Category: denominationalism

Note the Horizon! #3

Thursday, October 10, 2024

“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,…” (Romans 1:1 KJV).

Friend, do you see the horizon here? How can it facilitate your understanding and enjoyment of the Bible?

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Indeed, Christendom recognizes a difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament—how the Hebrew/Aramaic Books of Genesis to Malachi differ from the Greek Books of Matthew to Revelation. Also, to some measure, they distinguish Israel and “the Church” (though the latter is a pitifully deficient term!). They do tell us, “We ought to divide truth from error!,” but seldom do they actually do that.

To solve our problem, we must define it first. Our fundamental error in Christendom is a failure to see two distinct programs in the Bible, two sets of information that outline God’s overall dealings with man. To state it another way: God has one series of planned events that should never be confounded with another series of planned events. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever should we mix them!

Firstly, read an excerpt from what the Apostle Peter preached: “[Jesus Christ] 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 3:21). Secondly, read excerpt from what the Apostle Paul wrote: “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, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:…” (Romans 16:25,26).

God was speaking prophecy “since the world began” (Acts, Peter’s ministry)—and He was keeping mystery “secret since the world began” (Romans, Paul’s ministry). As the heaven and the earth were and are divided (Genesis 1:1), so the prophetic program and the mystery program must be rightly divided….

Note the Horizon! #2

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,…” (Romans 1:1 KJV).

Friend, do you see the horizon here? How can it facilitate your understanding and enjoyment of the Bible?

Suppose it is a chilly, rainy day. A child asks his big brother, “Could we go outside and play?” The older boy rejoins, “No, father said it is too cold and wet.” We need not be geniuses to recognize that the circumstances (the weather) are unfavorable to being outdoors. Now, imagine it is a warm, sunny day. In this case, the younger boy’s question is answered in the affirmative: “Yes, little brother, father said we can go out to play!” The father is not fickle or indecisive. He has his intelligent reasons for saying what he does at any given time. There is a progression of events: things change as time goes on. What is true at one period may not automatically be true at all periods. In other words, the contents of the message are different because corresponding situations or circumstances differ. However, some basic information does stay the same (both situations involve a father, his two sons, the father’s care, the older son relaying the father’s instructions, and the younger son’s inclination to play).

Though imperfect, if the above analogies help us, at least to some degree, to understand the dispensational changes in Scripture as one moves across the Bible timeline from left or right, then such illustrations should never be forgotten. The father is God, the older son is His spokesman, the younger son is the rest of mankind, the weather is real-life daily conditions or situations throughout the ages, and the instructions are applicable Divine revelations or Bible concepts. There are no contradictions or mistakes. Moreover, there is no confusion—provided, of course, (and this is the key point!) we make certain we are aware of any indications of time or context.

However offensive it is, however uncomfortable it makes us, when we think about our weaknesses and limitations, it is quite clear that the problem lies exclusively with us and never the Bible. Let us see how the “horizon” in today’s Scripture turns “the Old Book” into a new Book….

Note the Horizon! #1

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,…” (Romans 1:1 KJV).

Friend, do you see the horizon here? How can it facilitate your understanding and enjoyment of the Bible?

Bible critics desperately look for any and every lame excuse not to believe the Scriptures. One of their primary “defenses” is to resort to accusing the Bible writers of “contradictions.” In fact, to the absolute shame of the professing church, so-called “Bible believers” and “Bible scholars” complain about these “contradictions” too. I remember how, when I was in high school, one of my science teachers griped about how this verse was at odds with that verse. Of course, I was in ignorance myself. My denomination had taught me as much truth as his denomination had taught him! It would be a few more years until I would learn the Bible rightly divided, and the “contradiction” was revealed to be nothing but a change in program.

Let us read today’s Scripture in context: “[1] Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, [2] (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) [3] Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; [4] And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: [5] By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:….”

Although Romans was not the first epistle the Apostle Paul wrote, the Holy Spirit placed it first in the canon of Scripture (order of Bible Books). We were introduced to Saul or Paul in Acts chapter 7, he was commissioned in Acts chapter 9, and his ministry gradually becomes more prominent for the remainder of Acts. By the end of Acts, his ministry stands alone. It is here that, after reading Acts chapter 28, we come into Romans chapter 1 (its first verse is today’s Scripture). The opening verses of Romans are Paul’s ministry as he himself describes it, thereby guaranteeing we note the horizon….

Living Defensively #8

Sunday, September 1, 2024

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,…” (Ephesians 5:15 KJV).

What is the sense of “walk circumspectly” here?

Dear friend, if you have operated or ridden in a motor vehicle, you will certainly recall instances of erratic drivers—speeding, sideswiping, swerving into your lane or off the road, failing to negotiate sharp curves, tailgating, rear-ending, running red lights or stop signs. Only a naïve person believes the roadway is safe for drivers and pedestrians. Unless we pay attention to what we are doing while driving and what others are doing while driving, we will collide with them and they will hit us.

We should be on the lookout especially for impaired drivers, those intoxicated with alcohol or using illegal drugs. Likewise, we ourselves had better not be inebriated with false doctrine in the Christian life: “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;…” (Ephesians 5:18). Provided we are under the Holy Spirit’s influence in word and deed, we are safe from the spiritual threats of life in a fallen, sin-cursed world—including protection from those under the influence of erroneous doctrine (false teaching). “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles [tricks, schemes] of the devil…. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:11,13).

The average professing Christian has absolutely no idea what spiritual perils await—but he or she will find out in due time! They will get into a wreck and sustain scrapes and bruises, or a broken arm or leg, or perhaps a major head concussion or broken neck or back. For the rest of their spiritual life, they will hobble or remain paralyzed, barely getting by. Listen to them as they talk about spiritual matters or pray. They have such a distorted view of Bible doctrines. There are more questions than answers, more weakness than strength, more doubt than faith, more illness than health. If we hang around them and their denominational systems long enough, we too will find ourselves in a spiritual sickbed… or perhaps a casket!

Live defensively… “walk circumspectly!”

Living Defensively #7

Saturday, August 31, 2024

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,…” (Ephesians 5:15 KJV).

What is the sense of “walk circumspectly” here?

Ephesians 5:17 adds, “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” Instead of “fools,” we are “wise” (today’s Scripture). We “understand what the will of the Lord is.” What is the Lord doing today? We go to Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon. If we do by faith what God Himself is doing, we are automatically doing His will. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 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” (Romans 12:1,2).

“For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;…” (Colossians 1:9-11).

Yet, the vast majority of church members and professing Christians do not understand the Lord’s will for their life because they are depending on man’s wisdom and are doing man’s will. “But I trust the scholars” seems to be the motto of most of our churches and schools. Those esteemed as “Bible scholars” are typically people who know little to nothing about the Bible—instead, they are Greek scholars, Hebrew scholars, Latin scholars, church history scholars, denominational scholars. Their misinformation is then taken into the hearts and minds of Christians as though it was God’s life and light… when it was not. No wonder there is no Divine wisdom or power in our churches and schools and homes, and sin and ignorance beset us time and time again. We must live defensively, vigilantly, prudently—“walk circumspectly.”

Let us summarize and conclude this devotionals arc….

Living Defensively #6

Friday, August 30, 2024

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,…” (Ephesians 5:15 KJV).

What is the sense of “walk circumspectly” here?

To reiterate, today’s Scripture directs us to “walk circumspectly,” or walk having an awareness of our surroundings. We should not walk as “fools” (silly people, those without common sense or judgment) but as “wise” individuals (filled with God’s wisdom instead of man’s wisdom). “Let the word of Christ [the Scriptures rightly divided] dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16).

Further explanation is supplied in Ephesians: “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16, the verse following today’s Scripture) is “buying back the time” that Satan has stolen from God and used for his own glory instead of our Creator’s glory. Galatians 1:4 speaks of “this present evil world.” Satan is “the god [ruler] of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), and he even bragged of this might in Matthew 4:8,9 and Luke 4:5-7. “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time” (Colossians 4:5) is about being sensible in front of unbelievers—the very people who are of this world and who love this world because it belongs to their spiritual father, Satan (John 8:44; 1 John 2:15-17). “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:…” (Ephesians 2:2).

As believers in Jesus Christ, we need to make wise use of our time—not fritter it away or waste it on that which disagrees with sound Bible doctrine. Either Christ is being formed in us (Galatians 4:19), or He is not. We are either carbon copies of our denominations, cults, sects; or we are filled with the life of Jesus Christ because we are walking after, minding the things of, the indwelling Holy Spirit (see Romans 8:1-17). Either we are walking defensively or walking recklessly, driving warily or driving irresponsibly, living maturely or living childishly. It truly is the difference between God’s life and Satan’s life, safety and injury….

Living Defensively #4

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,…” (Ephesians 5:15 KJV).

What is the sense of “walk circumspectly” here?

It is incomprehensibly remarkable how Christian people can be so tolerant of spiritual hazards. When you warn them about false doctrine, apostate denominations, charlatan preachers and teachers, corrupt Bible versions, and other perils, they are frequently unconcerned. They have become so brainwashed, so programmed, so indoctrinated, and so desensitized that they are comfortable right where they are—no matter how dreadful it is. It makes as much sense as someone without any worries lounging near “a little” radioactive waste, swimming in “a little” sewage, drinking “a little” poison, and suffering “a little” cancer! Such is the deceitfulness of sin and the living in denial. Contrary to today’s Scripture, they have not walked “circumspectly” and reject any counsel to do so.

The English word “circumspectly” is derived from Latin components. One is “circum–,” the basis for “circumference” (the distance around a circle). The other is “spectaculum,” the origin of “spectacular” (something seen that is amazing or impressive), “spectacles” (eyeglasses), and so on. Lastly, the suffix “–ly” means “like.” Piecing these fragments together, we deduce “walk circumspectly” means “to walk like you are looking around.” You are mindful of your surroundings, careful to place your feet on solid ground and not walk into a hole or sinking sand or step off a cliffside. “Wary and unwilling to take risks,” is how the dictionary defines “circumspectly.”

Both the Corinthians and the Galatians were not cautious but willing to take risks. They were open to defilement, whether in deed or in doctrine, and it should not have been like that. We need not dismiss these passages as “dead history” or “irrelevant” to us, as public sinful behavior and false teaching have been tolerated in Christian circles throughout church history and right up to the modern age. Therefore, the name of Jesus Christ is most offensive to so many people who already dislike Him. Still, it is not too late to turn this around… not yet.

Let us proceed to expositing today’s Scripture in its context and thus gain the profit God the Holy Spirit has placed therein….

A Father’s Gift #3

Saturday, August 17, 2024

“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32 KJV).

Let us learn about Father’s gift….

There are some 4,200 religions worldwide. In “Christianity” alone, anywhere from 33,000 to 38,000 denominations exist. These conflicting groups surfaced for a variety of reasons—following the theological speculations of a single man or woman, holding to a specific rite or ritual or ceremony, emphasizing one obscure or misapplied Bible verse or another, blending this system with that system (repeat, repeat, and repeat). Even though “scholarship” and amusement abound, there is very little spiritual knowledge, spiritual wisdom, and spiritual understanding. Instead of victory over sin, maturity and light have been defeated!

It is really an unfortunate fact that some genuine Christian people in ministry will keep polluting the Church the Body of Christ with false doctrine until their physical death. They know their traditions of men are not the pure Word of God, but they will not forsake them because that means becoming an outcast of the denominational system (social club!) and being subsequently labeled “divisive,” “troublemaker,” or “church-splitter” (see John 9:20-23). They fully recognize they are doing the Devil’s work, but, for fear of losing the praise of men, they have elected not to stop (John 12:42,43). Since the flesh reigns supreme in their minds and hearts, they have quenched or hindered the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Their conscience is seared with a hot iron, so their doctrines of devils do not bother them in even the slightest way (1 Timothy 4:1,2).

However, as soon as physical death relocates these saints to Heaven, God with great force straightens them out and their denominational confusion and secularism (worldliness) disappear. For the first time ever, they finally understand and enjoy the Bible—the very understanding and enjoyment they could have had on Earth going back decades, if only they had swallowed their pride and did more Bible study than theology study! In today’s Scripture, Father God in our behalf has wrought a mighty work at Calvary, but, unless we take the time to see it, we will not truly appreciate Father’s gift as we should….

For Students This is Safe

Thursday, August 8, 2024

“Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way” (Psalm 119:128 KJV).

As a new school year dawns, let us awake unto spiritual truth!

Although the autumnal equinox is still over a month away here in the Northern Hemisphere, summer is finally beginning to wind down for most of us. Students—with long faces and deep sighs—have returned or are beginning to return to school. As students return to the classroom, they need to be particularly mindful of the following.

Firstly, learning in and of itself is not a sin. Moses was “learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (Acts 7:22). Luke was a medical doctor (Colossians 4:14). Daniel and his companions were skilled in science (Daniel 1:4). Adam was the first taxonomist (Genesis 2:19,20). The God of the Bible is never against learning new things—remember, He gave us His Holy Bible so we can have plenty to learn for all of eternity!

Secondly, what the God of the Bible opposes is when we believe/trust ideas that do not seek our best interests, that contradict the way He designed our lives to function. Certainly, we Christians should never go around believing anything and everything heard and seen. Just because the professor, preacher, pope, or president says it is true, that does not make it so. Scientific consensus has been wrong before, religion has been wrong before, politicians have been wrong before. Much of the ideas that permeate our world today are wrong.

Lastly, there are many wonderful, exciting ideas and concepts out there—medical advancements, technological breakthroughs, and so on—but there are equally detrimental ideas that will mess up your life—religious traditions, secular humanism, and other philosophies. Daily intake of the King James Bible rightly divided will cleanse our souls of the filth and foolishness that we hear and see day in and day out in this evil world system. We highly exalt God’s Word, we know it is right “concerning all things,” and we hate and ignore the error.

Have a wonderful school year in our Lord Jesus Christ! 🙂

Let Them Recover Themselves

Friday, August 2, 2024

“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will” (2 Timothy 2:24-26 KJV).

Today’s Scripture is great advice for ministry workers!

Recently, I had a phone conversation with a dear brother in Christ who has been following our ministry, reading our studies and watching our Bible videos, for a few years now. For some decades, he was part of a “Christian” denomination. Whatever information he was learning from them did not match what he was experiencing in his life. In other words, they had make-believe as the foundation of their Bible understanding. It was very discouraging and confusing for him.

Eventually, he left that and joined an online “Bible study group,” but they too proved to be another disappointment. These people studied books about the Bible instead of the actual Bible—and he was interested in what the Bible said as opposed to what “Doctor So-and-So” thought the Bible said. A couple of years ago, he landed on our ministry websites and subsequently came to understand and enjoy the Bible. Ever since, he has been growing in the Word rightly divided and is teaching others what he has learned. As a business owner, he has informed his employees of sound Bible doctrine. Also, he wants to reach out to certain clients who belong to a particular works-religion cult.

Some people wish to hear him, while others could not care less. I told him that we teach them to cause them to think, leaving God the Holy Spirit to take care of the rest. He should not be disheartened if people are happy in their Bible ignorance. All we can do is tell them sound Bible doctrine and let them recover themselves out of the snare of the Devil (today’s Scripture). We cannot recover them; they must recover themselves by placing their faith in the rightly divided Scriptures we give them. Brethren, let us be faithful in providing them those verses! 🙂