Category: The Holy Ghost

A Grace Study Bible

Saturday, August 1, 2015

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

Today, we reflect on three full years of the arC Ministries’ Grace Study Bible Project!

Nearly 100 years ago, the Scofield Study Bible was published. It was a work that popularized—not invented—dispensational Bible study. For a century, the Church the Body of Christ has used this monumental aid to edify itself. It was (and still is) useful in recovering precious Bible truths that had been lost for centuries, doctrines still pushed aside by denominational hierarchies that prefer to be the “authority” with their “tradition of men.”

Three years ago today, after much prayer and consideration, I began the formation of a new grace study Bible. Using the King James Bible, my goal in this project is to build on Dr. Scofield’s foundation laid long ago. We are (and will always be) indebted to that brother for his faithful service, his submission to the Holy Spirit to produce a profitable study Bible. (Incidentally, Dr. Scofield led a missionary to Christ, that missionary led a preacher to Christ, that preacher led a woman to Christ, that woman led Mom to Christ, and Mom led me to Christ.) What took Dr. Scofield decades to learn, we can acquire in a fraction of that time. Brother Scofield did not live long enough to progress any further in Bible understanding, but in the century since he has gone to heaven, a faithful remnant within the Body of Christ has expanded upon Dr. Scofield’s insightful notes. We recognize where he was wrong in certain areas, and we can improve those areas in our understanding and study.

In brief, some stats about our grace study Bible. Approximately 25 percent of the Old Testament and 65 percent of the New Testament have been annotated and exist as first (some second) rough draft notes. How many more years it will take remains to be seen, but rest assured, what cannot be condensed into marginal notes or footnotes, will be, Lord willing, expanded into a full-Bible commentary book series! Stay tuned in the coming years and thank you for your prayer in this regard! 🙂

333’s 1500th – Renewed Minds

Thursday, July 9, 2015

“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 KJV).

Praise our Lord Jesus Christ! We have reached yet another ministry milestone!

For 1500 consecutive days now, God’s Word has renewed our minds daily. (Today’s Scripture was the text for our 100th study. Since then, we have had 1400 Bible studies.) It has been quite a learning experience, has it not? The Holy Spirit Himself has taught us His Holy Word. Scholarship, denominational doctrines, and all the rest were not the issue. Hence, we have had God’s Word work in our lives for His glory. Remember, there is no power of God apart from the rightly divided Word of God. We cannot make God do something He is not doing today, but we can learn and rejoice in what He is doing today.

These past 1500 days, faithful Father God has saved us from a wide range of doctrinal errors. We allowed Him to teach us through the Apostle Paul what He wants us to do. Also, we allowed Him to use the rest of the Bible to teach us how He has used the nation Israel and will use Israel yet future.

Dear readers, it has been our privilege to share with you what “little” we have learned, that you may share with others what you have learned. As we are witnessing great social changes and an unprecedented moral deterioration, we need to remember that we are not here to change the culture. This world is headed toward the seven-year Tribulation. It will not get better until Jesus Christ returns. Until He does, we need to be faithful in teaching and preaching these precious truths to others, that they may be rescued from this evil culture as well.

Now, to the glory of God’s grace, we open our fourth 500-study unit…. 🙂

If Thou Be #6

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him” (2 Corinthians 11:3,4 KJV).

Can Satan use the Bible to confuse God’s people concerning their identity? Yes, today’s Scripture says he most certainly can (and does)!

Every cult in Christendom is “Scriptural.” They all use part of the Holy Bible—the Psalms, Isaiah, the Sermon on the Mount, Genesis, the “Lord’s Prayer,” and so on. Marvel not, dear friends, that false religion does utilize God’s precious words to fool the masses. For, long before false religion used and abused the Bible to support their warped system, Satan did likewise during Christ’s earthly ministry.

Most people greatly underestimate Satan—“The Devil works in those who smoke, chew, and hang around the girls who do. Satan working at and in my denominational church? Never! My preacher uses the Bible! We follow ‘Jesus,’ are led by ‘the Spirit,’ and proclaim ‘the Gospel!’”

Note the following dialog during Christ’s temptations, Matthew chapter 4: “[5] Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, [6] And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.”

Quoting Psalm 91:11-12 to Jesus, Satan was “Scriptural!!” The Devil grabbed a passage from another dispensation (specifically, Christ’s Second Coming) and forced it into Christ’s First Coming. Jesus knew better, and did not claim those verses because they were irrelevant at that time. Likewise, Paul feared in today’s Scripture that the Corinthians would allow someone to take a Gospel message from another dispensation (Scripture!) and force it on them, Jesus’ earthly ministry to Israel (Scripture!) and force it on them, and the Mosaic Law (Scripture!) and force it on them….

If Thou Be #5

Monday, June 8, 2015

“This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes” (2 Timothy 1:15 KJV).

Today’s Scripture says that long before the modernists, liberals, textual critics, atheists, scientists, and others attacked the Bible, the religionists did it!

Someone once said that Christendom’s “greatest blunder” was the assumption that the Church the Body of Christ started in Acts chapter 2. Friend, to make prophetic into mystery is erroneous. Beloved, to make Israel’s feast day of Pentecost the birthday of the Body of Christ is fallacious. Friend, to see yourself in Acts chapter 2 is dangerous. Unless you begin the Body of Christ with Paul’s salvation in Acts chapter 9, you will never recognize the dispensational boundary that affects your eternity destiny and your earthly life. You will never distinguish between heaven and hell. You will never discern victorious Christian living from futile fleshly living.

Paul claimed to be “the apostle of the Gentiles” (Romans 11:13). The Holy Spirit also moved him to write in Ephesians 3:2 that Jesus Christ gave him “the Dispensation of the Grace of God” so that he could give it to us. If God entrusted to Paul our set of divine instructions to believe and follow, and yet Paul was not saved until Acts chapter 9, is it not silly to go to the Scriptures prior to Acts chapter 9 to find God’s message to us? Why are we so fixated on discovering ourselves in Acts chapter 2, when all the scriptural evidence to contrary is plain English? The answer is Satan’s lie program is still confusing the identity of God’s people. Furthermore, plenty of confused individuals are eager to build denominations and religious organizations, systems that actually enable Satan’s lie program to continue and confuse more souls!

Just before Paul’s death, in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), most Christians had already abandoned him, his ministry, and his epistles (today’s Scripture). They forsook God’s grace and returned to the Law of Moses (see 1 Timothy 1:3-11; cf. Acts 20:28-32)! We need not be surprised that the Body of Christ is thoroughly confused today about its identity. It was largely apostate—claiming Israel’s verses as its own—20 centuries ago!

*For more information, you may refer to our two studies: “Did the Church the Body of Christ Begin in Acts 2?” and “When Did the Church the Body of Christ Begin?”

If Thou Be #2

Friday, June 5, 2015

“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3 KJV).

As Satan attempted to cause Jesus Christ to doubt who He was, he misled Eve about who she was. Likewise, Satan enjoys casting doubt on our identity in Christ.

Keeping short sin accounts (daily confession) causes us to wonder if we are truly forgiven. Being water baptized causes us to believe that we cannot have fruitful Christian service without a ceremony. Tithing causes us to believe that we cannot be blessed of God unless we give to Him. Scholarship causes us to believe that, unless we adopt human wisdom, we cannot understand the Bible. Satan attacks our identity in Christ “by any means.” We are already forgiven in Christ forever (Colossians 2:13). We only need one baptism—when the Holy Spirit put us into the Body of Christ the moment we trusted Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour (1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 4:5).

When someone suggests that we have to do something in our flesh to enhance our Christian life, or behave a certain way in order to get something from God, they are drawing us away from our identity in Christ (Galatians 3:1-3). We are “complete in [Christ]” (Colossians 2:10). We are “blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). God has freely given us all things with His Son (Romans 8:32). We do not need to ask God for anything. Everything He could possibly give us, He gave it when He gave us His Son. Jesus Christ is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30). In Christ, all of our need is met (Philippians 4:19).

God revealed to the Apostle Paul the information that we need to understand what He is doing today. That set of doctrines is called “the Dispensation of the Grace of God” (Ephesians 3:1-11). Jesus Christ disclosed that information to Paul, and when we read those Pauline epistles, Romans through Philemon, the Holy Spirit enlightens us. What God has planned for us believers, we need to search the writings of the Apostle of the Gentiles, and not stray from those grace doctrines!

The ‘Body’ of Christ

Saturday, May 23, 2015

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (1 Timothy 3:16 KJV).

A Christian sister, recently explaining the Church the Body of Christ to her grandkids, was asked by the youngest, “How can we be the ‘Body’ of Christ?” Let us answer that.

“The Church the Body of Christ” is a metaphor the Holy Spirit chose to describe the group of believers in this the Dispensation of the Grace of God (see Ephesians 1:22,23; Colossians 1:24). Jesus Christ Himself is not physically on our planet. He is seated at His Father’s right hand in the third heaven (Colossians 3:1). Nevertheless, He is indeed on planet Earth in another sense (see today’s Scripture).

Jesus Christ works today through the third Person of the Godhead. His name is “Holy Ghost,” but His role is “Holy Spirit.” The Holy Ghost indwells Christians (1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Timothy 1:14). When someone comes to the end of their dependence on works-religion, their efforts to atone for their sins; when someone comes by simple faith alone in Jesus Christ’s shed blood, death, burial, and resurrection as sufficient payment for their sins; the Holy Ghost comes to live inside that person (Ephesians 1:12-14). The only way God can work through Christians is the indwelling Holy Spirit.

First Corinthians chapter 12 should be read and considered. Just as our physical body has eyes, ears, nose, mouth, arms, legs, et cetera—all of these governed by our brain—the Church the Body of Christ has many members (body parts) who are guided by one Head (Jesus Christ) (Colossians 1:18). What He thinks, we do. What we do, it is really He who is doing it. God is manifest in the flesh today in the form of Christians. Today, Jesus Christ cannot physically comfort hurting people, cannot physically walk to people’s homes and share the Gospel with them, cannot assist them with difficult tasks, et cetera, but we can (and should). As His “ambassadors,” we are acting in His absence (2 Corinthians 5:20). May our actions be acceptable to Him! 🙂

Thank God!

Saturday, May 9, 2015

“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever” (Psalm 136:1-3 KJV).

O give thanks unto the LORD, the God of gods, the Lord of lords!

Scripture is replete with thanksgiving directed toward God. Actually, over 125 times, saints offer thanks to the God of Israel, the God of the Bible. Pause and consider the last time you thanked God for what He has given you. When was it? Do you even remember? 🙂

Every passing day, as soon as we open our eyes from sleep, we need to thank Father God that He has given us another day of His grace. We are over 700,000 days into the Dispensation of Grace. It will not last forever. Our lost family members and friends will not enjoy God’s grace indefinitely. God’s wrath is two millennia closer than it was in the New Testament times.

Every passing day, as soon as we open our eyes from sleep, we need to thank Father God for the Lord Jesus Christ. Over 100,000 people die and enter the eternal flames of hell every single day! How we need to thank the Lord Jesus Christ that He saved us, that He delivered us from such a horrible fate! We will never know just how close we came to dying and going there as lost people.

Every passing day, as soon as we open our eyes from sleep, we need to thank Father God for the Holy Spirit. There are 45,000 religions and denominations in this world, and how fortunate we have been that He has shown us Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork as means of forgiveness of sins and Paul’s apostleship and epistles as means of Christian spiritual growth.

Dearly beloved, I cannot emphasize it enough. There is so much deception, and we need to be ever grateful that Father God has us, grateful that we have His Son (Jesus Christ), grateful that we have His Word (King James Bible), and grateful that we have His spokesman to us (Paul)! 🙂

God on the Go

Friday, May 8, 2015

“And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (2 Corinthians 6:16 KJV).

Saints, when we are “on the go,” God is “on the go” with us!

Society has millions of professing “Christians.” Many of them say, “I was born a Christian.” (?) Unfortunately, most of these people are unable to define the term “Christian.” They declare their denominational affiliation or membership in a local assembly, but that is all they know. They have not actually studied the Bible to learn about Christians. They have no idea who the Holy Spirit is or where He is. They talk like they know Him but they do not. They are not possessing Christians, and thus, not really true Christians at all.

If you have relied exclusively on the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, His finished crosswork as complete and final payment for your sins, you are a possessing Christian. Today’s Scripture says that you are “the temple of the living God.” The God of the Bible is not some dead idol of wood or stone. He is the living God, and He lives in us Christians. Chapter 6 of 1 Corinthians says that we who have believed the Gospel of Grace unto eternal life, are “the temple of the Holy Ghost.” The third member of the Godhead lives within us to guide and strengthen us.

As JEHOVAH lived in Israel’s Temple in Jerusalem in time past, so He lives in us Christians today. Contrary to popular belief, He does not dwell in church buildings: “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands” (Acts 17:24). There is no manmade “house of God” today. God lives in us Christians, and we take God the Holy Spirit literally everywhere we go (even to the places of “ill repute”). Remember, friends, if we would not want to take the Holy Spirit into a place, we had better not take ourselves there either! 🙂

Avid Ambassadors for Christ!

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

“I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8 KJV).

Do you “delight” in the will of the Lord?

Unless the New Testament Scriptures commented on today’s Scripture and its context, it would remain mysterious. Hebrews 10:5-9 reveals that today’s Scripture was Jesus Christ’s humble confession to follow Father God’s will. Jesus Christ had so filled His mind and heart with the “Old Testament” Scriptures, that He knew what had to be done. As a loving Shepherd tending His sheep, He would teach His people, the Jews, His Word (Isaiah 40:11). He would have a healing ministry to confirm that Word (Isaiah 35:3-6). Yes, He knew He would go the way of the Cross and die, too (Isaiah 53:3-12).

Hebrews 10:5-7: “[5] Wherefore when he [Jesus] cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou [Father God] wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: [6] In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. [7] Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.” As Psalm 40:6-8 suggested, Father God gave His Son Jesus a physical body so that physical body could be offered for our sins. How did the Son react? He “delighted” to do His Father’s will (today’s Scripture)!

We should be so delighted and so passionate about preaching Jesus Christ and sharing His Word rightly divided. In fact, someone (a Christian, actually!) suggested that all of my intense ministry activity was due to some sort of medical, social, or mental “disorder” or “issue” that afflicted me! (Hahahaha) No, it is not that I have issues, I have the Holy Spirit and I submit to His working in me. There is nothing special about me. I am a nobody. We are all just common people with a heart desire to have Christ’s words dwell in our hearts richly. We have a heart desire that that Word then work in us so that it bursts forth from us in word and deed! 🙂

Our latest Bible Q&A: “What does ‘a land flowing with milk and honey’ mean?”

The Common Prison and The Extraordinary Message

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

“Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation, And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison” (Acts 5:17,18 KJV).

Oh, man’s shameful treatment of God’s faithful apostles!

For several months now, Peter and the 11 other apostles of Israel have been preaching to their Jewish brethren, pleading with them to trust Jesus as their Messiah, that they not be consumed in His wrath when He returns. The Holy Spirit has been working mightily in and through these 12 men: they have performed various healing miracles, confirming the kingdom message that they are preaching (Mark 16:17-20; Hebrews 2:3-5; et al.).

Israel’s religious leaders know the apostles’ activities threaten their organization. In the chapter previous to today’s Scripture, Israel’s religious leaders “commanded [the apostles] not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus” (verse 18). Peter wisely answered, “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (verses 19,20). The apostles were further threatened but not imprisoned.

Today’s Scripture is some time later, after many other healing miracles occurred, after many other sermons about Jesus Christ have been preached. Israel’s religious leaders arrest the apostles and throw them into prison. Not the prison for political or elite wrongdoers, but the “common prison.” The apostles are thrown into a dangerous environment. The worst criminals—the murderers, rapists, et cetera—are in the “common prison” with them! God certainly had His eyes on these dear Israeli apostles. In fact, they miraculously survived that “common prison” until the angel of the Lord came by night to release them (verse 19)!

Israel’s apostles went on from the common prison to preach again to the common people. Praise God that they were not bitter or slack. Despite their persecution, they preached their hearts out. Nothing could keep them from talking about the Messiahship of Jesus. They eventually gave up their lives for Him! Beloved, surely, in light of what these men faced for Jesus Christ, we can endure name-calling and ostracism! 🙂