Category: fanaticism

Paul and Dispensationalism #8

Saturday, August 15, 2015

“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 KJV).

What else can the Apostle Paul teach us about dispensational Bible study?

Indeed, 95 to 99 percent of professing “Christianity” is doctrinally weak. Most alleged “Christians” and most true Christians have an extremely feeble grasp of Scripture. This ignorance applies not only to church members but also to preachers and priests and theologians… the “blind” leading the “blind” (Matthew 15:14)! How did such a spiritual mess arise? Honestly, the “church” has focused on founding religious organizations and defending denominational tenets. There was no sound and proper Bible study. The Bible was merely scanned and appealing verses were chosen—that weak foundation produced the current frail, teetering structure.

More commentaries (further confusing them) have been read than verses in the Holy Bible! More time has been spent recounting worthless stories, telling jokes, singing and jumping, and re-teaching and re-teaching basic verses, than time spent preaching a clear Gospel message and teaching a profitable Bible lesson! More energy has been spent organizing weddings, baby showers, dances, food and clothing drives, and bingo nights than energy expended in planning Bible conferences and Bible camps! The average church almost entirely neglects the Bible, especially Paul’s epistles. No wonder the average local church is not “dying” but dead!

The professing “church” has utterly failed to grasp today’s Scripture. They usually cannot adequately delineate Paul’s Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3-4—Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again the third day). They do not understand Paul’s special ministry, “the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery.” They do not know how those Pauline books fit with the overall Bible scheme. Basically, they have not been “stablished” (stabilized) and spiritually matured. Therefore, they are “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14). Such ignorance is the result of ignoring Pauline dispensationalism!

The Grandest Conspiracy of All

Friday, June 19, 2015

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 KJV).

Behold, the grandest conspiracy of all!

So-called “conspiracy theorists” constantly speak and write of the latest secret government plots to accomplish “this” or do “that.” Health crises, environmental movements, political platforms, military operations, national disasters, et cetera are always under the scrutiny of those seeking to expose possible links to covert evil agendas. Doubtless many plans and scams exist throughout our beloved nation, America, but they exist in every country on Earth as well. But, there is more. There is one common conspiracy that unites all nations.

Unfortunately, professing Christians often lead the hysteria, using Scripture to justify their preparations for “Armageddon.” Hiding in their homes, constructing underground bunkers, stocking up on supplies and ammunition, and utterly fearing every new electronic gadget as a likely link to the Antichrist. These poor people are woefully ignorant of that which they claim to know and believe—the Bible! Honestly, bluntly, frankly, they could not spot the Antichrist’s regime if it was here. How so? They cannot discern the satanic scheme that is presently distracting them in religion, politics, and news media. When more Christians follow the latest news items than Christians reading the Bible, we can see why they parrot news headlines instead of quoting Bible verses. They know more about what their government is doing than what their God is doing!

Today’s Scripture says Satan wars in the Christian’s mind. Just as he misled Israel with worthless information, he is still doing it today with the Body of Christ. Our minds need to be focused on “the obedience of Christ”—what Jesus did at Calvary on our behalf. The greatest conspiracy is that Satan does everything in his power to keep Christians and lost people alike, all over the world, from remembering that perfect sacrifice of God’s beloved Son. May we not be ignorant of the greatest conspiracy of all!

Manipulating Moses to Murder Messiah #4

Sunday, May 31, 2015

“And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers” (Acts 3:17 KJV).

How could Israel have been so blind in rejecting Jesus as Messiah, One who fulfilled hundreds of Old Testament prophecies?

Israel knew they were killing the Lord Jesus. It was great spiritual insanity. When God opened our Dispensation of Grace in Acts chapter 9, a twofold benefit arose. Firstly, the Gentiles whom God had consigned to Satan could now be saved by Jesus’ finished crosswork. Secondly, the Jews who were still in unbelief—the very ones who deliberately killed Jesus Christ—could also be saved by simple faith in Calvary’s crosswork. Saul of Tarsus was in the latter group.

Upon meeting the ascended Lord outside Damascus, Saul realized and trusted Jesus Christ’s righteousness and he forgot all about his foolishness in works-religion. God certainly came back in Acts chapter 9, not to pour out His wrath, but to pour out His grace and start the Church the Body of Christ! The leader of the world’s rebellion against Jesus Christ, Saul, the one who mercilessly imprisoned and slaughtered God’s Messianic Jews, Saul, was now saved unto eternal life.

Decades later, Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 1:15,16: “[15] This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. [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 God saved such a rebel as Saul of Tarsus, a wicked and bloodthirsty theologian, there is no person “too far gone” in unbelief and sin, whom God cannot save in a literal heartbeat today. “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20). For nearly 2,000 years, God has offered salvation freely to all, Jew and Gentile alike, by His grace through simple faith in Jesus Christ’s shed blood for our sins, death, burial, and resurrection. The Gospel of the Grace of God, the heart of the Dispensation of the Grace of God, is the only way we can approach Almighty God today!

Our latest Bible Q&A: “How did Satan ‘hinder’ Paul in 1 Thessalonians 2:18?”

Thee and Two Gardens #6

Thursday, January 29, 2015

“And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8 KJV).

Wilt thou choose to “live” in the Garden of Eden, or in the Garden of Calvary?

Many precious souls constantly think about symbols, tithes and offerings, confessionals, aisles, candles, prayer closets, “scholarship,” altars, programs, holy days, counterfeit Bibles, personalities and celebrities, ecclesiastical laws, baptisteries, pilgrimages, dreams and visions, bread and wine, jewelry, statues, “praise and worship,” charities, vestments, healings, paintings, shrines, gibberish, patristic writings, and other theological speculations and paraphernalia.

As Satan distracted Eve, so she knew not God’s Word to her (the context of today’s Scripture), “Christianity” is similarly confused. Most are so sidetracked that they have no time whatsoever to think about Calvary’s real meaning. They are too busy thinking about what they are doing, so they have no time to think about what God did for them 2,000 years ago.

Friends, apart from faith in Calvary’s finished crosswork, we have no power of God in our lives (1 Corinthians 1:18,23,24). Fulfilling rules and regulations does not change the fact that we are still weak children of Adam, sinners by birth, unable to perform perfectly. Thus, sin-management systems are of no help to us. We need divine intervention to overcome sin.

God’s grand design is that our Christian life begin in a tomb. He alone can crucify us so as to separate us from Adam, to bury us in Christ’s tomb, to raise us again with Christ and give us a new nature in Him. Contrary to human “wisdom,” it is God’s wisdom, thinking on a much higher plane than even what the “best” intellectuals and philosophers could ever imagine. God did not come to correct us, but to crucify us with Christ, and He did not come to reform us but to resurrect us with Christ. It is not outward reformation (religion) but inward regeneration (life in Christ Jesus!).

We conclude this devotionals arc by quoting Romans chapter 6….

Singing for the Devil

Thursday, January 22, 2015

“And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear” (Exodus 32:17,18 KJV).

Moses and Joshua are coming down from Mount Sinai after receiving JEHOVAH’S Ten Commandments, and what a “praise and worship” session Israel is seen to have!

It is common to hear of people attending church services at a particular location simply because they “love” the “praise and worship” team. When they talk to you about “church time,” they rarely evaluate the sermon’s theology. What mattered is, “Church was awesome today because a visitor came and showed us some new dance moves!!!” (A social media posting I saw.) Or, “I do not like that preacher’s doctrine but I watch his television program because he is a terrific musician and singer!” (What someone told me recently.) Dear friends, we should be mindful not to expose ourselves to such spiritual dangers, that which appears or sounds good but is actually injurious to our spiritual health.

“And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount” (verse 19). “And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies: ),…” (verse 25). The Levites, instructed by Moses, killed 3,000 naked Jewish revelers (verses 26-28)!

Singing and dancing about spiritual matters is not always good. Remember, the same vain religious system that infiltrated ancient Israel has also infected the Body of Christ. Dancing around worthless idols, singing about vain denominational traditions, and so on, it is not pleasing to our Lord Jesus Christ. Beloved, let us strive for a pure local church, one that upholds God’s Word rightly divided, and let us cast off a local church that upholds the flesh! 🙂

On God

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

“All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him” (Matthew 11:27 KJV).

If you are seeking God today, you can find Him today!

As our world drifts further and further from our Creator’s original design and purpose, it seems like it becomes more difficult for anyone seeking His truth, to find it. Some seek God in emotional experiences and inner impressions; others church buildings and altars; still others prayers, water ceremonies, “good” works, wine and wafers; and so on. Despite all that searching, very few ever actually find God because of the confusion as to how to find Him and because nearly all of the ways that are presumed to lead to God lead to everyone and everything but Him!

In today’s Scripture, the Lord Jesus Christ provided some valuable insight, but we need to look at in light of previous verses in order to get the full impact: “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him” (verses 25-27).

God’s Word explains that if we want to know Him, we must come to Jesus Christ. We do not seek guidance to God from those who are controlled by the world’s wisdom, for (as Jesus said) they know not how to reach Him either! God has given to Jesus Christ some information, and Jesus Christ offers this information to mankind, that we may know Him, and in doing so, we may know His Heavenly Father. The Bible is very clear that we find God, not by what we do or do not do, but by Jesus Christ, and what He did for us.

Bible Study 101 #3

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

“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 KJV).

The only verse that tells you to study the Bible also tells you how to study the Bible!

One can hardly ever find a sound local church today (I speak from experience). Many churches advertise enjoyable “worship” services, some very emotional (hour of loud music, toe-tapping, pew-jumping, tongue-talking) and others extremely solemn and almost silent (ceremonial correctness, eloquent prayers and benedictions, meditation). There are plenty of fleshly activities, but how much Bible study? No, not churches where a few familiar Bible verses are read and then followed by stories and jokes for the rest of the hour, but churches where the congregation actually flips pages in printed Bibles to compare verses? Very rare indeed! (Bible study is “boring,” so the average church feigns like the world in order to cram the world into the pews.)

Beloved, God’s power is in God’s Word (1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 4:12), so if God’s Word is not being studied, then we need not wonder why the Body of Christ is so ineffectual in reaching the lost for Jesus Christ’s glory! People today quote and follow the Bible, and yet, they are usually outside of God’s will. Daily, I deal with individuals—Christians and lost people—who read the Bible, but they seldom understand it and rarely know God’s will for their lives. People who have attended “church” for decades but who are still unfamiliar with even basic Bible concepts. Dear friends, how can we do God’s will if we do not know His will (what He is doing)? This is why Bible study—not simply verse reading, verse skimming, or verse memorization—is so critical!

The Bible tells us what God is doing today (His will for us), but we cannot just go to any part of the Bible to find God’s will for us. We must study the Bible to find the verses that describe God’s current operations, His present-day dealings with mankind. This is the goal of dispensational Bible study….

Redeem the Year!

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17 KJV).

What great advice for 2014!

Despite 2,000 years of Bible schools and seminaries, 2,000 years of a completed Bible canon, 2,000 years of Bible reading in churches, several decades of “Christian” television and radio, and just over a decade of widespread use of “Christian” websites, how sad that Bible ignorance is still quite extensive (it is as if God never gave His Word to start with!).

Frankly, the Church the Body of Christ needs to wake up! The verse previous to today’s Scripture says, “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (verse 14). Paul, loosely quoting Isaiah 60:1, reminded us that the spiritual ignorance that gripped Israel in Isaiah’s day seized Christians in his day—and it still grips Christians 20 centuries later. Feel-good sermons, enjoyable “worship” services, and rites, rituals, and ceremonies will NOT solve this problem—they exacerbate it!

“[God] will have all men to be saved…” (1 Timothy 2:4a). Do you want this New Year to count for God’s glory? First, you need to get saved from sins and hell! You need to become a Christian by trusting in and relying on Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection as sufficient payment for your sins (1 Corinthians 15:3,4). That is only part of God’s will for you, for 1 Timothy 2:4b continues, “[God] will have all men… to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” Now, God’s will for your Christian life is daily, personal Bible study to renew your mind, so your faith in those verses can cause God to work in your life—it will be His life, thus making you “perfect [spiritually mature], throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16,17).

Today’s Scripture urges us to buy back the time Satan has robbed from God (time created for God’s glory). By faith, we need to make that time glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by applying His Word, particularly Paul’s epistles of Romans through Philemon, to our lives.

You can download our free “One-Year Bible Reading Schedule.”

Fruit to Behold in the Ages to Come

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy” (1 Thessalonians 2:19,20 KJV).

Remember, we will not comprehend the full impact of God’s ministry through us until eternity future….

Invariably, any King James Bible, Pauline dispensationalist has had the thought cross his or her mind, “Is this worth it?” A doubt such as this is prompted by the usual replies, “Who believes that? How could so many people be so wrong? I have been in my [denominational] church for years, and I never heard what you are teaching before! I feel comfortable in my church tradition, so do not bother me anymore with your ‘heresy!’”

In spite of all the opposition you face, you meet someone who is tired of formalism, participating in mindless rites, ceremonies, and rituals just for the sake of “doing religion.” This one soul seeks liberty from works-religion, and you have the message whereby they can be set free from the shackles of sin—the message of God’s grace to us in Jesus Christ!

Despite all the opposition you face, you meet someone who is sick of existentialism, committing the sins of the flesh just to have a “good time in this one life.” This one soul seeks freedom from selfishness, and you have the message whereby they can be set free from the shackles of sin—the message of God’s grace to us in Jesus Christ!

Amidst all the opposition you face, you meet someone who is tired of fanaticism, seeking experiences, emotions, and encounters just for the sake of “doing religion.” This one soul seeks liberty from emotionalism, and you have the message whereby they can be set free from the shackles of sin—the message of God’s grace to us in Jesus Christ!

These precious, few souls who want to hear God’s truth make Christian service and ministry worthwhile, and for their sakes, let us continue so the remaining souls who are interested, can also become “our hope, our joy, our crown of rejoicing!” 🙂