend on their Biblical exegesis when everyone of the churches involved is engaged in dunking their membership in a tub of water to gain membership? What happened to the verse they use as a banner in which it states "one baptism" in Ephesians 4:5 which is a spirit baptism whereby the Holy Spirit baptizes us into the body of Christ? What about the churches involved in this demonstration of ecumenical boneheadedness that hold fast to several baptisms such as water and the second blessing blunder of a baptism IN the Holy Ghost? Hostillashundai! Yes, the Assemblies of God and the Church of God are involved in this goofy display of a doctrinal disaster area.

If you want to get sick on your stomach, read the testimonial section here and look carefully for a clear presentation of the Gospel that saves your never dying soul. Even worse, see if you can find any mention of the Gospel of the grace of God whatsoever. What you will find are nothing more than circumstantial statements of weak or no faith at all in what Christ has already accomplished on Calvary's cross. This is so sad and yet nearly 2000 churches are rejoicing in this so called unity. I can agree they are most defineatly unified in scriptural ignorance in which they fail to distinguish between the prophetic and the mystery program God has so clearly set forth in His word. Unity cannot be achieved through disregarding the doctines associated and directed to the church, which is His body. What they have is a union, not unity. The Apostle Paul, which God gave the message for this present dispensation of the grace of God tells us in Romans 16:17 to avoid those which do not adhere to the specific doctrines associated with the church, the body of Christ. Again in Philippians 3, Paul tells us to mark them which have it right and follow Paul because the rest are the enemies of the Gospel. So, according to these two passages, who are these folks engaged in this global movement called One Prayer?

Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
Romans 16:18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

Good words and fair speeches. Does that mean like God is good, God is great kinda stuff? How about using Luke 15 and the prodigal son as a salvation message when the passage is actually speaking to Israel getting their promised kingdom demonstrating the delay principal? Using Luke 15 as a salvation message which is well before the Gospel of the grace of God was known by anybody is not only poor Biblical understanding, it is just corrupt from any perspective.

Philippians 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
Philippians 3:18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

If these folks are what the Bible names as the enemies of the cross of Christ, we should all be weeping to according the next verse...

Philippians 3:19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

Ask any of them where in the scriptures do you turn to find the gospel of your salvation and you will be stunned. They will go to the OT book of John, Luke, even Exodus. Ask them about baptism and it will be water instead of the ONE BAPTISM of 1st Corinthians 12:13 by which we are identified with Christ's body. The doctrinal divisions are many in this organization and yet they are proclaiming unprecedented unity. It is obvious to us that rightly divide the word of truth according to Pauline doctrine the underlying problem in the modern church machinery. It is spelled out with clarity in....

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.

We have our hands full in getting the Gospel out to those that are lost. Let's not be negligent in presenting the good news to those who claim to be a Christian forasmuch as we can discern the condition of their soul according to the word of God given to Paul for us. The Gospel of the grace of God according to 1st Corinthians 15: 1-4 is the power of God unto salvation. We present it, the word is the power.

Do you know what I would be if I wasn't a Mid Acts Pauline dispensational right divider of the KJB?

Ashamed.

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

the Gospel according to.....

2009-06-18T18:05:00.001-07:00

I think we can all agree that the term "gospel" means the good news. What we disagree on is to where in the Bible we can find the good news that is directed to and pertains to our situation. One of the biggest lies you will ever hear in churches all over the world is that everyone in the old testament was looking forward to the cross as well as everyone in the new testament is looking back at the cross. Surely, someone forgot to tell Peter and the boys in Mathew 16 where Peter tried to prevent the cross from taking place.

Matthew 16:22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.

Adam and Eve were recipients of good news were they not when God told them...

Genesis 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Let's take a quick look into the good news being delivered by Moses, Jesus, Peter and Paul...beginning with....

MOSES:

Genesis 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Deuteronomy 4:1 Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.
Deuteronomy 4:6 Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.
Deuteronomy 4:7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for?
Deuteronomy 6:24 And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.
Deuteronomy 6:25 And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.

Did you see the preaching of the cross there? If you did, you have much better eyes than I. What you see is the covenant position of Israel, the "if" and "then" relationship with God. You do this , then God will do such and such. Moses speaks to nothing else but this covenant relationship which entails the keeping of the law, the statutes, the promise of a land grant and the nation Israel. No cross, no death, burial or resurrection, no salvation by grace through faith, no gospel of the grace of God by which we are saved in this present dispensation of the grace of God,,,,period! Yet, most of the preacher boys that have attended cemetery school will slap you right back into these scriptures putting their people back under the weak and beggarly elements of the law ....and the people said amen. Somebody should be ashamed, and they are indeed shameful workman that neglect to rightly divide the word of truth as Christ instructed Paul to usward. Let's move on....

JESUS:

Matthew 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
Matthew 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Matthew 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Matthew 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Mark 1:4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Mark 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
Mark 16:18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Did you see the gospel of the grace of God? the gospel of Christ? the preaching of the cross? Be honest with yourself. You saw the gospel of the kingdom just as clear as the words on the page declare. This is the good news given to Israel that their prophesied kingdom is at hand. You see the function of water baptism for the nation Israel, the priest nation in their ceremonial washings. You can't miss the healing ministry that associates with the kingdom message because of Leviticus 21:17-22 which demands the priest be without blemish or disease. The kingdom message is always associated with signs and wonders because the target audience for the message is indeed Israel which according to 1st Corinthians 1:22, the Jews require a sign. We walk by faith, not by sight do we not? we have no need of signs and wonders, they have no function today as we operate by grace through faith in this dispensation. Starting to make sense yet? Still no cross, no death, burial or resurrection as the merit by which anyone is saved at this point. Moving on to....

PETER:

Acts 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
Acts 2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
Acts 3:18 But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
Acts 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
Acts 3:26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
Acts 8:25 And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.
1 Peter 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
1 Peter 1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Now we are getting somewhere, or are we? Was Peter preaching the cross? Seems to me, he is still preaching the kingdom message, which was spoken by all His holy prophets since the world began. No new information to speak of especially concerning the cross by Peter. You do see the emphasis once again on performance, the kingdom of Israel, Christ upon David's throne in Jerusalem. That is not the gospel of the grace of God, not grace by faith, no cross, death, burial or resurrection as a benefit to anyone. So who has the gospel that saves a never dying soul in this dispensation of the grace of God?

PAUL:

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Romans 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
Romans 15:16 That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.
Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
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.
Galatians 1:11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
Galatians 1:12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Galatians 2:2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.
2 Timothy 2:8 Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:

What is this gospel?

1 Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1 Corinthians 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:3 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 Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

The order of events in a soul's salvation in this present dispensation of the grace of God does not involve repenting of your sins, asking Jesus into your heart, being dumped in a tank of water by some dude wearing rubber pants acting like a mediator of some sorts, not following Jesus, or making Jesus Lord, or any other goofy activity that you heard someone say you should do....follow what the Bible rightly divided says to do in....

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Christ sent Paul beginning in the 9Th chapter of the book of Acts, not with instructions on eating fruits in the garden, not with building plans for an Ark to avoid a flood, not with the good news of a nation in which all the nations will be blessed, not with the fulfillment of a kingdom promise being at hand.....but with an entirely new message. On the merits of the death, burial and resurrection of God manifest in the flesh, the fullness of the Godhead bodily, Jesus Christ, paying the sin debt for everyone, past present and future, salvation by grace through faith in this finished work alone. No admixture of works, the law, statutes, being a goody goody two shoes, going to church every time the doors open, paying a tithe, joining a group, getting wet, kissing the toes on a statue, hail Mary's and all that jazz. Ephesians 1:13 tells exactly the process in being saved. Read it backwards if that helps....You were sealed with the Holy Spirit after that you believed the gospel of your salvation in which you heard from the word of truth by trusting Christ. God made it so easy for us, He did all the work necessary to save our soul.

Paul tells us over and over the gospel which he preaches was given him by the risen Lord Jesus Christ. Paul even refers to this gospel as "my gospel" because it is uniquely given to Paul alone. Peter did not preach it, Moses did not preach it, even Jesus kept it secret until He gave it to Paul. Romans 16:25 declares it was kept secret since the world began. The sad workmanship of the church machinery today is keeping it a secret from the people by neglecting to rightly divide the word of truth so let's get busy in making all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery!!

Grace and Peace!

Baptism according to......

2009-06-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

What do you think of when you see or hear the word baptism? I'm not a betting man but if I were, I would wager most people think of a wet event in a church setting with someone being dunked in a tub of water either in the front or back of the church with a guy in waist high rubber boots performing the ceremony. Churches have split over the details of whether you should be dunked forward or backward, dunked once or three times, should it be in the name of Jesus or in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, even whether it is immersion in water or just a little dab will do ya mentality pertaining to sprinkling. As a Mid Acts Pauline right divider of the authorized King James Bible I can say without any fear of contradiction that every church that practices water baptism in this present dispensation of the grace of God is wrong, sorely wrong, even to the point of making the cross of Christ of none effect. Let's take a brief look at what the four disseminators of doctrine have to say about "baptism" beginning with Moses.

MOSES:

Exodus 40:12 And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water.

Leviticus 16:24 And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people.

Numbers 8:7 And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.

Numbers 19:20 But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he hath defiled the sanctuary of the LORD: the water of separation hath not been sprinkled upon him; he is unclean.

The use of water in an assembly did not begin when the first Baptist church opened it's doors. Water was an essential element in the priestly ministry from the beginning of the priestly ministry of Israel for purification, cleansing and also note as a separation. If one was not sprinkled with this holy water they would remain unclean. Sounds familiar doesn't it when you consider denominations that emphasize water baptism as an element of your salvation such as the Church of Christ. The amazing part is they are correct, they are just two thousand years behind the learning curve which demonstrates the error of their theology. Let's proceed with information given on baptism by our Lord Jesus Christ.

JESUS:

Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

Matthew 20:22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.

Mark 1:4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

John 3:22 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

John 3:23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

John 3:24 For John was not yet cast into prison.

John 3:25 Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.

Mathew 3:11 demonstrates that baptism does not always refer to water or the use thereof. Note the baptism with the Holy Ghost, is the Holy Ghost water? and also with fire, that cannot be water either, in fact, the baptism with fire is not as the Pentecostals maintain as some sort of zeal or speaking in gibberish but rather it refers to Hell as set forth in verse 12 of the same chapter. The next time you hear someone declare they received the baptism with fire try not to laugh at their ignorance, instead, patiently show them the verses.

Mathew 20:22 , Jesus is speaking concerning His death as a baptism as He also did similarly in Luke 12:50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished! Ask your Christian friends how many times Jesus was baptized and then show them how Christ spoke of His death as a baptism. You have just taught them baptism does not mean water.

Mathew 16:16 demonstrates the absolute necessity for water baptism in order to be saved, no way around it, the Bible spin doctors are wrong making it something else, the verse says "and" which ties it directly as an essential element for Israel to become believing Israel in their Messiah.

Lastly, note what John was preaching in Mark 1:4....baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Is that the same as preaching the cross? wherein Christ died for your sins, was buried and rose the third day which constitutes the gospel of the grace of God? You know it isn't the same, in fact, while they were preaching this baptism ,none of the disciples had a clue Christ was going to die for any one's sins, especially us dirty no good Gentile dogs.

PETER:

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Does Acts 2:38 sound like Mark 1:4? It does, but with the addition of the receiving of the Holy Ghost. Now go back to the day of Pentecost when the Holy Ghost showed up, who do you think was receiving the Holy Ghost? It was the people who had already been water baptized previously and were now receiving the promise from Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Obviously, Peter is just getting the people he was speaking to up to speed from Acts 2:5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

PAUL:

Romans 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Did Jesus drown? Being baptized into His death means to be "immersed into His death" for the sake of identification with the death, burial and ressurection of Christ.

Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Notice the statement "by the glory of the Father". This signifies it is the operation of God and not some dude wearing waders in a Jacuzzi . If a pastor or preacher thinks that when they pull you up out of the water is a representation of the resurrection, as the night follows the day, the preacher thinks he is the Father in the scripture. Also note there is no mention of H2O, only Christ's death. Romans 6:3-4 concords with Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Is John the baptizer? Is Jesus the baptizer? No, the Holy Spirit is the baptizer. Does the Holy Spirit baptize us into water? Isn't it alot easier to understand as well as know the truth when you allow the scriptures to say what they so plainly say. The Holy spirit baptizes us into one body, the body of Christ. Just for fun, if this is a water baptism shouldn't we be drinking the water as the verse concludes? Yuck! Who knows what has been in that nasty pool.

Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

There it is again, baptized into Christ is not baptized with water for the remission of sins. The words are different with different meanings and different functions. If it is a water baptism, shouldn't you not dry off with a towel because you would be removing Christ? Silly to think about isn't it how the "ignorant brethren" who will deny what the scriptures so plainly declare in order to maintain a tradition or ritual handed down by former "ignorant brethren"?

Ephesians 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

In a former post concerning Baptisms, I demonstrated there are at least twelve different baptisms in the Bible. Paul says in Ephesians 4:5 there is but one. What Paul is saying there is but one that has a function in this dispensation of the grace of God wherein we reside. In fact, in another scripture, Paul declares the operation of a water baptism in this dispensing of the grace of God is counter productive even as much as making the cross of none effect.

1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

If Christ sent Paul NOT to baptize, and if Paul is our pattern, why in the world are folks so bent on clinging to this water ceremony which we as the body of Christ are warned against, are instructed to avoid, and have no association with? It is easy, they have neglected to heed to Paul's clear statement in 2nd Timothy 2:15 wherein we are told to "rightly divide the word of truth".

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

We are surrounded by shameful workmanship in this present day, dumbing down the audience with dumbed down Bibles, teaching Israel's covenant doctrine as if it is in effect for us today, singing from the Psalms which are solely Israel's message, dancing like David danced in 2nd Samuel 6 which was never ordained by God just as moving the Ark of the covenant in a cart was, Asking Jesus in their hearts, confessing their sins, asking for forgiveness, and the list goes on with the confussion, and did I mention getting wet and thinking they are doing God's will? If it wasn't so serious it would be hoot worthy. Next post I will cover the topic of the "Gospel" and see the difference as the scriptures progress with the different audiences in view. Until then, Grace and Peace!

The Kingdom according to.......

2009-06-06T15:40:00.000-07:00

Certainly, God intended from the beginning that there would be a kingdom established on this earth with Christ seated on His throne.

Matthew 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Matthew 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
Matthew 25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Matthew 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Let's take a brief look into what is involved with this kingdom spoken of in Mathew 25 and determine whether it is the same kingdom spoken of by Moses, Jesus, Peter and Paul. Starting with Moses, we see the kingdom promise goes to a certain group of people, that being Israel.....

MOSES:

Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
Exodus 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

Doesn't that sound like the same thing from Peter in 1st Peter 2:9?

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;

Continuing on with Moses' understanding of the kingdom, let's see a few more scriptures.

Deuteronomy 17:18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:
Deuteronomy 17:19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:
Deuteronomy 17:20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.
Deuteronomy 18:18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

Let's add it up so far. We have a peculiar people, Israel, the issue of the law and statues, we have priests, Levites, all upon the earth. Pretty clear at this point it is a physical kingdom on the earth wouldn't you say? Let's move on and take a look at what Jesus had to say about the kingdom while He ministered to the nation Israel.

JESUS:

Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Matthew 6:10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Luke 9:2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.
Luke 9:60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
Luke 12:31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Luke 22:29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;
Luke 22:30 That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

What can we determine from what the Lord Jesus had to say about the kingdom? Jesus was indeed preaching the gospel of the kingdom and not the gospel of the grace of God which are totally different messages. The gospel of the kingdom is always associated with physical healing, Israel, the twelve tribes, twelve thrones, being on the earth, and so on. It is the exact same message that was given to Moses, then being preached by the Lord Jesus Christ, and appointed to the twelve apostle of Israel to continue preaching. Also note there is the mention of "eat and drink" in this kingdom, you will see it mentioned again by the apostle Paul as we continue....

PETER:

Acts 3:18 But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
Acts 3:22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.

The times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord speaks to Christ sitting on David's throne in the kingdom. No change in the message from Jesus concerning the kingdom, as a matter of fact, Peter goes on to quote Moses from Deuteronomy 18:18-20 in Acts 3:22-23 signifying it is the exact message all the way from Moses. Of course, the apostle Paul would have the same message about the kingdom wouldn't he? Let's investigate shall we.

PAUL:

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
1 Corinthians 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Ephesians 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Ephesians 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Colossians 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Colossians 1:5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
Colossians 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
2 Timothy 4:18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Amen! The difference in Paul's message concerning the kingdom is like night and day from what Moses, Jesus and Peter had to say. Paul speaks of a heavenly kingdom while Moses, Jesus and Peter speak concerning an earthly kingdom. What is missing from Paul's message about the kingdom speaks loudly to the fact that there is more than one kingdom in scripture. The absence of the law, Israel, statues, priests, Levites, the physical earthly attributes such as eat and drink from Luke 22 in comparison to Romans 14 is clear, this is new information given to only one apostle for this present dispensation of the grace of God and the new creature, the church, the body of Christ. You cannot mix the two programs, they are mutually exclusive one from another. We are to set our affections on things above while in Mathew, Israel is instructed to pray for the kingdom on the earth.
The next time you hear a preacher, read a blog or whatever, and the speaker mentions things like "living the kingdom life", "kingdom minded", this is a "kingdom church" or any other mention of the kingdom in which they are referencing from the Old Testament books of Mathew, Mark, Luke or John and at the same time attempt to place you in that audience, you know without a shadow of a doubt you are listening to an ignorant novice which should do himself and everybody within ear's reach a favor and sit down, shut up and study to shew himself approved unto God, rightly divide the word of truth, quit trying to usurp Israel's covenant position, get up to speed in what God is doing now instead of what God set aside over two thousand years ago and make a difference for Christ with the doctrine and message committed unto us through the apostle Paul in this present dispensation of the grace of God!! The days of following Jesus ended in Acts chapter 9 when Christ sent Paul with a new message named the Gospel of the Grace of God. That is different from the Gospel of the Kingdom, they are even spelled different!!

Forgiveness according to...

2009-05-30T19:11:00.000-07:00

Maybe one of the best ways to demonstrate that the Bible does not say the same thing to everybody at all times is to select a subject, in this case we are going to look at the subject of forgiveness, then compare what the scriptures have to say. There are four men that disseminate doctrine in the Bible; Moses, Jesus, Peter and Paul. So let's take a look and compare what they have to say about the the topic of forgiveness.

MOSES:

Leviticus 4:26 And he shall burn all his fat upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.

Leviticus 5:13 And the priest shall make an atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned in one of these, and it shall be forgiven him: and the remnant shall be the priest's, as a meat offering.

Leviticus 6:7 And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein.

Leviticus 19:22 And the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the LORD for his sin which he hath done: and the sin which he hath done shall be forgiven him.

Numbers 15:25 And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance: and they shall bring their offering, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for their ignorance:

When was the last time you offered a bullock for an atonement? how about a ram without blemish? Okay, I'm being silly now. Clearly, there was the need for a priest, animal sacrifices, altars and much work to get the sin forgiven. I don't want to bog down in the details and procedures of getting a sin forgiven, but if you read through these passages it is obvious the work associated with forgiveness and the need of a priest to mediate and expedite the matter, and at the end of the day, if you sinned again, the whole procedure would need repeated to obtain forgiveness. Talk about a never ending process, mercy.

JESUS:

Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Matthew 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

Matthew 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Mark 3:28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:

Mark 3:29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.

Mark 11:25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Mark 11:26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

Conditional forgiveness. If you forgive then God will forgive. That is what a covenant relationship consists of, the "if" and "then" position. Don't let these passages be wasted on you in that we can also see the result of not forgiving others was that there was no provision for forgiveness for yourself. The need for a daily inventory of yourself in the matter of forgiving debtors, and just folks that have offended you in any way was absolutely necessary in order to be forgiven by God. If you think these passages apply to us today as we stand firmly in the dispensation of the grace of God you would be wrong. Basing forgiveness from God on the merits of your behaviour or any other facet of your ability would be as denying the efficiency of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ wherein we have our forgiveness.

PETER:

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

Acts 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

Acts 5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

Acts 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

Acts 8:22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.

Most of your Christian friends will tell you the church began in Acts chapter 2, when they tell you that, ask them to explain Acts chapter 3:19-21 which declares their sins MAY BE blotted out at the time when Christ returns to establish His Kingdom on the earth. Move on a few more chapters to Acts 5 and show them it was about the nation Israel and not the church, the body of Christ. Acts 5 also declares it was given to them which obey Him, which would include getting dunked in a baptistry and keeping the commandments, and enduring til the end and a whole laundry list of stuff to do. In Acts 8, we see an uncertainty of forgiveness once again from Peter in that he says "if perhaps" the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. You have a "may be" in Acts 3 and a "perhaps if" in Acts 8, that doesn't sound anything like what our Apostle Paul has to say when he speaks of Christ according to the "revelation of the mystery" now does it?

PAUL:

Acts 13:38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:

Acts 13:39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Colossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

Did Moses say anything that vaguely resembles these scriptures? How about Peter? Not even Jesus while in His earthly ministry to Israel made such statements. These doctrines are unique to one apostle, that being Paul. Redemption through the blood of Christ and His grace. We are forgiven for Christ's sake, not by offering a ram, not because we have forgiven our debtors, not by being dunked in water or keeping the law.....only by the blood of Jesus Christ! All trespasses were forgiven before anybody reading this was ever born. The issue today is the Gospel of Christ which is the power of God unto salvation to all that believe in that Christ died for your sins, was buried and rose the third day. The cross took the sin issue and forgiveness off the table, the only element remaining is....do you trust the Gospel...or not?

Paul is Our Pattern.....Period!

2009-05-19T17:53:00.000-07:00

If you would make that statement in front of your church going friends, assuming you still have a few since you have become a Mid Acts Pauline dispensational right divider of God's perfectly preserved word, the King James Bible, they will look at you like you have two heads or are from another planet, even worse, like you belong to some kind of obscure cult they have never heard of. Am I right? You know I am, And we as Mid Acts grace believers are grieved over their lack of understanding or ignorance to the preaching of Jesus Christ the way God intended it to be performed in this present dispensation of the grace of God, according to the revelation of the mystery.

Why would I make a statement like I have made for the title of this post? Answer: because I am a Bible believer and I can read what Paul tells us in....

1 Timothy 1:16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

Why is that verse never taught or read in a Baptist church? Why do the down right dishonest teachers of the "tithe" and "water baptism" simply ignore or neglect to teach that verse to their people? I think I know why. If Paul was their pattern, it would eliminate their water baptism ministry as well as it would set their people at liberty to give according as they purpose in their heart rather than according to the law and the tithe. Why? Because both doctrines of the tithe and water baptism have no function in this present dispensation of the grace of God according to the doctrines given to our apostle Paul from Christ. That's the short answer. But why is Paul our pattern ...period?

Was Peter the last to see Jesus? In the book of Acts, chapter 1, we see Peter and the apostles of Israel asking Jesus a very important question.....
Acts 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
Did Jesus tell them what they wanted to know? Did Jesus say you guys are stumbling, are blinded and are about to fall and have no standing because through your fall, salvation will be given to the Gentiles as we are told only through our Apostle Paul? No, No, No, Jesus tells them...
Acts 1:7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
In just a few more verse after the ascension, two men upbraid the Apostles of Israel what to expect in....
Acts 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
Acts 1:10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
Acts 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
They were told, the next time you guys see Christ is when He will return in like manner. Nobody had a clue that Christ would soon appear to another fellow named Saul in the 9Th chapter of the same book, in real time, it was about 8 months later with an entirely different set of marching orders. Paul recounts the events of Acts chapter 9 when Paul was saved by God's grace and given the Apostleship for this dispensation in Acts 22 saying....
Acts 22:7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Acts 22:8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
In just a few more verses, Paul is told by Ananias this...
Acts 22:14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
Acts 22:15 For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
Seen and heard...What did Paul see? He saw Jesus Christ, What did Paul hear? The Gospel of the grace of God for this present dispensation of the grace of God according to the revelation of the mystery. Paul tells us again in 1st Corinthians 15 that he was the last to see Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
If Paul was the last to see Christ, and the first to receive the message of grace salvation without the presence of Israel, that pretty much closes the loop to where we are to go for the doctrines and the marching orders for the church, which is His body doesn't it? Can it get any planner than that? Doesn't Paul tell us in 1st Corinthians 14.....
1 Corinthians 14:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
Doesn't Paul tell us to be followers of himself in passages such as....
1 Corinthians 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
Doesn't Paul exhort us to be ye followers of him and mark them which do so in...
Philippians 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
Philippians 3:18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
Philippians 3:19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
According to verses 18 and 19, it isn't a pretty picture to neglect your pattern and Apostle to whom your instructions are given. Why would someone choose to ignore these passages as they are so plain. The words are not difficult, the doctrines are simple, what is the problem?
Paul exhorts us to mark them which do not follow his doctrines in....
Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
Romans 16:18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
Also, not a pretty picture of someone not being Pauline in their doctrine, and yet the modern church machinery today is teaching people to be followers of Jesus, Jesus chasers, stalkers and all kinds of bologna like that totally ignoring the words of the Apostle Paul which were given him through revelation by Christ. But the word of God which discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart has them pegged. They serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly. Fair speeches, good words, ask Jesus in your heart, give your life to Christ, repent of your sins, confess with your mouth, repeat this simple prayer to receive Christ, fair speeches and good words.
Everybody loves the verse in Philippians 4 saying....
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
But the next verse is seldom considered when it says...
Philippians 4:9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
Received, learned, heard, seen,,,,,then do! Sounds like Paul just might be our pattern, what do you think? How easy would it have been for Paul to say "hey fellas, we should be following Jesus as He ministered to Israel" If Paul said that, he would have been totally wrong, doesn't Paul explain that in 2ND Corinthians 5 saying....
2 Corinthians 5:16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
The old things are passed away, Christ"s earthly ministry, the law, water baptism, tithing, Israel, and what does the church machinery put almost all their emphasis on? Christ's earthly ministry and telling baby believers that Jesus is our pattern for living. How awful is that? Did not Jesus operate everyday in His earthly ministry under the law according to....
Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
To say to someone they should follow Jesus, would not that put them under the law? does not Paul tell us something totally different several times we are not under the law as in ,,,,
Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Doesn't Jesus tell a young man the way to obtain eternal life would be by performance and keeping the commandments in....
Matthew 19:16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
Matthew 19:17 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.
Wasn't it Jesus that said the do gooders get life and the do badders get damnation in....
John 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
How do you reconcile that with what Paul tells us in....
Titus 3:5 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;
Is that your pattern? Are you teaching or performing the law program given to Israel? If you are following Jesus you should be. I would suspect if you say you are a follower of Jesus you have not really thought it thoroughly through and are even just repeating something that you heard before which sounded like a Christian slogan therefore you now repeat it in order to sound like you are on a higher spiritual level of some sort. How am I doing so far? Well, I want it to hit you right between the eyes and get your attention and get you engaged in studying the scriptures the way God has instructed us to do so by rightly dividing the word of truth.2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
I am going to do a a series of studies on this blog which should make it plan as day where we are to go in the word of truth for our doctrine by comparing what different people in the Bible have to say about the topics of forgiveness, salvation, the law, the body of Christ, etc. It should be an interesting study as I attempt to take a different approach to making all men see....
Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

Grace and Peace!

The Revelation of the Mystery (conclusion)

2009-05-08T17:56:00.000-07:00

Before the eyes of my understanding were enlightened to rightly dividing the word of truth according to Mid Acts Pauline dispensationalism, I thought being a Christian was all about me. My first experience with Christianity was through the ministry of a church named after an Old Testament law abiding Jew who never one day in his life heard or knew anything about the gospel of the Grace of God. Yep, the Baptist church. ( People's Baptist Church). In the Bible, there is but one person called a Baptist, and he never preached the gospel that saves a never dying soul in this administration of the grace of God, John the Baptist preached the kingdom is at hand, not that Christ died for your sins, was buried and rose the third day with victory over death, hell and the grace.

After a few years of story telling from the Bible, and all the legalism associated with the Baptist denomination such as water baptizing , church membership, tithing of course, and all the doctrines associated with Israel which has nothing to do with who we are, I began to search for a church that met my needs, whatever that means, I found one. Faith Assembly of God. They had a rock and roll jitterbug for Jesus band that could play the tunes that would motivate you to do what ever the agenda was for that week. It was a revival service every week. Little did I know at the time a revival service is nothing more than a guilt trip with musical accompaniment and has no association with the church, the body of Christ.

Finally, I began to study the word of God for myself, and when I did, I was not welcome in any church setting I knew of because I began to understand what 2nd Timothy 2:15 was all about. The vast majority of your Bible pertains to God's earthly, kingdom people, function: to have dominion on the earth. Only about 100 pages of your Bible are written pertaining directly to God's heavenly people, the church, the body of Christ, function: a spiritual body of believers to occupy the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That's us!!

Aspect #6 It's not about us, it is about Christ!

From this one point alone, the doctrine installed in your inner man should be activated. Verses should come to mind such as....

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

If you are crucified with Christ, it should be apparent should it not, it is not about you anymore, it is though about Christ. Isn't it troubling to hear someone say or speak about being "born again"? Doesn't that terminology stand in contrast to being crucified with Christ? If you don't think so, let's take another swing at the same concept in Colossians 3....

Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Colossians 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Colossians 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Does not that passage go against just about everything you will hear at any given church on any given Sunday morning in your area? I don't know where you live, but there are churches in my area who have been engaged in such heathen activities such as Easter egg hunts proclaiming they are doing that to "bless" their city. Good night Irene! And of course, they claim to have folks "making a commitment to follow Jesus" or "giving their life to Jesus" as well as other completely off track salvation professions with never once hearing the gospel of Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation. How did things get so goofed up? If someone doesn't know what the Gospel is, how can they be saved? Go figure. Apparently, it is just a good time getting together on the weekend with the hip hop Jesus band and playing church for 60 minutes a week.
This situation makes verses such as this come to mind....

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 glorious gospel of Christ! It is about Christ, not about us doing something such as turning from sin, making a commitment, asking Jesus into our hearts, getting dunked in a baptistry, or anything else....it is all about Jesus Christ! We are dead, not born again and our blessing are found where?

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Our blessing are not found in getting better gas mileage because we paid a "tithe" last week so God is blessing me now. Our blessings are not to be found in physical things on this earth but only in heavenly places...where?...in Christ!

I am going to conclude this series and post with just one more passage in Colossians 2. This is one of my favorites, showing that there is nothing we can add to that which never had anything to do with us to begin with. In chapter 2, we read....

Colossians 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Colossians 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Colossians 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

If your church ever speaks about philosophy in a manner such as "what the author intended to say in this passage is"....or vain deceit in a manner such as a preacher always talking about himself....or the tradition of men such as..."we will have a water baptism at the conclusion of the service" ....after the rudiments of the world.(just because everybody does it does not make it correct to do)....the concluding statement is ..AND NOT AFTER CHRIST. Does this not jump off the page that is is ALL ABOUT CHRIST? I think it does.

To conclude this series of posts on the "revelation of the mystery", It would not be complete without the presentation of the gospel given to Paul from the risen Christ for usward in this present dispensation of the grace of God.

The Gospel....
1 Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
By which we are saved.....
1 Corinthians 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
This is the object of our faith.....
1 Corinthians 15:3 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 Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Place your trust and faith in what Christ has already done to save your never dying soul, God will count your faith as righteousness and save you, seal you unto the day of redemption, seat you in heavenly places in Christ Jesus......the only thing missing then would be your service to Him as His ambassador with the word of reconciliation just as I presented it to you. Grace and Peace!

Philippians 1:2 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Revelation of the Mystery (part 7)

2009-05-07T18:21:00.000-07:00

As we approach the next aspect of the revelation of mystery, I think it is a wise thing to use Bible language and not use terminology that is not within the pages of scripture. The next aspect of the revelation of the mystery is directed to the " caught up" doctrine which is commonly referred to as the "rapture" of the church. If you have God's perfectly preserved word in the English language, the word "rapture" does not appear, therefore, it would only be a wise and correct position to take in using the correct words from a correct Bible, the authorized King James Version. If you were speaking to a Jehovah's Witness and used the word "trinity", the JW would call you out on that and put you on the defence even though you can easily prove the triune God, the word "trinity" does not appear in the pages of your Bible. The same goes with the word "rapture", so let's be the people of the book we should be and correct our language to match the words God would have us to use. Our faith is the product of God's word rightly divided, we are not a people of an oral tradition, we should shed whatever tradition we are carrying with us as we endeavor to study to shew ourselves approved unto God.

Aspect #5 We will meet the Lord in the air!

How many times have you heard someone say "the Lord is coming back soon"? Whenever I hear that statement, it makes me wonder if that person knows what they have said. Are they expecting Christ to physically return to this earth, therefore to establish the kingdom on the earth? Sadly, that is exactly what most folks are anticipating to happen being ignorant of the information given us by Jesus Christ through the apostle Paul according to the revelation of the mystery. Jesus Christ will indeed return to this earth after the tribulation period, assuming His position as Israel's king seated on David's throne ruling over the twelve tribes. The church, the body of Christ in this present dispensation of the grace of God look forward to an event that was never prophesied, but kept secret since the world began.

1 Corinthians 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1 Corinthians 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Paul reveals in 1st Corinthians 15 the changing from corruptible to incorruptible, the earthly image to the heavenly image, bodies celestial, bodies terrestrial, the natural body raised a spiritual body. The entire passage from verse 40 through verse 54 is speaking in concern to being "caught up to meet the Lord in the air". Paul would not have us to be "ignorant" brethren, but that we would be informed of this mystery.

1 Thessalonians 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1 Thessalonians 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1 Thessalonians 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Meeting the Lord in the air is a doctrine given to Paul alone by revelation from the Lord Jesus Christ and is a great source of comfort. We will not be partakers of the wrath to come, for God has appointed us to salvation, not wrath.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
1 Thessalonians 5:10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

This subject has been debated by Theologians for years and most believe the "caught up" passages are the same as the passages referring to Christ's return to the earth., thus proving it is not enough to be Biblical, or scriptural, it is essential to be dispensational in your belief system in order to have a proper understanding of who Christ has made you in this present dispensation of the grace of God! It is not essential to believe we will meet the Lord in the air to be saved, but it demonstrates ignorance to the doctrine given to the body of Christ if you believe otherwise. Actually, if you believe you will be here on the earth with Christ in His kingdom position, in some form you are usurping the position of Israel and disregarding or blending the doctrines associated with the body of Christ with that of the nation Israel.

There are numerous verses in Pauline scripture pointing to this doctrine of the "meeting the Lord in the air". I challenge you to search the scriptures and make your own list of verses on this aspect of the mystery. In 1st Thessalonians, you can find a verse in each chapter which speaks to this doctrine. In Galatians, Paul makes this statement which undeniably speaks to this aspect of the mystery in chapter 1....

Galatians 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

To deliver us from this "present evil world", could that mean anything but to the being "caught up to meet the Lord in the air"?
There are many more, but you do the work, you assemble a list of your own, be the workman that needeth not to be ashamed. You will find it quite edifying and very comforting, knowing....

1 Corinthians 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

The Revelation of the Mystery (part 6)

2009-05-06T18:41:00.000-07:00

1 Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Aspect #4 All men can be saved apart from Israel

Before the dispensation of the grace of God began in the 9th chapter of the book of Acts, in order for a person to be accepted of God, that person would have to proselytize into the nation of Israel through either circumcision or water baptism. In doing so, that person would be placed into Israel's covenant position and performance program under the 613 points of the law. In this present dispensation of the grace of God, Israel has no standing for as much as God has concluded all under sin and in doing so, He might have mercy upon all.

Romans 11:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

Therefore, salvation is offered to all people with Israel having no mediator position.

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

In the Old Testament book of Mathew chapter 15, the Lord Jesus Christ tells a woman of Canaan to whom He was sent....

Matthew 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

In the same Old Testament book of Mathew chapter 10, we see to whom Jesus sent His disciples to and what they were to preach....

Matthew 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Matthew 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

I have actually heard people say..."we are the lost sheep Jesus is referring to in those verses" Or they might say things like the Bible is mistaken, or what it really means is...or..that is a bad translation. Have you ever heard statements like that? People will do or say anything to fit themselves into scriptures that are never intended or directed towards them in any respect. I purposefully began in verse 6 of Mathew 10 in order to now post verse 5 which plainly says that Gentiles were excluded from the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

Do you need anymore proof than Mathew 10:5 declaring the offer of salvation at that time and ministry of Christ was not to the Gentiles but only to that of the lost sheep of the house of Israel?
I'll give you one more. The apostle Paul backs up what Jesus ministry was while here on this earth in Romans 15....

Romans 15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:

In this dispensation in which we reside, salvation is offered to ALL men apart from Israel, apart from the covenants of promise, apart from the law, apart from performance. Salvation today is offered solely on the finished work of Christ, His death, burial and resurrection having victory over death, Hell and the grave!

No difference in Jew or Gentile in this dispensation of the grace of God!

Galatians 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

In the Old Testament book of Mathew once again, Jesus was explaining to them about their position in their kingdom setting on the earth, and again He showed them the limit to whom His earthly ministry was directed in saying...

Matthew 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Now, compare that statement to what the apostle Paul has to say about to whom the life of Christ was a ransom for in....

1 Timothy 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Did you see the difference? Jesus said "many", Paul said "all". All is many, but many is not all. Words are funny that way, they mean stuff. In this case, Jesus signified his life was ransomed for Israel, and Paul, through the preaching of Christ according to the revelation of the mystery explains Christ was ransomed for all. Note how 1 Timothy 2:6 concludes in saying "to be testified in due time", don't let that be wasted on you in as much as Paul is the due time testifier of the revelation of the mystery as we see in these verses where Paul explains that he is the last to see Jesus and the first to get this message.

1 Corinthians 15:8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

1 Timothy 1:16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

If we are up to speed on our Bible exegesis, Paul is our pattern. If you want to be a follower of Jesus Christ, then believe what He said and that would be to follow the one He sent.....Paul.

The Revelation of the Mystery (part 5)

2009-05-05T13:27:00.000-07:00

Aspect #3: The position we have in Christ

Colossians 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

In this present dispensation of the grace of God, we can rejoice in our position in Christ which is afforded us through the Gospel of Christ. Our position in Christ is not a work in progress based upon our performance such as maintaining a level of obedience to the law, or keeping the faith, or praying, or any activity that is often associated with what people think or believe is required for being a Christian, on the contrary, we are complete in Christ by simply trusting what Christ did to save our never dying souls.

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.

The absolute best explanation of the salvation transaction is contained in one scripture, demonstrating the steps necessary to be saved. We are saved by God's grace through faith, and the object of our faith is the gospel of the grace of God.

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Let's break that down:

You hear the gospel of your salvation
You believe the gospel
You are sealed with the holy Spirit of promise
You trust Christ

It can't be any clearer than that! When you are saved, you are sealed, you are complete in Christ! What could you possibly add to anything that God has declared to be complete? I submit if you think you can or must add to the finished work of Jesus Christ to be saved, you have not trusted in the gospel, rather you are trusting in what you must do to complete the transaction, therefore, making the cross of Christ of none effect. It can be as subtle as asking Jesus to forgive you of your sins, asking Jesus into your heart by praying a prayer, water baptism to seal the deal, joining a church, whatever it may be, it is an offence to the gospel and should be avoided. Place your faith in the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and God will count your faith as righteousness and place you in His body, complete in Christ and sealed unto the day of redemption!

The Gospel of Christ, the gospel of the grace of God, the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery can only be found in the writings of the apostle Paul for us in this present dispensation of the grace of God. It is only through the Apostle Paul can we find the "gospel of our salvation" as stated in Ephesians 1:13. I submit to you, the Gospel!

1 Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

1 Corinthians 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:3 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 Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

There it is, the gospel of "your" salvation. You can search the scriptures from beginning to end and the only place you will find the gospel that saves your never dying soul in this present dispensation of the grace of God is in the writings of our Apostle. Paul was saved in the 9th chapter of the book of Acts when he was on the road to Damascus. His first message was given in the 13th chapter of Acts wherein he said...

Acts 13:38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:

Acts 13:39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

That was something new! Justification by simply believing, no works, no law. The apostle Peter said something completely different in Acts 2 and 3 when he said.....

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Don't let the word "remission" get away from you in the above scripture. Remission is not the same as forgiveness. If you or someone you know has cancer in remission, the cancer is not gone but will have to be dealt with a a latter time. Peter explains it better in the 3rd chapter when he says....

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

Acts 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

Acts 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

Did you see it? Israel's sins will be dealt with when Christ returns in the times of restitution, which is when Christ returns to establish His kingdom on this earth. Let's look at what Paul tells us about our position in Christ in regards to our sins in Colossians 2:13....

Colossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

Our sins are forgiven, Israel's sins are in remission. Two different words, two different meanings, with two different results. This clearly demonstrates how the apostle Paul could say what he said in Romans 5:11....

Romans 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

We have now received the atonement is what Israel cannot say until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth when He sets up His kingdom. Peter eluded to this when he wrote to the little flock of Israel in 1st Peter 1:13....

1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Clearly, we in this present dispensation of the grace of God do not have to hope to the end for the grace of God to be brought unto us, we have a present possession of the atonement therefore we joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We are complete in Christ!!

Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

The Revelation of the Mystery (part 4)

2009-05-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

A brief summary as to what has been determined so far includes :

There is more than two sections in your Bible.
There is a division between the prophetic scriptures and the mystery scriptures.
The prophetic scriptures are contained in the Old and New Testament.
Both Old and New Testaments are written to one group of people, that being the nation Israel.
Paul alone was given the new information referred to as the "revelation of the mystery.
Israel has no standing or advantage in this present dispensation of the grace of God.

Aspect #2; The New Creature!

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

God is not involved in nation building in this present dispensation of the grace of God, instead, He is building a spiritual body of believers, the new creation, the church, the body of Christ! I was always told the "new creature" in this passage was about myself, but the truth is, it's about the new creature, which is His body, the church. I know that is true according to the next verse which states ....

2 Corinthians 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

The "old things" from verse 17 can no doubt be Israel, the twelve tribes, the law program, water baptism, tithing, the priesthood, and so forth. There is a new sheriff in town, the church, the body of Christ. We are not the "born again" people from John chapter 3 in which Jesus speaking to Nicodemus states, "ye must be born again" Surely, if something is "again" speaks to something that has already been beforehand. Paul tells us we are in the "new creature" which speaks to something that has never been before. Something that is NEW cannot be something that is AGAIN. The words are different and have different meanings. In Exodus 4, Moses was instructed to speak to Pharaoh and say....

Exodus 4:22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

Surely, Nicodemus, a master of Israel had knowledge of the fact of Israel being God's firstborn, so it would only make sense for Jesus to explain to him in the Old Testament book of John....

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

John 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

At this point, Jesus is bring Nicodemus up to speed which had already been prophesied from such passages as in Ezekiel 36 verses 22-27. Verses 26 and 27 details what it means for Israel to be "born again"....

Ezekiel 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

Ezekiel 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

The statutes in verse 27 would be the 613 points of law given to the nation Israel concerning their covenant position with God. Israel is never separated from the law program whether it be Old Testament or in their New Testament position. The church, the body of Christ has no association with the law program other than it was our schoolmaster which brings us to Christ as Paul tells us in Galatians....

Galatians 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Galatians 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

What once was profitable....

Romans 3:1 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?

Romans 3:2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.

Is now unprofitable..

Romans 3:9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;

Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Galatians 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

The "new creature" the church, the body of Christ has the "all things become new" from 2 Corinthians 5:17, let's examine some of the new things.

One body......not 12 tribes.....Romans 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
One Apostle....not 12 Apostles, 1 for each tribe....Romans 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
One baptism......not a water ceremony.....1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
Under Grace....not under the law.....Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Complete in Christ.....not enduring unto the end to be saved....Colossians 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
Spiritual blessings....not an earthly orientation.....Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ :
Ambassadorship....not a discipleship....2 Corinthians 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
Giving from the heart......not according to the "tithe" of the law........2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

There are many many more, these are just a few to give you a feel for identifying the "new things" associated with the "new creature" the church, the body of Christ. I hope this in some way has helped you in beginning to distinguish the changes in doctrine from the "old things" which have passed away in contrast to the "all things have become new"doctrines.

The Revelation of the Mystery (part 3)

2009-05-01T14:14:00.000-07:00

Let's do a quick summary as to what has been determined so far. Firstly, there is more than just two sections or divisions in your Bible than the Old and New Testament. Secondly, there is information everyone had access to in that it was spoken from the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began, and there is a body of data that was kept secret since the world began until it was given to the Apostle Paul by revelation from the Lord Jesus Christ. Thirdly, both Old and New Testament are written to and concerning the nation Israel in their covenant relationship with God. This brings us up to speed and ready to continue forward to look at what is the "revelation of the mystery".

Aspect # 1 Israel has no standing.

This first aspect of the mystery information effects every issue, every scripture, every doctrine, everything you have ever been taught concerning your Bible and how a soul is saved today as well as where we go in the scriptures for our marching orders. Every aspect of the revelation of the mystery is hinged on this first aspect. What once was God's chosen vessel for all nations and people to be accepted and blessed of God, He Himself has set this program aside for a time and has instituted something else for a period of time properly referred to as a dispensation.

Ephesians 3:2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

The Apostle Paul was the sole recipient of the information regarding the revelation of the mystery which is the doctrine for this present dispensation of the grace of God. The first aspect of the revelation of the mystery is revealed in Romans chapter 11 in regards to Israel's position and standing. This is the key that unlocks the mystery information which was kept secret since the world began.

Romans 11:11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

Did you see that? through their (Israel) fall salvation has come to the Gentiles. Apparently, something has changed. Abraham was told by God that through the rise of the nation Israel, everyone could be blessed.

Genesis 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Once again, we see the descendants of Abraham are the seed in which all the families of the earth are to be blessed.....

Genesis 13:14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:

Genesis 13:15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

Genesis 13:16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.

Again, we see the promise passed on to Issac and his seed, which is Jacob, later to be named Israel in Genesis 32.

Genesis 26:3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;

Genesis 26:4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

Do you see it? Israel has been chosen to be the conduit of blessing from God. Access to God was through the nation Israel as set forth from Genesis 12 through Abraham, then to Issac and then to Israel. Let's see it again in Zechariah chapter 8.....

Zechariah 8:21 And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also.

Zechariah 8:22 Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD.

Zechariah 8:23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

Finally, let's take a look at what the Lord Jesus Christ has to say about it in the Old Testament book of John chapter 4.......

John 4:22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

Surely, we can determine that salvation was available to all nations and people through the rise of the nation Israel. The scriptures speak clearly to this truth and it was known by everyone since it was spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began. What you cannot find in the prophetic scriptures is any mention pertaining to the FALL of Israel being a blessing to anyone. You will not find a single mention anywhere in the Bible that the fall of Israel would be beneficial to anyone other than through the apostle Paul according to the revelation of the mystery.

The apostle Paul makes it clear that the fall of Israel is an essential doctrine for us to grasp in order to understand our position in this present dispensation of the grace of God. Perhaps the most egregious error being propagated from pulpits all over the world is that the church, the body of Christ has replaced Israel in one form or the other. It has been said that the largest denomination in church history is that of the "ignorant brethren". If you think that you are Israel, either spiritual, replacement, or even going as far as thinking you have become physical Israel, Paul declares that you are ignorant of the mystery and have become wise in your own conceits. Ignorance has a cure, it is called study, so let's keep going!

Romans 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

Israel has been blinded, they have stumbled, they have fallen, therefore, Israel has no standing in this dispensation of the grace of God. This is the key to getting your Bible right. You are not blessed by the rise of Israel today because Israel has fallen and has been set aside. If you think you are Israel today, you cannot claim to be saved today. God made a covenant with them before this dispensation of the grace of God, and their salvation is yet and still future.

Romans 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

Romans 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

The next verse in this passage speaks to the failure to rightly divide the word of truth in that thinking you are Israel in any regard, whether it be spiritual, replacement or even some form of physical Israel. If you are expecting Israel's blessings by performing Israel's doctrine, as the night follows the day, you are believing in some manner that you are Israel. That is not where you need to be according to....

Romans 11:28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.

In conclusion, we have seen the institution of the nation Israel as the conduit of blessing to all the families on the earth. We have seen the promise go to Abraham then to Issac and then to Jacob which is called Israel. As late as John 4:22 we hear Jesus pronounce salvation to be of the Jews, then in Romans 11, we hear Paul declare the first aspect of the revelation of the mystery which is the fact that Israel has fallen and has no standing. In the next post we will begin to see the changes in doctrine from the result of their fall and where we are today in this unprophecied present dispensation of the grace of God.

The Revelation of the Mystery (part 2)

2009-04-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

As we continue this series of postings dedicated to looking at the 6 aspects of the revelation of the mystery, we can agree can we not that there is information in the Bible which everybody had access to, and not only that, there is a body of data that nobody had access to and that according to the mystery information given to one man, one apostle, that being Paul. So as we continue, I would like to keep this at an entry level for those that may not be familiar with this concept of rightly dividing the word of truth and how it effects the way you understand every scripture in the Bible.

Most people, and I was one of that number , see the Bible as having but only two sections or divisions within its pages, the Old and the New Testament. We can all agree that does indeed constitute a division in the scriptures, but the most important detail is almost always overlooked and that being to whom is it written. Let's take a look at to whom the Old Testament is given, and then, let's also look at to whom the New Testament is directed.

The Old Testament begins not in Genesis 1:1, but in Exodus 19 and the giving of the law to Moses as we read in the following....
Exodus 19:3 And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;
Exodus 19:4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.
Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
Exodus 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

Allow the words say what they say to whom they say them. Clearly, according to this passage, the covenant or Old Testament was made solely with one group of people, Israel. This becomes so easy once you grasp the concept of allowing the scripture to identify the audience instead of attempting to fit yourself into that audience. Think of it as a letter written and addressed to a particular person then ask your self, "does this have my address written on it?" Keep that in mind as we continue on to the passage which contains the promise given for a "New Testament" and notice the address on the letter which was written.

Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Jeremiah 31:32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
Jeremiah 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Isn't that beautiful? Do you see the dots connecting? Not only does this passage confirm what was previously demonstrated from Exodus 19 as being the beginning of the Old Testament, but we can also see the promise of a New Testament. The point I need you to see is the audience to whom both the Old and the New Testament are directed. The address on these letters read : To The House of Israel. If that isn't enough, we can see this statement repeated almost word for word in Hebrews chapter 8.

Hebrews 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Hebrews 8:9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
Hebrews 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

Now, where are we at in our understanding so far?..Israel received the Old Testament in Exodus 19, Israel received the promise of a New Testament in Jeremiah 31, and now let's see when the New Testament was put in force according to Hebrews 9.

Hebrews 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
Hebrews 9:16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
Hebrews 9:17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

If the Bible is correct, and it absolutely is, the New Testament could not be in force until after the death of the testator. Do you understand what that means? The New Testament could NOT begin in Mathew 1:1 for as much as it points to the birth of the testator. The New Testament can only be in force after His death and that would be after Mathew 27, Mark 15 Luke 23 and John 19.

In conclusion, we now know when the Old Testament began, when the New Testament was promised and when the New Testament could be available. Not only that, we can see to whom these letters are addressed, and that being the nation Israel. The biggest mistake practically everyone in the church today falls into is that believing in some way or another they are Israel. Either spiritual Israel, replacement Israel, even to the point of believing they are physical Israel. This one mistake makes your Bible impossible to understand, impractical for application and can even result in a shipwrecking of one's faith. The Next post will clear up all the confusion on this matter and allow you to fully understand what is going on in your Bible, will clearly show your position in respect to Israel's position and will deliver to you a Bible you can believe. That would be a good thing. Having a Bible you can believe and the result being a Bible believer. What a concept!!

The Revelation of the Mystery (part 1)

2009-04-25T17:07:00.000-07:00

As we come to our Bibles endeavouring to study to shew ourselves approved unto God according to the instructions found in 2nd Timothy 2:15, of necessity we must heed to the admonishment to also "rightly divide the word of truth".

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Most people would be quick to answer to where the divisions are in the word of truth, the Bible, and assume that means to divide the Old Testament from the New Testament. And yes, you could say that is correct on one level, but actually there is another division that just jumps off the page once you have seen "what is the fellowship of the mystery".

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

Notice the "mystery" information was hid in God from the beginning of the world. Do you know what that says in the original Greek? it says it was hid in God from the beginning of the world. To help identify the "right division" Paul speaks of in 2nd Timothy 2:15, let's look at some more clues.

In the OT book of Luke, we find the father of John the Baptist giving a prophecy about the Lord Jesus Christ in chapter one.

Luke 1:67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,

Luke 1:68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

Luke 1:69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

Luke 1:70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:

Keep in mind the last four words "since the world began" as we take a look at what Peter has to say in Acts chapter three speaking to the children of Israel.

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

Acts 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

Acts 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

Notice again the last four words "since the world began". We can conclude then can we not that there is information everybody had access to as it was spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets "since the world began". Now lets see what the Apostle Paul has to say on this matter of availability of the information that was given to him through revelation from the risen Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

Isn't that amazing? there are those same four words again..."since the world began". But according to Paul, his message was NOT spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets "since the world began" but was "kept secret" since the world began. Again, as we already saw in Ephesians 3:9, the mystery information "from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God". Let's slow done now and consider what has been shown through these few scriptures. What Peter spoke was that which was spoken by all the holy prophets "since the world began". What Paul spoke was that which was kept secret "since the world began" That cannot be the same thing. What everybody knew and what nobody knew are mutually exclusive and that constitutes a proper line of separation or right division in the word of truth.

In conclusion, we can see there is more parts to our Bibles than just the Old and New Testaments, but there is also a distinction between the prophetic information and the mystery information found only in the writings of the Apostle Paul. The Lord Jesus Christ chose to give this "mystery" information to the Apostle Paul beginning in the 9th chapter of the book of Acts and no one else before Paul was privy to this revelation.

Colossians 1:25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;

Colossians 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

Once again Paul gives testimony to the fact that the information which was given him by Christ was not made known before given to Paul and we need to take notice of the change in the doctrines associated with this mystery information.

This post should set the groundwork to the next series of posts dealing with the 6 aspects of the "revelation of the mystery".

800 plus!!

2009-04-23T17:16:00.000-07:00

After being on Blogger now for a little over two months, I took a look at my profile information thinking about changing the picture and the description at which point I noticed my little blogspot profile has had over 800 hits!! That just amazes me. At this point, I have yet to establish an assembly here in eastern NC and know precious few people who actually know what it means to "rightly divide the word of truth" as stated in 2nd Timothy 2:15 and yet my presence in the blogger community has warranted quite a few people's interest for one reason or another.

Without a doubt, my understanding of the Bible according to Pauline dispensational right division and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery is not understood by the masses as well as most of the visitors to this blogspot. More reason to press on in my attempt to "make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery". If you do not know what I just said or are unclear of the Pauline dispensational right division position, be sure to keep checking back often as my next posts will be dealing with the 6 aspects of the mystery showing the unique details and the importance of understanding the doctrine and how it effects your Biblical understanding. If you ever get a hold of the concept of right division according to Pauline dispensationalism, your Biblical understanding will take a quantum leap. Certainly, knowing the scriptures is an important achievement in itself, but not an end in itself. One major reason for edification is for expansion. Teaching others.

2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

Therefore, I press on! If I can get a few faithful men to dig in, get busy in study, being fully persuaded in their own mind and capable of teaching others also, I have accomplished a good thing. Our apostle Paul had done the deed at one point, getting the Gospel preached to every creature which is under heaven, and here we are today, playing footsie with the tithers trying no to offend anyone, looking for a gimmick or establishing a relationship with the folks in order to present the Gospel in a watered down ecumenical style. That is a disaster in the making and we can already see the fruits of the investment. Just ask the folks that claim to be Christian what is the Gospel that saves a never dying soul in this present dispensation of the grace of God and you will be stunned at the responses. It is an egregious error to think everybody that claims to be is actually a Christian.

When Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy went to revisit the church which was established in Thessalonica to see how they do, they saw what is absolutely the best representative of a church getting the job done in the entire Bible. Then ask yourself, does this describe your assembly? and why not? and what are we missing?

1 Thessalonians 1:8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.

Paul had done the job, since then, we have dropped the ball. Let's get busy doing what we are supposed to be doing as Christ's ambassadors presenting the word of reconciliation, the gospel of the Grace of God with clarity. That would be a good place to say ..Amen!!

Colossians 1:23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

It is past time to get serious about the work of the ministry and stop playing childish games engaging in worldly activities in order to fit into this present evil world, but rather, we are to be seeing souls saved and saints edified building the body of Christ to do the work of the ministry so others will be saved and edified. See how it works? Then and only then will you be doing God's will.

1 Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

And in doing so, be thankful for every opportunity to present the Gospel of the grace of God.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Grace and Peace!!

Did Jesus go to Hell?

2009-04-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

Now that the pagan celebration of the sun god Tammuz has ceased along with the ritual egg hunts and bunny rabbit junk which only displays a compromising of Biblical truth, let's take a few minutes to actually deal with a subject that without a doubt is the most important event in human history, the death, the burial, and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. What happened during those three days mentioned by Jesus Christ in such passages as.........

Matthew 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Three days and three nights, let's set the record straight right here. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out you cannot fit three days and three nights between Friday and Sunday morning, actually and Biblically, Christ was crucified Wednesday night and rose from the dead Saturday night. It should be obvious when you read scripture such as John 20 which states Mary Magdalene was at the tomb when it was yet dark on Sunday morning and Christ had already resurrected. So your so called "good Friday" and "easter Sunday" again, so called "holy days" are pagan at worst, Roman Catholic error at best, either choice would constitute error and that isn't a good place to be.

Back to the original topic, In Luke 23, nearing the end of the crucifixion passage, Jesus commended His spirit unto His Father....

Luke 23:46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

Jesus Christ, the fulness of the Godhead bodily, God manifest in the flesh, fully God, fully man, commended His spirit to God the Father in heavenly places. All men are composed of three individual elements, the spirit, the soul, and the body,(1 Thessalonians 5:23) and the same was true with Jesus Christ. He has a spirit, a soul, and a body. Luke 23 declares His spirit went to God the Father, but what about His body and soul?...let's take a look.

In the same passage, Luke 23, the scriptures declare the body of the Lord Jesus Christ was placed in the tomb of one of His disciples named Joseph of Arimathaea for three days and three nights.

Luke 23:52 This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.

Luke 23:53 And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.

So far, We have determined Christ's body was in the tomb, His spirit was commended to God the Father in heavenly places, but what about His soul? This one can get folks all bent out of shape, so if you are one that is thin skinned or content with a sippy cup when it comes to Bible doctrine, this might be a good stopping place for you. I know your Pastor probably read from Luke 15 this past weekend and wants you to believe the passage about the "prodigal" son can be applied to your situation in some way. Instead of a literal exegeses, a spiritualization of passages is made in order to promote an agenda or engender some kind of response which does not in any way shape or form present a clear presentation of the Gospel that saves your never dying soul, rather, an emotional response to a fluffy feel good message taught to the preacher boy at seminary. Now if you want to continue to grow in knowledge and be edifyed, let's continue on.

In the book of the Psalms, we see a prophetic passage about Jesus in chapter 16 which declares the soul of Christ will not be left in Hell nor see corruption. Also in Acts, Peter spoke verifying and clarifying the Davidic prophecy concerning Christ's resurrection.

Psalms 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Acts 2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

Acts 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

Are you okay with that? Jesus' body was in a tomb for three days and three nights, His spirit went to God the Father, His soul went to Hell. Honestly, I used to fight that position saying no way could Jesus have gone to Hell. Through study, not only did I discover that Christ indeed did enter Hell, but that Jesus was very busy during those three days and three nights. Wait a minute, I thought Jesus told one of the malfactors which was also crucified beside Him, "

Luke 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

This is where the I went amiss in my exegeses thinking "paradise" automatically meant up to heaven, but in fact, there was a point in time when "paradise" was down, in the earth. This is confirmed in Luke 16 :20-26 wherein Hell and Paradise are seperated by a great gulf.

Luke 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

Luke 16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

The beggar Lazarus was in Abraham's bosom, paradise, the rich man was in Hell. Both were in the earth, and yet seperated by a great gulf. The same place Christ showed up after the crucifixion. At this point, paradise and Hell are litteral places both in the earth, but things are about to change. The apostle Paul, the apostle to the gentiles and the apostle for this dispensation of the Grace of God gives an account of knowing a man being caught up into the third heaven in 2 Corinthians 12:1-4.

2 Corinthians 12:4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

In Luke 16 we read paradise was down in the earth, in 2 Corinthians 12 we read paradise was up in the third heaven. Now it doesn't take alot of IQ points to know that is different, what we need to determine is why and when that happened. Let's look at the why, in the book written to the Hebrew people so cleverly named "Hebrews" chapter 9, we read the following....

Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Hebrews 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

The above passage tells of the absolute necessity for Christ to shed His blood, the very blood of God to redeem them under the first testament and establish the new testament. Christ redeemed them from their transgressions by means of His death. In Exodus, we see The LORD is merciful and forgiving, and yet He did not clear them of their guilt.

Exodus 34:6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

Exodus 34:7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

So, what was Jesus doing in Hell? Jesus didn't sin, Jesus wasn't held captive. Jesus had some work to do. In 1st Peter, we see what Jesus was up to.

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

1 Peter 3:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

Jesus was not just laying in the tomb, nor was He just at the right hand of God the Father, but was busy preaching to those held captive in Abraham's bosom and also in Hell. Did not Jesus proclaim in Luke 4, recounting the prophetic passage about Himself from Isaiah 61, that He would preach deliverance to the "captives"?

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

I know, you probably heard your preacher make those captives as being you in some way, your lifestyle, your bad choices, your dead end career, whatever it was, it was wrong. We already saw who the prisoners were in 1st Peter 3, Hebrews 9, and Exodus 34. But when did paradise get moved from in the earth to the third heaven?

Ephesians 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

Ephesians 4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

Ephesians 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

There it is, when Christ ascended up on high, the third heaven, He, Christ led captivity captive. Paradise had moved, no longer is it in the earth, Christ packed it up and moved it to the third heaven. I don't know about you, but that's a WOW moment for me. Jesus Christ, the head of the church which is His body, was not just laying around in a tomb for three days, yet was accomplishing many things. Not only was He setting the captives free, He was establishing the New Testament for the nation Israel. Not only that, by His death, burial and resurrection, Jesus Christ was establishing the means for everyone alive in this dispensation to be saved. By God's grace through faith in the finished work of Christ, we have the present pocession of salvation, a present pocession of the atonement.

It is so sad and is a disgrace to see and hear Pastors and Preachers turn the reality of what Christ accomplished those three days and three nights into watered down easter sermons which hide the truth of God. Rather than building up believers, they keep the people captive in not knowing, being ignorant to what God would have you understand. If your Pastor or Preacher is engaged in anything other than building up, edifying the people for the work of the ministry according to the revelation of the mystery, the Gospel of the Grace of God, you are in a signs and wonders ministry. I wonder why you would continue to attend and the only sign you should be seeking is the one in back of the building, it says EXIT on it.

The Cross...does it matter?

2009-04-10T18:49:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

According to that verse, it matters greatly wouldn't you agree? But what if Jesus drowned in a river for our sins, or was run down by a camel for our sins, or let's say Jesus held his breath until He died for our sins, would it matter? Wasn't it absolutely necessary for the shedding of blood for the remission of sins? Well, that would eliminate the goofy suggestions I just made wouldn't it? Of course it would, I was attempting to assume the mindset of a blog I recently read which stated.....

When God sent His Son Jesus to pay for our sins, the cross was a major part of it. But guess what? plenty of people died on cross's. There were two of them at Jesus side during his death. So death on a cross wasn't the gift, Jesus death was the gift, regardless of how he died. It is not the how as much as the why.

The cross in which God manifest in the flesh was placed was unique in many ways because of WHOM it was placed there...God Himself! A transaction was made that day like no other, a purchase was made at the ultimate price, God's own blood.

Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

The blood bought church of Jesus Christ! God manifest in the flesh, the fullness of the Godhead bodily died for the sins of all men for all time in a manner He determined and no one else.

Acts 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

The crucifixion was determined and prophesied in many passages such as Psalms 22, it didn't just happen willy nilly or in the heat of the moment. God set forth His purpose long before the actual event. Revelation 13:8 refers to Christ as the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the Earth". Our Apostle Paul tells us in 1st Corinthians 2 that the crucifixion was ordained before the world.....

1 Corinthians 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

Through the crosswork of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have been redeemed from the curse of the law being made a curse for us...how was that accomplished?

Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

This post could end right here based on the information of the above verse. The death on a cross was indeed an essential part of God's gift for our salvation and can never be parsed out as if it didn't matter . It had to be on a cross , there was no other way! The cross was essential to accomplish Galatians 3:13. The same blogger which made the statement...

"plenty of people died on cross's. There were two of them at Jesus side during his death. So death on a cross wasn't the gift, Jesus death was the gift, regardless of how he died. It is not the how as much as the why"

.....also said the cross has nothing to do with what God did for us. I'll repeat that in case you missed it...the cross has nothing to do with what God did for us. You know, I cannot recall ever hearing anything quite as ridiculous as that. I don't think even Benny Hinn or Oral Roberts could come up with borderline blasphemous statements concerning the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ such as that one.

Colossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

Colossians 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

Colossians 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Jesus nailed the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way,nailing it to his.........CROSS!!! Couldn't there have been another way to get it accomplished without that old cross coming back into the picture? Why would anyone want to knock off the crosswork of Christ from the list of things God has done for us? Where would the ordinances that were contrary to us be nailed if it were not to a particular cross? You certainly couldn't nail them to a baptistry in the back of the church could ya?

1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

The cross of Christ and the Gospel are inseparable. You cannot have one without the other. On the other hand, in 1st Corinthians 1:17 we see the separation of water baptism from the Gospel as NOT being a part of the Gospel which saves our never dying soul. The cross is essential to the Gospel, water baptism is an offence. Your church isn't engaged in water baptizing are they? Shame on you for attending a church that promotes a water ministry. Double shame on you if your church or people in a leadership position belittle the efficacy of the cross in which our savior died for our sins and accomplished the reconciliation.

Colossians 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

Colossians 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

Colossians 1:21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

Can you take away the efficacy of HIS cross in the above passage? Sure you can, but while you are doing that, take away your reconciliation while you are at it. All of yours and mine sins were imputed to the Lord Jesus Christ on HIS cross....reconciliation by the means of the cross.

2 Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

Why would an ambassador for Christ want to sweep the cross under the rug? Better yet how could one even dabble in some doctrinal delusions pertaining to the centerpiece of the entire Bible in such a demeaning manner which attacks the cross of Christ? Instead of brushing it off, we can and should glory in the cross!!

Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

Comparing Christ's cross with the malefactors on each side during His Crucifixion doesn't lend itself to glorying in any way but rather the opposite.

Speaking of crucified, In Romans 6:3-4, Paul tells us we are baptized into Christ's death (not a tank of water) and as a result of my studies have shown me, that required a cross. So when we are baptized (identified) with Christ's death, we can also say....

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is the centerpiece of all the Bible. Through that one very unique cross, Jesus purchased the New Testament for the nation Israel, and at the same time provided the means in which a soul is saved in this present dispensation of the Grace of God. Of course, Jesus wasn't the only person to ever die on a cross, but Jesus wasn't just anybody. Jesus is God manifest in the flesh, therefore , His cross deserves our utmost respect, attention, focus, and in no way should we ever compare it to another or even consider another method in which God Himself determined before the foundation of the world to accomplish His purpose.

Paul , the apostle for this present dispensation of the Grace of God, the one man Jesus Christ Himself sent to be our apostle, minister, teacher, tells us to follow him, Paul, and mark them that do so, for the ones that do not follow Paul are the enemies of the cross of Christ. It was the cross of Christ, not just any old cross, it was the cross of Christ.

Philippians 3:18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

I say this without fear of contradiction, It is impossible to get your Bible right unless you heed to Paul's instruction in 2nd Timothy 2:15 according to rightly dividing the word of truth. Unless you are Pauline in doctrine, following Paul's instructions from the risen Jesus Christ for us in this present dispensation of the Grace of God, there is absolutely no chance you can understand what God is doing or His purpose for doing them. Even worse, the chance you actually understand how a soul is saved in the dispensation in which we reside diminishes dramatically.

The best thing a person can do today is to immediately go to their sink, wash the Easter egg dye off their fingers, turn off the jitterbug for Jesus Holy Ghost honky tonk rock and roll so called praise music, get out of the red letters in their Bibles, and oh yeah, if you don't have a Bible, get one, it will say KJV on the side, and get engaged in Bible study according to right division following Paul's instruction which he received by revelation from the risen Lord Jesus Christ beginning in the 9th chapter of the book of Acts. Mid Acts Pauline dispensational right division is the answer to the ecumenical covenant confusion being marketed in every church in your phonebook. Mid Acts Pauline right division eliminates the thinking or desiring to hear some new thing as the Athenians in Acts 17 going off the deep end into some doctrinal disaster area defaming the cross ministry of Jesus Christ. If you don't know what I just said, find someone that does and learn from them. You will thank me later.

Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

We should be obedient as well to the information provided to us through the preserved word of God He supplied to us in His Bible. Maybe we need to humble ourselves a little, admit we are wrong about what we believe or have been so wrongly taught by the novice standing behind the pulpit who have failed to follow God's instruction in rightly dividing the word of truth and get engaged in studying to show ourselves approved unto God. I am sure if you do so, you could not make a statement such as "the death on a cross wasn't the gift" , instead, you would be as Paul and say...

1 Corinthians 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

This is in no way a presentation of every benefit in which the cross of Christ is so unique and necessary. That would be an enormous post, but I think I have made the point, if not, email me and we can talk, ok? ok.....Grace and Peace!

Tithing? What your Preacher doesn't want you to know.

2009-04-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

How to get your people to loosen their purse strings?....guilt and greed! Yep, Malachi 3:8-10., the preacher's favorite scriptures to motivate the people to give to their church.

Malachi 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

Malachi 3:9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

GUILT MOTIVATION....You have robbed God of tithes and offerings therefore, God has cursed your finances. You heard me, you are cursed with a curse. God will get what belongs to him. Don't be surprised when the car gets a flat tire, or the lawn mower won't crank, maybe the kids will get sick and you have to pay for the doctor and medicine, your money just won't go as far as it did. It's better to live on the blessed 90 percent than that of the cursed 100 percent....so let's take care of business this morning and get that tithe check in the offering plate right after we sing one more chorus of Amazing Grace.

Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

GREED MOTIVATION.......God is gonna bless you beyond your wildest dreams. Give and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over....Your boss will give you a raise, your tax refund will show up in the mailbox, you will get increased gas mileage, prove God and see if He doesn't open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings that there shall not be room enough to receive ....bless God Hallelujah!!!

Sound familiar? I have heard it almost exactly like I presented it, but it can be presented in a more subtle manner such as a "tithing challenge" wherein you test God's faithfulness. Giving to get from God, that is greed motivation plain and simple. I've actually heard of this challenge presented with a money back guarantee. What a hoot!..Who is actually going to go back and ask for a refund? Who is going to blame God for not holding to His word and pouring out those uncontainable blessing? In doing so, wouldn't it actually revert back to the "guilt" factor wherein you must be cursed with a curse? The catch 22.....Slick marketing techniques of a very old scam in which the Preacher has control of the people's purse strings in order to keep the revenue flowing.

Giving is a right thing...Tithing is dead wrong and the scriptures declare it Let's see what real tithing looks like in the scriptures and who was suppose to do it and how we in this present dispensation of the Grace of God are to give and the motivation behind it.

Biblical tithing was given to one group of people in the Bible, that is Israel according to their law program.

Hebrews 7:5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:

Uh oh, you teachers of the tithe have a problem right from the start. we aren't under the law, but under grace, also, notice the word is "tithes", plural, more than one....Israel had more than one ten percent tithe according to their law program, in fact, there are several with different functions. Which tithe are you telling YOUR people to obey? I know for a fact it is not the tithe of Deuteronomy 14:22-26.

Deuteronomy 14:22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.

Deuteronomy 14:23 And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.

Deuteronomy 14:24 And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:

Deuteronomy 14:25 Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose:

How we doing so far? take the tithe (tenth) of the increase of the seed, flocks, herds, wine, oil, whatever you increased during the year, take it to the place where God places His name. If it is too far too carry, exchange it for money and take that to the place where God has placed His name.....the next verse is what no Preacher will ever tell you........

Deuteronomy 14:26 And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,

Did you see that? A tithe that you can keep and do with what ever you desire. Is this the tithe your Pastor who "prays for Jesus to show up on Sunday morning in an undeniable way" wants you to follow? This might be a good passage to show your Pastor who has you involved in a "3 month tithing challenge" at the end of which you can proclaim it was your money to start with and you now want it back. Let's look at some others.

The Levites had no inheritance in the land, therefore, the tribes of Israel paid the Levites a tenth (tithe) for their service in the tabernacle.

Numbers 18:21 And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Okay. let's start keeping track....10% in Deuteronomy 14:22-26, another 10% in Numbers 18:21, we are up to 20 percent so far. Are you a "tither"? Don't write that check yet, there is more.... let's continue!

Back to Deuteronomy 14 we see yet another "tithe" (tenth) in verses 27-29. Here we see a welfare type of ordinance for the strangers, fatherless and widows. This one is in 3 year increments breaking down to 3.3% per year. Okay, let's keep the tab running so now we are up to 23.3% not just 10% .

Deuteronomy 14:27 And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.

Deuteronomy 14:28 At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:

Deuteronomy 14:29 And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.

Surely, there can't be anymore than that. Don't forget the one we started with in Malachi 3:8-10. This one is specifically for the storehouse, the tax as you will for the operation of the Temple.

Okay, have you been keeping up with the math...10+10+3.3+10= 33.3% Are you getting the idea? Tithing is more than merely 10 percent, it is much more and has different functions. There are yet more "tithes" Israel was bound to according to the law but I think the point has been made. If you were to add all the ordinances concerning "tithing" that were given to Israel under the law program, it would top 50% of their income. Now write the check for HALF of your income and you will be a good tither. Would you be correct if you did?..absolutely not!!!

In this present dispensation of the Grace of God, we are NOT under the law in any regards, we are under Grace! We have a different set of directions in regards to giving to the ministry. It is not according to doing the math in your head, it is according to the purpose of your heart.

2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

Not grudgingly,(nobody is forcing you) or of necessity (the law made tithing a necessity). It comes down to your motivation being from the heart.

2 Corinthians 8:2 How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

Liberality. we are at liberty to give according as we purpose in our heart. Basically, God reads our meter by our giving. What is your heart focused on? When you give, is it what you have purposed in your heart to give?...or is it what you calculated in your head? Have you let your family go without in order to pay that "tithe" every week? Paul tells us if we have done so we are worse than an infidel and have denied the faith.

1 Timothy 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

On the other hand, has a ministry benefited your spiritual well being, maybe even responsible for presenting the Gospel to you by which you are saved and you are not giving at all or you are limiting your giving to 10% when you could easily give more? Put down the calculator and decide what you want to give according as you purpose in your heart!! Give what you are happy to give, God loves a cheerful giver!!! If your church or ministry is teaching tithing, Sabbath keeping, or water baptism, would this be where you should be giving? I don't think so. If they are teaching these things, they are to whom our apostle Paul tells us about in 1st Timothy.

1 Timothy 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

1 Timothy 1:6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;

1 Timothy 1:7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.

If You Can't Beat Em.....Have an Easter Egg Hunt!

2009-04-02T17:17:00.000-07:00

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way......Opps....wrong season. As we enter the spring season of the year, the lid comes off the box for pagan traditions being marketed as what every Christian should be engaged in....phooey! The Bible is clear, there is a God who created all things, Jesus Christ is that God who died for the sins of all mankind, was buried and rose again the third day, and of course the Bible is the very Word of God. At the same time, all the engagement in pagan, worldly, mysticism, and just down right fairytale activities makes Christianity hard to be taken seriously. Who's fault is it? Do you have a mirror nearby? It could be you are taking part. Let's look at some examples.

Mardi Gras...which is French for gross or fat Tuesday. In New Orleans where the carnival is celebrated nearly 1700 people were arrested for public intoxication, nudity, disorderly conduct and other illegal activities. The day is set forth to sin to your hearts content because the next day is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.

The Mardi Gras carnival is the celebration of the abstinence from eating meat. The word carnival literally means "goodbye to meat". Therefore, the eating of fish for the 40 days of Lent. Did you notice all of the fast food joints advertising fish sandwiches lately? Since the word "Lent" does not appear in the Bible, it is clearly a pagan tradition which gives the word meaning. The Bible (KJV) speaks to this in 1st Timothy 4.....

1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

1 Timothy 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

1 Timothy 4:3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

Enter Tammuz. The pagan god of the sun, lived for forty years. When he died, those that were his followers mourned one day for every year he had lived. Are you getting where "Lent" originated from? This mourning for Tammuz evolved into a season of abstinence and penance during the spring season at the time of Tammuz's demise.

How did this pagan sun god die? He was gored to death by the killer pig, a wild boar, you know, the mean ugly ones with the tusks. How did Tammuz followers get revenge? They killed the pig, hence the tradition of Easter ham is born. I didn't think Jews ate ham so clearly eating ham evolved from a pagan tradition. What are the grocery stores in your area promoting in the meat department lately? What will be on your dinner table on the 14th of April? Why?

Here comes Peter Cottontail, running down the bunny trail....Eggs, bunnies, rabbits with eggs, all that junk are all springtime sex symbols. Could this be why Hugh Heffner chose the bunny as the symbol and name for his magazine and trade in the marketing of female sex objects? One plus one still equals two. The sex goddess, Astarte, was honored in the spring season with fertility rites. Her name evolved into Eostre and eventually, Easter. Can anyone please tell me how all of this pagan trash displays Bible believing Christianity? Does all this hogwash make our job easier or harder to convince the gainsayer when it is so obvious none of this modern marketing techniques of warmed over pagan traditions are not even in the same ballpark pertaining to the resurrection of Jesus Christ for our justification?

Good Friday is another case along with the traditional "sunrise services" being observed at so many churches around the world. Have you ever done the math from Friday to Sunday? Is it me or is it just impossible to fit 3 days and 3 nights into that time frame? Jesus declared it to be 3 days and 3 nights in Mathew 12....

Matthew 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

I am going to stick with the Biblical account. It was 3 days, 3 nights, not as second more nor a second less. In John chapter 20....

John 20:1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

Since it was yet dark and Christ had already risen, cleary the sunrise services are another Christianization of pagan worship of the sun god Tammuz. The job of presenting Christianity in it's pure Biblical sense becomes more difficult when the Christian community is jumping head first into the sea of pagan traditionalism. There is no time of the year more than the spring season in which Christians seem to check their brains at the door and run with the course of this world following the traditions which make the Word of God of none effect.

Hippidy hop hop....Hippidy hop hop.....Hippidy hop hop.......

Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

2009-03-31T18:45:00.000-07:00

This verse has always been a favorite for us old married guys to communicate the love we have for our wives . I don't know about the rest of you guys out there in bloggerland, but I have said it more than once to my bride, my best friend in this world, the love of my life, that I would gladly give my life for hers. In the days ahead, I will be in the position to make good on that statement. My wife of 20 years has been diagnosed to be in end stage renal failure (kidney failure) from the result of PKD (polycystic kidney disease). Hopefully I will test out as a match for the transplant procedure so we can get the ball rolling.

I feel pretty confident that YOU would do the same for your wife if placed in this position. How about your enemy or enemies? Would you be willing to give your worst enemy an organ transplant? Would you lay down your life for the person that has gone against everything you stand for? Would you regard their life above your own?

In the Old Testament book of John, our Lord and savior Jesus Christ made this statement....

John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. I would imagine alot of you can quote that verse. But do we fit in the audience in that passage? Were we the friends for which Jesus willing laid down His life for? In the same OT book of John chapter one, John tells us.... John 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. Jesus came to His own, The Jewish people, the nation Israel. Paul confirms this in ..

Romans 15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: In these two passages, it is clear, Jesus laid down His life for His own, the nation Israel which is the circumcision. Hey what about us?

The Apostle Paul, beginning in Acts 9, was given contrary information to that which was given to the nation Israel. Contrary does not mean it is a mistake, it just means it is different. For example, when you come to a traffic signal, one person has the green light, the other person has the red light, both the red and the green lights are correct, but they are contrary one to another. Different information given to different audiences. The Apostle Paul was given information that was never given to anyone, anywhere, anytime. It was kept secret since the world began.

This information is what constitutes what is referred to as the "revelation of the mystery", the Gospel of the Grace of God. Within this body of data, Paul tells us in .....

Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Did you see that? While we were yet enemies, Christ died for us.

John 15:13, Greater love ...Christ died for His friends.......Romans 5:10....Christ died for His enemies. Obviously, we have the greatest love now...Christ died for us while were yet His enemies. The Gospel given to Paul by revelation from the risen Lord Jesus Christ cannot be found in any other writings other than that given to Paul for us in this present dispensation of the Grace of God wherein Paul was made the minister, teacher, and apostle to the gentiles. The Lord Jesus Christ told the little flock of Israel...

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me....

But only through the body of information given to the Apostle Paul can we find...

Ephesians 3:8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

The Gospel that saves our never dying soul cannot be found in Genesis thru Malachi, nor in the OT books of Mathew, Mark, Luke or John. Not in Acts chapter one thru chapter 8. The Gospel of the Grace of God was given to only one man, that being the Apostle Paul beginning in Acts chapter 9....the unsearchable riches of Christ.

I urge you, beseech you, dig in, be the workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly divide the word of truth. We aren't Israel in any form, Israel has stumbled, and are blinded, and have no standing...we are the new creation, the church which is His body. Salvation for us today is only on the merits of Christ's death, burial and resurrection alone. By grace, through faith in His finished work. The unsearchable riches of Christ! That is why I have named this Blogspot what I have. 2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

The next time you begin to boast about loving folks, loving each other, or discussing the topic of love, keep in mind the greatest love of all time...

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Kumbayah UPDATE!!!!...or...You got some splaining to do!!!

2009-03-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

The author/Pastor of the original blog post entitled "Spiritual Gifts" I don't want has made a retraction...or has he? This one will leave you scratching your head. He states in his latest post that some misunderstood or mischaracterized the post, while at the same time, some yet and still agreed. I completely agree with that insomuch as I received numerous emails myself on my post in response to his blog. Many defended the author/Pastor and at the same time, many agreed with my response. The responses defending the author/Pastor were defending him on a personal basis disregarding his statements made in the original post published on his blog.. The responses agreeing with my position did so on the basis of the content of the original post. Here is where it gets a little weird.

Wouldn't you think a former blog post or statement made that caused so much discussion, dialogue and questioning would merit some clarification? If it was so misunderstood and mischaracterized by some, wouldn't it be a good idea to make it clear to the readers your original intent being that you take the time to explain what has occurred? What a concept!...Well, not going to happen. At this point, I wonder who actually understood the author's intent being there seems to be no further explanation. The author/Pastor of the blog post goes on to say in order to understand it fully, we need to know the context. Huh? Didn't we get the whole post?..or is there more we needed to make a proper assessment?

Since some seemed to agree with the post, doesn't that make their view moot since they also did not have the context needed to fully understand the message the author intended? Did we need to see the author's facial expressions to know what he actually intended to say? Did we also need to hear the author's voice to know the intent of the post? Are all of these elements necessary to comprehend the writings in a blog post, email, text message or any other form of written communication? If the manuscript lacked information needed to grasp the author's intent, that begs the question, why? Or is it just second thoughts now that the cat is out of the bag? Maybe it was not a well thought out post and this is a way to explain away what was said?

Five paragraphs into the explanation of the former blog post , there is yet to be a hint of clarification of this misunderstood post, only that we did not understand what he meant to say. I have an idea....Just say it then. In the immortal words of Ricky Ricardo..."you got some splaining to do"....don't ya think?

The Pastor goes on to compare his post with Bible studies that ask the question..."what do you think" rather than what was the author trying to communicate . Honestly, I've never heard of Bible studies that ask my two cents, it is always based upon believing the written word of God as it stands, no spin zone, allowing the Bible to say what it says to whom it says it...what a concept!.

Analogies, parables, alagories are always identified as such in the scriptures, all other scripture should be taken literally. Was the post "Spiritual Gifts" I don't want written as alagories? were they parabolic? or should they be read in the literal sense? They were not identified in any sense to be other than literal.

The Pastor goes on to compare the mischaracterization and misunderstanding over his post to the same problem people encounter when reading their Bibles. I just can't make that comparison in any way shape or form. The God that inspired the written word had His words written exactly as He meant to have them written with out as much as one mistake in them. The author of the Bible instructs us how to read and study it correctly, and it demands us to believe His words in order for them to work effectually. Reading a blog , text, email, or whatever requires no such thing. What ever is written in a blog, text, email is the full content with no other reference point in which to compare. The audience has been determined, the words are written, we read them, we process them, should we not believe them as they are written? or do we need to put a spin on them? Now that's where folks go wrong in Bible study. Instead of allowing the Bible to say what it says to whom it says it, they always find a way to fit themselves into the audience being spoken to which is an egregious error to say the least.

Since so many have misunderstood all the information provided in the original blog post, and so many have mishandled what the author's intent was meant to be, how about a new post clarifying the so plainly written statements throughout the entire post entitled "Spiritual Gifts" I don't want? Wouldn't it follow as the night to day that would be a logical next step in clearing up the original controversy? Now, let me be clear here in saying this. If you do not understand what is being discussed here ,it is because you need to read it in context....lol....seriously, you would have to read this in conjunction with the former "Kumbayah" posts to have the entire dialogue then you can also say....Lucy!, you got some splaining to do!!

What the Gospel Aint!!

2009-03-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

Are you here today by divine appointment? You did not know it but God has you here today for this very moment. Glory to God!! Has God been tugging on your heartstrings ? God is speaking to you right now if you would only listen to Him. Hallelujah!!! The Lord told us in 2 Chronicles 7:14 .If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Glory!!! Here is what you do. You get up out of that pew right now and come down front and do business with the Lord....Bless God!!! He is here waiting , won't you come?

Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart right now, Praise Jesus!!! He said in Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me...Jesus is speaking to YOU right now !!..Glory to God!!!.are you gonna open that door and let Jesus in right now?

We have people up here to pray you through right now. Bless God, Hallelujah!! Pray that sinner's prayer ...oh God, be merciful unto me a sinner! Ask Jesus to come into your heart and make Him Lord of your life!!.. Won't ya come?...

Let's sing another chorus of "Just as I AM" while these folks do business with God. Maybe you followed Jesus one time but you lost your way. Maybe it was when you were a child. Praise the Lord!! Maybe you just lost your love for God for some reason.. Maybe you lost your job, your wife, your husband, your dog, whatever it was,,,God wants to give it back...Jesus said....John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.....All you gotta do is give it to God!!! .Glory to God!!!

Did you do it? Did you repent of your sins and pray the prayer? Did you make Jesus the Lord of your life? God is gonna bless you for answering His call...Amen Amen Amen and Hostillashundai!!! (if you are a pentecostal tongue babbling con artist). Now you need to obey the Lord and be water baptized in the believer's baptism like Jesus did.........

How did I do? Did any of that sound familiar? Is that somewhat the method in which you "came to know the Lord"? Is this similar to the way you profess to be saved? Sadly, it probably is. If you want to have a little fun, ask people that claim to be Christian, a Jesus follower, Jesus chaser, or whatever name they call themselves, "how is it a soul is saved" and then just sit back and listen. You will be stunned at the responses you will get. It is very telling of their understanding of what salvation is and how it is secured. I know firsthand, about 1 in 10 can actually give a somewhat clear presentation of the Gospel and even then, they mix it in with some of the baloney I demonstrated in the above rant.

If you haven't noticed, the cross was never mentioned in the example of the typical "altar call" posted earlier. Not only was the cross not there, neither was the death, burial or resurrection of Christ. But it sure sounded compelling didn't it? It is pure crowd manipulation technique being implemented in almost every pulpit in the world since about 1834 when Charles Grandison Finney used an "anxious bench" in which the unsaved would sit and be made a spectacle. It continues to this day in forms such as "raise your hand" or "come on down" (let's make a deal) if you want to know Jesus and the such. Hogwash! None of this activity constitutes the manner in which a soul is saved, contrariwise, it does it much harm. We can't blame ole Finney, should we blame the modern church machinery? Maybe. But at the end of the day, the buck stops at you.

Romans 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

What are you trusting for the salvation of your soul? Where do you turn in the scriptures to present the Gospel that saves a never dying soul in this present dispensation of the Grace of God? It is an honor and a privilege to present the Gospel to an unsaved person and should be the mandate of every believer. We aren't here for any other reason than that of the ambassador for Christ presenting the Gospel , the word of reconciliation to the lost. God doesn't have us here to consume products and get involved in mindless social activities like global warming and picketing abortion clinics or the such. We are here for one purpose, to see souls saved and saints edified and be thankful in doing so.

If you want power in your ministry, it isn't in the rock band on the stage , nor the fog and haze machines, it's not in endless programs aimed at behavioral modification, nor is it involvement with pagan traditions such as filling plastic eggs with cheap candy to establish contact with folks so just maybe they will come back to the church meeting and just maybe they will want to hear about Jesus and just maybe they will "accept Jesus" into their life.....and the baloney continues.....So where is the power?

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

The power is in the Gospel of Christ!!!..what is the Gospel of Christ?

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

The power is in the preaching of the cross!!....what happened on the cross?

1 Corinthians 15:3 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 Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Christ died on the cross for OUR sins, was buried, and rose again the third day!!!!

Okay, now what do I do?..repent of my sins?..ask Jesus in my heart?,,,make Jesus Lord of my life?......

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

You believe the word of truth, the Gospel of YOUR salvation, you trust in Jesus for what He did, you are sealed with the holy Spirit of promise!!!!,,,,you are saved!!!

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.

I follow Jesus....really????

2009-03-23T15:09:00.000-07:00

It seems many people these days are making that statement, "I follow Jesus" or "I am a follower of Jesus", even going over the rainbow to see Dorothy and Toto saying "I am a Jesus chaser", as if Jesus is running to and fro and requires you to chase Him around. How goofy is that?. Surely, there are more cliches' being propogated in the marketplace of ideas but the ones I mentioned are prominent in the modern church planting movement.

Doesn't it sound so noble to be someone that wants to do what they perceive as the right thing and follow the instruction of our savior Jesus Christ while He was here in bodily form on the earth? This same group of people will also tell you they follow the Lord's example or obey His instruction siting the Old Testament books of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. Yes, I said Mathew Mark Luke and John are Old Testament, and that according to Hebrews 9:15-17 which declares that fact. Being a Bible believer is required to understand this truth and getting that correct will go a long way in your Bible understanding.

Let us now take a look at a few of the requirements to be a "Jesus follower" and ask yourself, "do I really follow Jesus"? Let's take a peek at what Jesus commanded His followers to obey, ready?....here we go!!!

In Mathew 5, the beginning of the "sermon on the mount", Jesus is giving His followers a to do list . He starts with the list of blessings "IF" they would perform correctly, then Jesus expounds the law program given to them (Israel) explaining if their righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. This could only be accomplished by keeping the 613 points of law. Do you keep all 613 points of law? The scribes and Pharisees were law keepers. How are you doing so far keeping the law? What would be greater then keeping the law to the jot and tittle? Jesus explains that by expanding it to include even thinking about a woman with lustful intentions as the same as committing the act. The same with anger being the same as murder and so on. Have you been to an "eye plucking" services lately? Didn't think so. How about hand removing revivals? Have you ever read Mathew 5? Let's say you haven't followed the Lord according to this passage so far, and I am positive you have not, here is your chance to redeem yourself. All you have to do is obey Mathew 5:42 by sending me a certified check for all you have in your bank account, also, let me borrow your car and I am not sure when and if I'll return it. Okay? Just send me an email and I will give you my mailing address.

Matthew 5:42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

Did Jesus say that? You know He did so what are you Jesus chasers waiting for? Got your attention yet? If not, let's look at another command Jesus gave to them that would follow Him in the same Old Testament book of Mathew.

Matthew 23:1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,

That must be His followers, right?

Matthew 23:2 Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:

There are those pesky scribes and Pharisees again in which your righteousness must exceed.

Matthew 23:3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

So, who is seated in Moses' seat now? Do you have a Rabbi? Are you observing what who ever is seated in Moses' bids you to do? Wouldn't that be a requirement for a "Jesus chaser"? Didn't Jesus mean what He said?. Are you keeping the law to the letter and also as Jesus expounded it in Mathew 5? Are you still following Jesus? You know this list could go on for quite awhile don't you? Let's look at a couple more, then you decide if the label "Jesus follower" fits what you are doing. Jesus commanded His followers to go to some people and not to some other people, did you know that? Here are 12 men to whom Jesus said "follow me" and look at what He commanded them.

Matthew 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

Don't tell me you have disobeyed Jesus command by going to Gentiles. Didn't you know, you were only supposed to go to......

Matthew 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

What would Jesus do? Here are all these folks declaring themselves as "followers of Jesus" not following one point mentioned so far? I haven't even left the OT book of Mathew and have yet to find anyone that labels themselves as a "Jesus chaser" that is obeying these simple, easy to understand straight forward commands. What's up with that? O ye of little faith. speaking of which, let's see another passage.

Luke 12:22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.

This would be a good time to take the grocery list off the fridge or thinking about what and where you are going out to eat.

Luke 12:28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Are you in the "little faith" audience? If not, here is what you do. Pull all the blinds down in your house, strip down to your birthday suit, sit down at the dining room table and wait for God to clothe you and feed you. I am pretty sure it won't be long before you call Domino's since you probably have them on speed dial anyway. Sounds ridiculous doesn't it? Do you know what is even more ridiculous? Thinking these passages in any regard is directed toward you. Every single word in these verses are directed to one group of people, the nation Israel. Didn't God feed them manna in the wilderness? God will also feed them in the tribulation period as well as the Kingdom. Don't we have contrary instructions from the Apostle Paul admonishing us if we don't work, neither should we eat?

2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

Now what? If I'm to eat, I should work for it, or, should I not worry about it because God is going to feed me and clothe me? Should I be keeping the law as Jesus commanded His followers? Or is the law weak and beggarly as Paul says and by going back to the law would be going back under a curse? Does Jesus want me to follow Him or follow the one He sent?

John 13:20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

Did Jesus send someone else for us to follow?

1 Corinthians 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

1 Timothy 1:16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

Looks like we have a pattern to follow...Paul.

Philippians 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

Apparently the instructions have changed , we are to follow Paul. Not only are we to follow Paul, we are to identify them that do so. Are you marked? Are you following Paul as he follows the instruction given him by the risen Lord Jesus Christ? The only acceptable way to follow Christ today would be to follow the one He sent...the Apostle to the Gentiles for this present dispensation of the Grace of God.......Paul!

Romans 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:

Last one....aren't you glad? Let's see what Jesus told a young man who had a most important question.

Matthew 19:16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

Good question huh? How to obtain eternal life. I am certain Jesus said.."believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" or "By grace ye are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God." let's see......

Matthew 19:17 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.

Opps, I was wrong wasn't I? What else was I wrong about?

Matthew 19:18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,

Matthew 19:19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Matthew 19:20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

Are you getting the feeling that salvation is based upon my performance according to what Jesus told this fella? It doesn't end there, Jesus gave him MORE stuff to do.

Matthew 19:21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Better call the Carolina Bargain Trader as well as the Daily Reflector and fill up the classifieds with all thou hast. Then and only then does Jesus say....come and follow me. Are you keeping the law? Are you going only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel? Have you sold are your goodies and gave it to the poor? Are you fooling yourself ascribing to the title of "Jesus follower"? Wouldn't it be a better thing to follow the instruction He has for us in the "but now" dispensation of the Grace of God?....think about it.

Hey, it took me a while to get my head around this stuff too. It took in your face messages like these to get my attention in order for me dig in and be fully persuaded in my own mind. It requires exactly what Paul calls "rightly dividing the word of truth" which requires study. It's worth the work and is approved unto God. Instead of labeling yourself as a "Jesus follower" or anything else, let's be the workman that needeth not to be ashamed!

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.