Randy Green's Blog - Posts Tagged "1-thessalonians-4"
Stargazers
"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven" [1 Thessalonians 4:16].
"But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" [Luke 21:28].
Man's only option for redemption is the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is a Person, not a set of beliefs or fervent church attendance. Accordingly Luke 21:28 refers to God's people looking up ("lift up your heads") because the Lord Jesus is returning ("your redemption is drawing near").
In each case the Lord is descending from heaven. So the two passages refer to the same event. Right? Not so fast! Such a conclusion is a non sequitur. It assumes that the Lord Jesus can only descend from heaven one time. In fact He already did so at His first coming, when He took upon human flesh. We celebrate that time as His birthday, the holiday "Christmas".
Fact of the matter is, the Lord Jesus will descend from heaven twice more. The first time He comes, He will come down to the clouds and call the Christians to meet Him there in the clouds. He will not come to the earth at that time. This is known as the "Rapture" in theology textbooks. If you read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, you will obtain a fuller account of this marvelous event. I cannot wait for it to transpire! Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.
Then there is the time after that when the Lord will return to the earth with His angels and heavenly people. This is known as the "Second Coming". The first coming or advent occurred circa 3 B.C. We celebrate this as Christmas. The Lord's "Second Coming" will be after the Great Tribulation. At that time He will cast the antichrist and the false religious leader into the Lake of Fire (Rev.19:20), and lock up the devil for 1000 years (aka the "Millennium"; cf., Rev.20:1-3). If you read Luke 21:25-28 you will obtain further information on this event.
To recapitulate, at the "Rapture" the Lord Jesus descends from heaven to the clouds and calls the Christians to meet Him there. He takes us home to heaven with Him to celebrate the "Marriage Supper of the Lamb" (Revelation 19:7-9). At His "Second Coming" the Lord Jesus descends from heaven with His angels and saints, coming all the way to the earth to destroy evil and set up the Millennial Kingdom on the earth (Rev.19:11-19). For 1000 years He will rule the earth from His throne in Jerusalem, keeping all sin in check worldwide.
For further Bible teaching be sure to check out my five volume set, "Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes". For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
"But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" [Luke 21:28].
Man's only option for redemption is the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is a Person, not a set of beliefs or fervent church attendance. Accordingly Luke 21:28 refers to God's people looking up ("lift up your heads") because the Lord Jesus is returning ("your redemption is drawing near").
In each case the Lord is descending from heaven. So the two passages refer to the same event. Right? Not so fast! Such a conclusion is a non sequitur. It assumes that the Lord Jesus can only descend from heaven one time. In fact He already did so at His first coming, when He took upon human flesh. We celebrate that time as His birthday, the holiday "Christmas".
Fact of the matter is, the Lord Jesus will descend from heaven twice more. The first time He comes, He will come down to the clouds and call the Christians to meet Him there in the clouds. He will not come to the earth at that time. This is known as the "Rapture" in theology textbooks. If you read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, you will obtain a fuller account of this marvelous event. I cannot wait for it to transpire! Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.
Then there is the time after that when the Lord will return to the earth with His angels and heavenly people. This is known as the "Second Coming". The first coming or advent occurred circa 3 B.C. We celebrate this as Christmas. The Lord's "Second Coming" will be after the Great Tribulation. At that time He will cast the antichrist and the false religious leader into the Lake of Fire (Rev.19:20), and lock up the devil for 1000 years (aka the "Millennium"; cf., Rev.20:1-3). If you read Luke 21:25-28 you will obtain further information on this event.
To recapitulate, at the "Rapture" the Lord Jesus descends from heaven to the clouds and calls the Christians to meet Him there. He takes us home to heaven with Him to celebrate the "Marriage Supper of the Lamb" (Revelation 19:7-9). At His "Second Coming" the Lord Jesus descends from heaven with His angels and saints, coming all the way to the earth to destroy evil and set up the Millennial Kingdom on the earth (Rev.19:11-19). For 1000 years He will rule the earth from His throne in Jerusalem, keeping all sin in check worldwide.
For further Bible teaching be sure to check out my five volume set, "Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes". For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Word Games
On more than one occasion over the years, I have been confronted with doctrinal sophistry. The perpetrators of such blather usually spout arguments about words they heard from some self-styled intellectual genius. The genius knows how to sound convincing, and their followers swallow their chicanery hook, line, and sinker. But those followers don't understand what's involved at all, and they haven't given it much thought they don’t rectify ther situation.
One of the more common examples of this is the argument that God doesn't "tempt" anyone, period. He does "test" us, but He never ever "tempts" us because to “tempt” is evil while "testing" is not.
A cursory peek into the dictionary will dispel such illogical tripe, dear friends. To "tempt" may or may not be evil. Even more to the point, the original Greek for "tempt" is translated as "test" in some cases and "tempt" in other cases.
The translators are interpreting instead of translating, when they do this. They interpret the test/tempt as evil when they translate the word as "tempt", while they translate the word as "test" when it's a good thing in their eyes. But it's still the same word. Their shenanigans lead the English reader astray because he/she believes two different words are used in the Greek.
I'll assay one more example and expose the casuistry more thoroughly by means of it. I've been challenged on teaching the Scriptural truth about the "Rapture". The challenge went something like this:
"There is no such thing as the Rapture! The word doesn't appear anywhere in the entire Bible. So there!"
I might as well conclude this post right here and now. The challenge is so irrefutable! What's the point of even answering such clever assertions?
But wait! There is every point to answering the argument. The Bible doesn't mention any toilets in the church buildings. For that matter church buildings aren't even mentioned in the Bible. Would those who argue against the "Rapture" be inclined to argue against toilets and church buildings? Methinks not.
But more to the point, dear friends. The crux of the matter is this: the original manuscripts which were inspired by the Holy Spirit were written in Hebrew and Greek, not English. When it comes right down to it, there are NO English words inspired by the Holy Spirit!
So yes, they are correct. The English word "Rapture" does not appear in the Bible. Nor does the word "Trinity" and a slew of other words used in doctrinal understanding. But guess what? The Greek word "harpazo" is. It is the word we translate into English as "Rapture". It basically means to be caught up and taken to another place.
So the word "Rapture" doesn't appear in the Bible, but what is depicted by the word "Rapture" does indeed occur in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (cf., 2 Corinthians 12:2). So do we really want to argue about words? I think it is much better to discuss what actually occurs in the Bible. Are you with me?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book "Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes". For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
One of the more common examples of this is the argument that God doesn't "tempt" anyone, period. He does "test" us, but He never ever "tempts" us because to “tempt” is evil while "testing" is not.
A cursory peek into the dictionary will dispel such illogical tripe, dear friends. To "tempt" may or may not be evil. Even more to the point, the original Greek for "tempt" is translated as "test" in some cases and "tempt" in other cases.
The translators are interpreting instead of translating, when they do this. They interpret the test/tempt as evil when they translate the word as "tempt", while they translate the word as "test" when it's a good thing in their eyes. But it's still the same word. Their shenanigans lead the English reader astray because he/she believes two different words are used in the Greek.
I'll assay one more example and expose the casuistry more thoroughly by means of it. I've been challenged on teaching the Scriptural truth about the "Rapture". The challenge went something like this:
"There is no such thing as the Rapture! The word doesn't appear anywhere in the entire Bible. So there!"
I might as well conclude this post right here and now. The challenge is so irrefutable! What's the point of even answering such clever assertions?
But wait! There is every point to answering the argument. The Bible doesn't mention any toilets in the church buildings. For that matter church buildings aren't even mentioned in the Bible. Would those who argue against the "Rapture" be inclined to argue against toilets and church buildings? Methinks not.
But more to the point, dear friends. The crux of the matter is this: the original manuscripts which were inspired by the Holy Spirit were written in Hebrew and Greek, not English. When it comes right down to it, there are NO English words inspired by the Holy Spirit!
So yes, they are correct. The English word "Rapture" does not appear in the Bible. Nor does the word "Trinity" and a slew of other words used in doctrinal understanding. But guess what? The Greek word "harpazo" is. It is the word we translate into English as "Rapture". It basically means to be caught up and taken to another place.
So the word "Rapture" doesn't appear in the Bible, but what is depicted by the word "Rapture" does indeed occur in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (cf., 2 Corinthians 12:2). So do we really want to argue about words? I think it is much better to discuss what actually occurs in the Bible. Are you with me?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book "Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes". For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
You Can't Tell Me What To Do! - Part 1
For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you [1 Thessalonians 4:7-8].
When I was a wee tot, mom told me to take the garbage sack to the can. I responded, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I went to school, the teacher wanted me to turn in my homework. I challenged her, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I went to the job, the boss told me to bring him the report I was supposed to have finished. I told him, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I opened my Bible to read it, the Lord instructed me… I told Him, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
Okay. So I made all that up. Sadly, though, it’s all too common with today’s affluent middle class morality reigning supreme. Even worse, most folks will look at my first three willful responses, and they will find them outrageous. But when it comes to the fourth willful response…well, no biggy.
The Word of God doesn’t hold much authority in the eyes of the people of today’s world. Truth be told, the Bible is contemned by nearly everyone. Oh, I know the word “Bible” is often bandied about in a reverent sense. That only makes it all the worse, when those doing the bandying don’t read it much.
It is a sign of the times—one which clearly spells out how far down the road of apostasy we have gone in the good ol’ USA—that even in churches which still claim allegiance to the Bible, the folks predominantly are Bible illiterate, or at best semi-literate. Perhaps, just perhaps, they can tell you that Noah built the ark and David slew Goliath. But pass a Bible competency exam. Fat chance! Don’t hold your breath.
The “good” churches with the “real” Christians have sunk so low, that the word “Bible” has replaced the actual Bible! I’ll leave it to your imagination what this means for the professed Christians in the more liberally inclined churches. Apart from a real Holy Spirit time of refreshing, methinks it is curtains for America. No government election will alter our course either, dear friends.
Personally, I love to read my Bible every day. I can’t get enough of it! Take, for instance, the Apostle Paul’s words in the two verses we quoted to begin this study. Read them attentively, musing on what he emphasized and what his underlying assumptions are. I note three points of emphasis. They are:
1. God calls the Christian for His purpose
2. we learn of His call and purpose from the Bible
3. the Bible carries the authority of God Himself
We will continue this topic on the morrow. For today let’s hie off to the prayer closet alone with Jesus for a spell.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
When I was a wee tot, mom told me to take the garbage sack to the can. I responded, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I went to school, the teacher wanted me to turn in my homework. I challenged her, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I went to the job, the boss told me to bring him the report I was supposed to have finished. I told him, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I opened my Bible to read it, the Lord instructed me… I told Him, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
Okay. So I made all that up. Sadly, though, it’s all too common with today’s affluent middle class morality reigning supreme. Even worse, most folks will look at my first three willful responses, and they will find them outrageous. But when it comes to the fourth willful response…well, no biggy.
The Word of God doesn’t hold much authority in the eyes of the people of today’s world. Truth be told, the Bible is contemned by nearly everyone. Oh, I know the word “Bible” is often bandied about in a reverent sense. That only makes it all the worse, when those doing the bandying don’t read it much.
It is a sign of the times—one which clearly spells out how far down the road of apostasy we have gone in the good ol’ USA—that even in churches which still claim allegiance to the Bible, the folks predominantly are Bible illiterate, or at best semi-literate. Perhaps, just perhaps, they can tell you that Noah built the ark and David slew Goliath. But pass a Bible competency exam. Fat chance! Don’t hold your breath.
The “good” churches with the “real” Christians have sunk so low, that the word “Bible” has replaced the actual Bible! I’ll leave it to your imagination what this means for the professed Christians in the more liberally inclined churches. Apart from a real Holy Spirit time of refreshing, methinks it is curtains for America. No government election will alter our course either, dear friends.
Personally, I love to read my Bible every day. I can’t get enough of it! Take, for instance, the Apostle Paul’s words in the two verses we quoted to begin this study. Read them attentively, musing on what he emphasized and what his underlying assumptions are. I note three points of emphasis. They are:
1. God calls the Christian for His purpose
2. we learn of His call and purpose from the Bible
3. the Bible carries the authority of God Himself
We will continue this topic on the morrow. For today let’s hie off to the prayer closet alone with Jesus for a spell.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
You Can't Tell Me What To Do! - Part 2
For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you [1 Thessalonians 4:7-8].
The good ol’ USA mentality today is this: “You Can’t Tell Me What To Do!” Christians even adopt this mentality when it comes to the Bible. The Apostle Paul had a thing or two to say about this. We concluded yesterday’s study by noting three points of emphasis in Paul’s words to the Thessalonian Christians:
1. God calls the Christian for His purpose
2. we learn of His call and purpose from the Bible
3. the Bible carries the authority of God Himself
Dear friends, it excites me to learn those three truths! Look around us in the good ol’ USA today. Visit some churches and pay close attention. Few folks know that God calls them, much less that He did so for His own specific purpose. Oh, you may well hear some words spouted which say otherwise. But points #2 and #3 in our list testify otherwise.
If I claim to be Christian, then the Lord called me into His family. Apart from God’s call I wouldn’t have come. Sinners—and anyone born of Adam the First is a sinner—but sinners just don’t go seeking God on their own. The chief characteristic of sin is that it rebels against God and His Word. It doesn’t embrace God and His Word!
How do I know that? Well, it’s like this. God taught it to me…in the Bible. And that is the problem today. Folks don’t understand Rule #2 for Bible study: “The Bible is our sole and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.” Once we become distant and aloof from the Word of God, we perforce become distant and aloof from God. It cannot be avoided. Just ask those in the Church of Ephesus (cf., Revelation 2:1-7).
Churches today—and Christians comprise churches, so this means Christians today—but we’ve substituted programs and activities for the Bible. We’ve substituted doctrinal statements, Sunday School booklets, and other assorted varieties of man’s words about the Bible, for the Bible itself.
To build today’s church requires mega money for high tech toys, and the latest fad book on “effective” church programs and activities. But tell the old old story, proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, train up the saints in the Word of God and promote daily quiet time alone with the Lord with Bible opened and man’s books closed? No one cares about that anymore, so why waste our time?
Waste our time, indeed! If we don’t build the church God’s way, we don’t build the church. It matters not how many pews are in the “sanctuary” or how many good folks fill the pews. What matters is how many sinners die and saints rise out of death. What matters is how much spiritual maturity God’s leaders in the church foster in these newborn lives.
Point #1 of our Bible verses states, “God calls the Christian for His purpose”. Trouble is, folks in the churches today don’t know this truth, much less personally experience God’s call on them or His purpose for them. Sadly, but the church leaders often don’t even know this truth for themselves, so how can they teach it to those they are supposed to lead? They can’t.
Tomorrow we will proceed with our analysis. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your hearts now, as you chew the cud of today’s study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The good ol’ USA mentality today is this: “You Can’t Tell Me What To Do!” Christians even adopt this mentality when it comes to the Bible. The Apostle Paul had a thing or two to say about this. We concluded yesterday’s study by noting three points of emphasis in Paul’s words to the Thessalonian Christians:
1. God calls the Christian for His purpose
2. we learn of His call and purpose from the Bible
3. the Bible carries the authority of God Himself
Dear friends, it excites me to learn those three truths! Look around us in the good ol’ USA today. Visit some churches and pay close attention. Few folks know that God calls them, much less that He did so for His own specific purpose. Oh, you may well hear some words spouted which say otherwise. But points #2 and #3 in our list testify otherwise.
If I claim to be Christian, then the Lord called me into His family. Apart from God’s call I wouldn’t have come. Sinners—and anyone born of Adam the First is a sinner—but sinners just don’t go seeking God on their own. The chief characteristic of sin is that it rebels against God and His Word. It doesn’t embrace God and His Word!
How do I know that? Well, it’s like this. God taught it to me…in the Bible. And that is the problem today. Folks don’t understand Rule #2 for Bible study: “The Bible is our sole and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.” Once we become distant and aloof from the Word of God, we perforce become distant and aloof from God. It cannot be avoided. Just ask those in the Church of Ephesus (cf., Revelation 2:1-7).
Churches today—and Christians comprise churches, so this means Christians today—but we’ve substituted programs and activities for the Bible. We’ve substituted doctrinal statements, Sunday School booklets, and other assorted varieties of man’s words about the Bible, for the Bible itself.
To build today’s church requires mega money for high tech toys, and the latest fad book on “effective” church programs and activities. But tell the old old story, proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, train up the saints in the Word of God and promote daily quiet time alone with the Lord with Bible opened and man’s books closed? No one cares about that anymore, so why waste our time?
Waste our time, indeed! If we don’t build the church God’s way, we don’t build the church. It matters not how many pews are in the “sanctuary” or how many good folks fill the pews. What matters is how many sinners die and saints rise out of death. What matters is how much spiritual maturity God’s leaders in the church foster in these newborn lives.
Point #1 of our Bible verses states, “God calls the Christian for His purpose”. Trouble is, folks in the churches today don’t know this truth, much less personally experience God’s call on them or His purpose for them. Sadly, but the church leaders often don’t even know this truth for themselves, so how can they teach it to those they are supposed to lead? They can’t.
Tomorrow we will proceed with our analysis. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your hearts now, as you chew the cud of today’s study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
You Can't Tell Me What To Do! - Part 3
For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you [1 Thessalonians 4:7-8].
Point #1 of Paul’s teaching states, “God calls the Christian for His purpose”. Since this truth is unknown to Christians today, how can this anomaly be rectified? Paul offers us the solution in Point #2: we learn of His call and purpose from the Bible. We must cease with the programs and activities mentality and return to the Word of God. That’s how to rectify the contemporary church malady.
God calls the Christian. Paul stated it rather bluntly. You can read it yourself and see it. God’s has a purpose in calling the Christian. Again, Paul stated that truth rather bluntly as well. God’s purpose in calling us is not for “impurity” but for “sanctification”.
Someone is scratching his head and musing, “Huh? That doesn’t help me much, teacher! What does it mean?”
Well, it’s like this. In the context of our Bible verses, “impurity” is contrasted with “sanctification”. This makes defining the concept of “impurity” a rather easy task because the concept of “sanctification” is employed extensively in the Bible.
There are three aspects to salvation by faith in Jesus Christ:
1. justification
2. sanctification
3. glorification
When a sinner comes to Savior Jesus by faith and asks Him to forgive his sins and be his Savior, he is born again. He becomes a saint, an adopted son of God by faith in Christ Jesus. At that moment he no longer has any sin. Judge God declares him “Not guilty!” He is justified. Justification is a legal term meaning “not guilty”.
When the saint is promoted to eternity, he receives his resurrection body. This is the same type of body as the resurrected Jesus now has, and will have through all eternity. This is known as “glorification”.
In the interim between being born again and being promoted to eternity—the time during which a Christian remains on earth—the saint is still clothed in his old body of sin. That body of sin (i.e., the sin nature) tempts him daily to live for self and do what seems right in his own eyes.
Unlike the time period before he was born again though, the saint also has a new nature living inside him. The Holy Spirit took up residence in him when he was born again. At that moment he was baptized in the Spirit, born into the Church as a member of the Body of Christ on earth.
The sin nature tempts the saint to live the old way he did before he was saved. The Holy Spirit convicts him of suchlike living and empowers him to live the new way, the way the Lord Jesus lived while on this earth.
Jesus willingly laid aside his prerogatives as God and walked this earth in obedience to the Scriptures, while depending on the Holy Spirit for His success. While remaining on this earth after being born again, the saint is to go and do likewise. This daily process of surrender to the Word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit is known as sanctification. It lasts until glorification.
Wow! We’re out of time again. Let’s betake ourselves to prayer and meditation with Jesus now. We’ll meet back here tomorrow, same time, same channel.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Point #1 of Paul’s teaching states, “God calls the Christian for His purpose”. Since this truth is unknown to Christians today, how can this anomaly be rectified? Paul offers us the solution in Point #2: we learn of His call and purpose from the Bible. We must cease with the programs and activities mentality and return to the Word of God. That’s how to rectify the contemporary church malady.
God calls the Christian. Paul stated it rather bluntly. You can read it yourself and see it. God’s has a purpose in calling the Christian. Again, Paul stated that truth rather bluntly as well. God’s purpose in calling us is not for “impurity” but for “sanctification”.
Someone is scratching his head and musing, “Huh? That doesn’t help me much, teacher! What does it mean?”
Well, it’s like this. In the context of our Bible verses, “impurity” is contrasted with “sanctification”. This makes defining the concept of “impurity” a rather easy task because the concept of “sanctification” is employed extensively in the Bible.
There are three aspects to salvation by faith in Jesus Christ:
1. justification
2. sanctification
3. glorification
When a sinner comes to Savior Jesus by faith and asks Him to forgive his sins and be his Savior, he is born again. He becomes a saint, an adopted son of God by faith in Christ Jesus. At that moment he no longer has any sin. Judge God declares him “Not guilty!” He is justified. Justification is a legal term meaning “not guilty”.
When the saint is promoted to eternity, he receives his resurrection body. This is the same type of body as the resurrected Jesus now has, and will have through all eternity. This is known as “glorification”.
In the interim between being born again and being promoted to eternity—the time during which a Christian remains on earth—the saint is still clothed in his old body of sin. That body of sin (i.e., the sin nature) tempts him daily to live for self and do what seems right in his own eyes.
Unlike the time period before he was born again though, the saint also has a new nature living inside him. The Holy Spirit took up residence in him when he was born again. At that moment he was baptized in the Spirit, born into the Church as a member of the Body of Christ on earth.
The sin nature tempts the saint to live the old way he did before he was saved. The Holy Spirit convicts him of suchlike living and empowers him to live the new way, the way the Lord Jesus lived while on this earth.
Jesus willingly laid aside his prerogatives as God and walked this earth in obedience to the Scriptures, while depending on the Holy Spirit for His success. While remaining on this earth after being born again, the saint is to go and do likewise. This daily process of surrender to the Word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit is known as sanctification. It lasts until glorification.
Wow! We’re out of time again. Let’s betake ourselves to prayer and meditation with Jesus now. We’ll meet back here tomorrow, same time, same channel.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
You Can't Tell Me What To Do! - Part 4
For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you [1 Thessalonians 4:7-8].
Returning to Paul’s words to the Thessalonian Christians, we now understand the concept of “sanctification”. The Christian is to spiritually mature, so that every aspect of his life is surrendered to the control of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will lead him according to the Bible, not out of the blue utter directions in his ear.
The opposite of this is the concept of “impurity”. How the saint lived before he was born again, that is what the word “impurity” has reference in the context of Paul’s teaching.
Sometimes man’s “impurity” is gross and vulgar and unfit for expressing in words. At other times the “impurity” is moral and church-going and respectable. What makes it “impure” is that the old sinner does it, and sinners don’t obey the Word of God or love God. Sinners make their own decisions about right and wrong and do what seems right in their own eyes. Sinners make themselves God.
So we learn from Points #1 and #2 that Paul teaches the saints to cease from living their pre-salvation lives, and instead live their born again lives. The reason for doing so is that God calls us to salvation for that very purpose.
And this brings us to Point #3 of Paul’s teaching: the Bible carries the authority of God Himself. Paul actually had the audacity to assert to the Thessalonian saints that, should any of them not obey his teaching, they weren’t rejecting him and his words. Oh, no. They were rejecting God and His Word! The nerve of some people, huh?
Either Paul was a wicked liar for speaking that way, or else he was a lunatic for believing such stuff and nonsense. But wait! There is a third option. Perhaps, just maybe perhaps, Paul was telling the truth.
That was the position of the early church, and it continued to be so through all the centuries. But not so in contemporary USA. Today we prefer programs and activities and man’s words about the Bible. Give the Bible esteemed recognition as God’s very own Word? Put it on a pedestal far above every other book? As paying lip service, sometimes. In Spirit and truth, not so much.
Let us harken to the words spoken by the Apostle Paul, as the Holy Spirit inspired him to present God’s Word to us. Let us recognize the qualitative difference between the Bible and man’s books about the Bible. This difference is comparable to that between gold and fool’s gold. If you aren’t sure of how qualitatively different they are, try spending some fool’s gold at the bank. Prepare to be arrested!
A return to the Word of God—not in word only but in daily feeding alone with Jesus, dear people—the Holy Spirit calls us to this today. Nothing else we do or say will make any worthwhile difference. Apart from the Word of God, the whole Word of God, and nothing but the Word of God, no revival will occur, ever.
As Rule #2 for Bible study teaches, “The Bible is our sole and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.” May Jesus Christ be praised.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Returning to Paul’s words to the Thessalonian Christians, we now understand the concept of “sanctification”. The Christian is to spiritually mature, so that every aspect of his life is surrendered to the control of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will lead him according to the Bible, not out of the blue utter directions in his ear.
The opposite of this is the concept of “impurity”. How the saint lived before he was born again, that is what the word “impurity” has reference in the context of Paul’s teaching.
Sometimes man’s “impurity” is gross and vulgar and unfit for expressing in words. At other times the “impurity” is moral and church-going and respectable. What makes it “impure” is that the old sinner does it, and sinners don’t obey the Word of God or love God. Sinners make their own decisions about right and wrong and do what seems right in their own eyes. Sinners make themselves God.
So we learn from Points #1 and #2 that Paul teaches the saints to cease from living their pre-salvation lives, and instead live their born again lives. The reason for doing so is that God calls us to salvation for that very purpose.
And this brings us to Point #3 of Paul’s teaching: the Bible carries the authority of God Himself. Paul actually had the audacity to assert to the Thessalonian saints that, should any of them not obey his teaching, they weren’t rejecting him and his words. Oh, no. They were rejecting God and His Word! The nerve of some people, huh?
Either Paul was a wicked liar for speaking that way, or else he was a lunatic for believing such stuff and nonsense. But wait! There is a third option. Perhaps, just maybe perhaps, Paul was telling the truth.
That was the position of the early church, and it continued to be so through all the centuries. But not so in contemporary USA. Today we prefer programs and activities and man’s words about the Bible. Give the Bible esteemed recognition as God’s very own Word? Put it on a pedestal far above every other book? As paying lip service, sometimes. In Spirit and truth, not so much.
Let us harken to the words spoken by the Apostle Paul, as the Holy Spirit inspired him to present God’s Word to us. Let us recognize the qualitative difference between the Bible and man’s books about the Bible. This difference is comparable to that between gold and fool’s gold. If you aren’t sure of how qualitatively different they are, try spending some fool’s gold at the bank. Prepare to be arrested!
A return to the Word of God—not in word only but in daily feeding alone with Jesus, dear people—the Holy Spirit calls us to this today. Nothing else we do or say will make any worthwhile difference. Apart from the Word of God, the whole Word of God, and nothing but the Word of God, no revival will occur, ever.
As Rule #2 for Bible study teaches, “The Bible is our sole and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.” May Jesus Christ be praised.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Stargazers
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven [1 Thessalonians 4:16].
But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near [Luke 21:28].
Man's only option for redemption is the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is a Person, not a set of beliefs or fervent church attendance. Accordingly Luke 21:28 refers to God's people looking up ("lift up your heads") because the Lord Jesus is returning ("your redemption is drawing near").
In each case the Lord is descending from heaven. So the two passages refer to the same event. Right? Not so fast! Such a conclusion is a non sequitur. It assumes that the Lord Jesus can only descend from heaven one time. In fact He already did so at His first coming, when He took upon human flesh. We celebrate that time as His birthday, the holiday Christmas.
Fact of the matter is, the Lord Jesus will descend from heaven twice more. The first time He comes, He will come down to the clouds and call the Christians to meet Him there in the clouds. He will not come to the earth at that time. This is known as the Rapture in theology textbooks. If you read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, you will obtain a fuller account of this marvelous event. I cannot wait for it to transpire! Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.
Then there is the time after that when the Lord will return to the earth with His angels and heavenly people. This is known as the Second Coming. The first coming or advent occurred circa 3 B.C. We celebrate this as Christmas. The Lord's Second Coming will be after the Great Tribulation. At that time He will cast the antichrist and the false religious leader into the Lake of Fire (Rev.19:20), and lock up the devil for 1000 years (aka the Millennium; cf., Rev.20:1-3). If you read Luke 21:25-28 you will obtain further information on this event.
To recapitulate, at the Rapture the Lord Jesus descends from heaven to the clouds and calls the Christians to meet Him there. He takes us home to heaven with Him to celebrate the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-9). At His Second Coming the Lord Jesus descends from heaven with His angels and saints, coming all the way to the earth to destroy evil and set up the Millennial Kingdom on the earth (Rev.19:11-19). For 1000 years He will rule the earth from His throne in Jerusalem, keeping all sin in check worldwide.
For further Bible teaching be sure to check out my five volume set, Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near [Luke 21:28].
Man's only option for redemption is the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is a Person, not a set of beliefs or fervent church attendance. Accordingly Luke 21:28 refers to God's people looking up ("lift up your heads") because the Lord Jesus is returning ("your redemption is drawing near").
In each case the Lord is descending from heaven. So the two passages refer to the same event. Right? Not so fast! Such a conclusion is a non sequitur. It assumes that the Lord Jesus can only descend from heaven one time. In fact He already did so at His first coming, when He took upon human flesh. We celebrate that time as His birthday, the holiday Christmas.
Fact of the matter is, the Lord Jesus will descend from heaven twice more. The first time He comes, He will come down to the clouds and call the Christians to meet Him there in the clouds. He will not come to the earth at that time. This is known as the Rapture in theology textbooks. If you read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, you will obtain a fuller account of this marvelous event. I cannot wait for it to transpire! Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.
Then there is the time after that when the Lord will return to the earth with His angels and heavenly people. This is known as the Second Coming. The first coming or advent occurred circa 3 B.C. We celebrate this as Christmas. The Lord's Second Coming will be after the Great Tribulation. At that time He will cast the antichrist and the false religious leader into the Lake of Fire (Rev.19:20), and lock up the devil for 1000 years (aka the Millennium; cf., Rev.20:1-3). If you read Luke 21:25-28 you will obtain further information on this event.
To recapitulate, at the Rapture the Lord Jesus descends from heaven to the clouds and calls the Christians to meet Him there. He takes us home to heaven with Him to celebrate the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-9). At His Second Coming the Lord Jesus descends from heaven with His angels and saints, coming all the way to the earth to destroy evil and set up the Millennial Kingdom on the earth (Rev.19:11-19). For 1000 years He will rule the earth from His throne in Jerusalem, keeping all sin in check worldwide.
For further Bible teaching be sure to check out my five volume set, Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Word Games
On more than one occasion over the years, I have been confronted with doctrinal sophistry. The perpetrators of such blather usually spout arguments about words they heard from some self-styled intellectual genius. The genius knows how to sound convincing, and their followers swallow their chicanery hook, line, and sinker. But those followers don’t understand what's involved at all, and they haven’t given it much thought so they don’t rectify their situation.
One of the more common examples of this is the argument that God doesn’t tempt anyone, period. He does test us, but He never ever tempts us because to tempt is evil while testing is not.
A cursory peek into the dictionary will dispel such illogical tripe, dear friends. To tempt may or may not be evil. Even more to the point, the original Greek for tempt is translated as test in some cases and tempt in other cases.
The translators are interpreting instead of translating, when they do this. They interpret the test/tempt as evil when they translate the word as tempt, while they translate the word as test when it’s a good thing in their eyes. But it’s still the same word. Their shenanigans lead the English reader astray because he/she believes two different words are used in the Greek.
I'll assay one more example and expose the casuistry more thoroughly by means of it. I’ve been challenged about teaching the Scriptural truth of the Rapture. The challenge went something like this:
“There is no such thing as the Rapture! The word doesn’t appear anywhere in the entire Bible. So there!”
I might as well conclude this post right here and now. The challenge is so irrefutable! What’s the point of even answering such clever assertions?
But wait! There is every point to answering the argument. The Bible doesn't mention any toilets in the church buildings. For that matter church buildings aren’t even mentioned in the Bible. Would those who argue against the Rapture be inclined to argue against toilets and church buildings? Methinks not.
But more to the point, dear friends. The crux of the matter is this: the original manuscripts which were inspired by the Holy Spirit were written in Hebrew and Greek, not English. When it comes right down to it, there are NO English words inspired by the Holy Spirit!
So yes, they are correct. The English word Rapture does not appear in the Bible. Nor does the word Trinity and a slew of other words used in doctrinal understanding. But guess what? The Greek word harpazo is. It is the word we translate into English as Rapture. It basically means to be caught up and taken to another place.
So the word Rapture doesn’t appear in the Bible, but what is depicted by the word Rapture does indeed occur in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (cf., 2 Corinthians 12:2). So do we really want to argue about words? I think it is much better to discuss what actually occurs in the Bible. Are you with me?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books: http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
One of the more common examples of this is the argument that God doesn’t tempt anyone, period. He does test us, but He never ever tempts us because to tempt is evil while testing is not.
A cursory peek into the dictionary will dispel such illogical tripe, dear friends. To tempt may or may not be evil. Even more to the point, the original Greek for tempt is translated as test in some cases and tempt in other cases.
The translators are interpreting instead of translating, when they do this. They interpret the test/tempt as evil when they translate the word as tempt, while they translate the word as test when it’s a good thing in their eyes. But it’s still the same word. Their shenanigans lead the English reader astray because he/she believes two different words are used in the Greek.
I'll assay one more example and expose the casuistry more thoroughly by means of it. I’ve been challenged about teaching the Scriptural truth of the Rapture. The challenge went something like this:
“There is no such thing as the Rapture! The word doesn’t appear anywhere in the entire Bible. So there!”
I might as well conclude this post right here and now. The challenge is so irrefutable! What’s the point of even answering such clever assertions?
But wait! There is every point to answering the argument. The Bible doesn't mention any toilets in the church buildings. For that matter church buildings aren’t even mentioned in the Bible. Would those who argue against the Rapture be inclined to argue against toilets and church buildings? Methinks not.
But more to the point, dear friends. The crux of the matter is this: the original manuscripts which were inspired by the Holy Spirit were written in Hebrew and Greek, not English. When it comes right down to it, there are NO English words inspired by the Holy Spirit!
So yes, they are correct. The English word Rapture does not appear in the Bible. Nor does the word Trinity and a slew of other words used in doctrinal understanding. But guess what? The Greek word harpazo is. It is the word we translate into English as Rapture. It basically means to be caught up and taken to another place.
So the word Rapture doesn’t appear in the Bible, but what is depicted by the word Rapture does indeed occur in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (cf., 2 Corinthians 12:2). So do we really want to argue about words? I think it is much better to discuss what actually occurs in the Bible. Are you with me?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books: http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
You Can't Tell Me What To Do! - Part 1
For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you [1 Thessalonians 4:7-8].
When I was a wee tot, mom told me to take the garbage sack to the can. I responded, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I went to school, the teacher wanted me to turn in my homework. I challenged her, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I went to the job, the boss told me to bring him the report I was supposed to have finished. I told him, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I opened my Bible to read it, the Lord instructed me… I told Him, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
Okay. So I made all that up. Sadly, though, it’s all too common, with today’s affluent middle class morality reigning supreme. Even worse, most folks will look at my first three willful responses, and they will find them outrageous. But when it comes to the fourth willful response…well, no biggy.
The Word of God doesn’t hold much authority in the eyes of the people of today’s world. Truth be told, the Bible is contemned by nearly everyone. Oh, I know the word “Bible” is often bandied about in a reverent sense. That only makes it all the worse, when those doing the bandying don’t read it much.
It is a sign of the times—one which clearly spells out how far down the road of apostasy we have gone in the good ol’ USA—that even in churches which still claim allegiance to the Bible, the folks predominantly are Bible illiterate, or at best semi-literate. Perhaps, just perhaps, they can tell you that Noah built the ark and David slew Goliath. But pass a Bible competency exam. Fat chance! Don’t hold your breath.
The “good” churches with the “real” Christians have sunk so low, that the word “Bible” has replaced the actual Bible! I’ll leave it to your imagination what this means for the professed Christians in the more liberally inclined churches. Apart from a real Holy Spirit time of refreshing, methinks it is curtains for America. No government election will alter our course either, dear friends.
Personally, I love to read my Bible every day. I can’t get enough of it! Take, for instance, the Apostle Paul’s words in the two verses we quoted to begin this study. Read them attentively, musing on what he emphasized and what his underlying assumptions are. I note three points of emphasis. They are:
1. God calls the Christian for His purpose
2. we learn of His call and purpose from the Bible
3. the Bible carries the authority of God Himself
We will continue this topic on the morrow. For today let’s hie off to the prayer closet alone with Jesus for a spell.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
When I was a wee tot, mom told me to take the garbage sack to the can. I responded, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I went to school, the teacher wanted me to turn in my homework. I challenged her, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I went to the job, the boss told me to bring him the report I was supposed to have finished. I told him, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I opened my Bible to read it, the Lord instructed me… I told Him, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
Okay. So I made all that up. Sadly, though, it’s all too common, with today’s affluent middle class morality reigning supreme. Even worse, most folks will look at my first three willful responses, and they will find them outrageous. But when it comes to the fourth willful response…well, no biggy.
The Word of God doesn’t hold much authority in the eyes of the people of today’s world. Truth be told, the Bible is contemned by nearly everyone. Oh, I know the word “Bible” is often bandied about in a reverent sense. That only makes it all the worse, when those doing the bandying don’t read it much.
It is a sign of the times—one which clearly spells out how far down the road of apostasy we have gone in the good ol’ USA—that even in churches which still claim allegiance to the Bible, the folks predominantly are Bible illiterate, or at best semi-literate. Perhaps, just perhaps, they can tell you that Noah built the ark and David slew Goliath. But pass a Bible competency exam. Fat chance! Don’t hold your breath.
The “good” churches with the “real” Christians have sunk so low, that the word “Bible” has replaced the actual Bible! I’ll leave it to your imagination what this means for the professed Christians in the more liberally inclined churches. Apart from a real Holy Spirit time of refreshing, methinks it is curtains for America. No government election will alter our course either, dear friends.
Personally, I love to read my Bible every day. I can’t get enough of it! Take, for instance, the Apostle Paul’s words in the two verses we quoted to begin this study. Read them attentively, musing on what he emphasized and what his underlying assumptions are. I note three points of emphasis. They are:
1. God calls the Christian for His purpose
2. we learn of His call and purpose from the Bible
3. the Bible carries the authority of God Himself
We will continue this topic on the morrow. For today let’s hie off to the prayer closet alone with Jesus for a spell.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
You Can't Tell Me What To Do! - Part 2
For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you [1 Thessalonians 4:7-8].
The good ol’ USA mentality today is this: “You Can’t Tell Me What To Do!” Christians even adopt this mentality when it comes to the Bible. The Apostle Paul had a thing or two to say about this. We concluded yesterday’s study by noting three points of emphasis in Paul’s words to the Thessalonian Christians:
1. God calls the Christian for His purpose
2. we learn of His call and purpose from the Bible
3. the Bible carries the authority of God Himself
Dear friends, it excites me to learn those three truths! Look around us at the good ol’ USA today. Visit some churches and pay close attention. Few folks know that God calls them, much less that He did so for His own specific purpose. Oh, you may well hear some words spouted which say otherwise. But points #2 and #3 in our list testify otherwise.
If I claim to be a Christian, then the Lord called me into His family. Apart from God’s call I wouldn’t have come. Sinners—and anyone born of Adam the First is a sinner—but sinners just don’t go seeking God on their own. The chief characteristic of sin is that it rebels against God and His Word. It doesn’t embrace God and His Word!
How do I know that? Well, it’s like this. God taught it to me…in the Bible. And that is the problem today. Folks don’t understand Rule #2 for Bible study: “The Bible is our sole and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.” Once we become distant and aloof from the Word of God, we perforce become distant and aloof from God. It cannot be avoided. Just ask those in the Church of Ephesus (cf., Revelation 2:1-7).
Churches today—and Christians comprise churches, so this means Christians today—but we’ve substituted programs and activities for the Bible. We’ve substituted doctrinal statements, Sunday School booklets, and other assorted varieties of man’s words about the Bible, for the Bible itself.
To build today’s church requires mega money for high tech toys, and the latest fad book on “effective” church programs and activities. But tell the old old story, proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, train up the saints in the Word of God and promote daily quiet time alone with the Lord with Bible opened and man’s books closed? No one cares about that anymore, so why waste our time?
Waste our time, indeed! If we don’t build the church God’s way, we don’t build the church. It matters not how many pews are in the “sanctuary” or how many good folks fill the pews. What matters is how many sinners die and saints rise out of death. What matters is how much spiritual maturity God’s leaders in the church foster in these newborn lives.
Point #1 of our Bible verses states, “God calls the Christian for His purpose”. Trouble is, folks in the churches today don’t know this truth, much less personally experience God’s call on them or His purpose for them. Sadly, but the church leaders often don’t even know this truth for themselves, so how can they teach it to those they are supposed to lead? They can’t.
Tomorrow we will proceed with our analysis. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your hearts now, as you chew the cud of today’s study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The good ol’ USA mentality today is this: “You Can’t Tell Me What To Do!” Christians even adopt this mentality when it comes to the Bible. The Apostle Paul had a thing or two to say about this. We concluded yesterday’s study by noting three points of emphasis in Paul’s words to the Thessalonian Christians:
1. God calls the Christian for His purpose
2. we learn of His call and purpose from the Bible
3. the Bible carries the authority of God Himself
Dear friends, it excites me to learn those three truths! Look around us at the good ol’ USA today. Visit some churches and pay close attention. Few folks know that God calls them, much less that He did so for His own specific purpose. Oh, you may well hear some words spouted which say otherwise. But points #2 and #3 in our list testify otherwise.
If I claim to be a Christian, then the Lord called me into His family. Apart from God’s call I wouldn’t have come. Sinners—and anyone born of Adam the First is a sinner—but sinners just don’t go seeking God on their own. The chief characteristic of sin is that it rebels against God and His Word. It doesn’t embrace God and His Word!
How do I know that? Well, it’s like this. God taught it to me…in the Bible. And that is the problem today. Folks don’t understand Rule #2 for Bible study: “The Bible is our sole and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.” Once we become distant and aloof from the Word of God, we perforce become distant and aloof from God. It cannot be avoided. Just ask those in the Church of Ephesus (cf., Revelation 2:1-7).
Churches today—and Christians comprise churches, so this means Christians today—but we’ve substituted programs and activities for the Bible. We’ve substituted doctrinal statements, Sunday School booklets, and other assorted varieties of man’s words about the Bible, for the Bible itself.
To build today’s church requires mega money for high tech toys, and the latest fad book on “effective” church programs and activities. But tell the old old story, proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, train up the saints in the Word of God and promote daily quiet time alone with the Lord with Bible opened and man’s books closed? No one cares about that anymore, so why waste our time?
Waste our time, indeed! If we don’t build the church God’s way, we don’t build the church. It matters not how many pews are in the “sanctuary” or how many good folks fill the pews. What matters is how many sinners die and saints rise out of death. What matters is how much spiritual maturity God’s leaders in the church foster in these newborn lives.
Point #1 of our Bible verses states, “God calls the Christian for His purpose”. Trouble is, folks in the churches today don’t know this truth, much less personally experience God’s call on them or His purpose for them. Sadly, but the church leaders often don’t even know this truth for themselves, so how can they teach it to those they are supposed to lead? They can’t.
Tomorrow we will proceed with our analysis. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your hearts now, as you chew the cud of today’s study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
