Category: ministry

May Ye Be Cheerful Givers!

Saturday, January 30, 2016

“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:6,7 KJV).

Dearly beloved, we take this opportunity to let you be “cheerful givers!”

We serve many pastors, local churches, ministries, Bible teachers, and other Bible students. Some have recently and kindly inquired about how they could support us financially. After extensive planning, and various delays, we have now established a secure donation website via PayPal. Our ministry has grown much these last 10 years, but I have never mentioned donations until now. For 4½ years now, 333 Words of Grace has been a free ministry/Bible service to you. It will continue to be free and will always be free (as long as I am living), but we are incurring some operating costs (bills). We have financial needs that must be met at this point. Friend, if you are benefiting from this ministry, we now allow you an opportunity to help us. Please prayerfully consider supporting us financially. Whatever amount and however often is irrelevant but greatly appreciated. What matters most is that, if you do give, give “cheerfully.” And, rest assured, your donations will certainly not go to waste.

During these last few years, ministry has taken up more and more of my time and energy. When we first began many years back, I wrote a handful of Bible studies a month. Currently, I produce—at minimum—40 written Bible studies a month, not including replies to our emails. As you can imagine, that is an extremely demanding schedule, crammed with prayer and Bible study. It now prevents me from having outside employment for the time being. The necessity for print materials (booklets, books, et cetera) has also arisen, particularly for those who want to use and distribute our material without internet access. In the future, we do plan on becoming a legally recognized (United States) non-profit organization, so that we may better serve you. That too will require some financial commitment. Again, friends, it will be up to you how far along we will get this year in the ministry. Thanks ever so much, and we look forward to serving you in the future. Now is your chance to show your gratitude! Praise our Lord Jesus Christ! 🙂

Philippians 4:17: “Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.”

1 Timothy 5:18: “The labourer is worthy of his reward.”

You may give securely by visiting the following website:
https://www.paypal.me/ShawnBrasseaux
(This “PayPal – Donate Now” link has also been added to our homepage.)

In Christ, Shawn Brasseaux (2 Corinthians 5:20)

Redeem the Year!

Friday, January 1, 2016

“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 2016!

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. Have a good year in Christ! 🙂

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

See our archived Bible Q&A: “What Scriptural advice can you give me for the New Year?”

Lewd Fellows of the Baser Sort

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

“But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people” (Acts 17:5 KJV).

Our King James Bible abounds with interesting phraseology. Today’s Scripture is no exception. As a pastor friend often comments about the verse, “You may not understand that expression ‘lewd fellows of the baser sort’ but you at least know it does not sound good!” We will analyze the phrase and learn just how “bad” it really is. Context first, though.

While Paul and Silas were conducting Paul’s second apostolic journey, they came to Macedonia (northern Greece), to a city named Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. For two or three weeks, Paul reasoned with them out of the Scriptures. He used the Old Testament to prove that Jesus was Christ. Some in the audience believed the Gospel of the Grace of God—Christ Jesus died for their sins, He was buried, and He rose again the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3,4). Luke writes in chapter 17 of Acts, verse 4, a great multitude of religious Greeks and many chief women believed unto eternal life. Today’s Scripture picks up the account. Satan was very upset!

Unbelieving Jews who followed Paul everywhere, became envious that God was now working amongst and saving the pagan Gentiles. In response to Paul’s ministry triumphs in Thessalonica, these lost Jews gathered a mob of the worst people they could locate. These men were “lewd” (wicked), but to make it worse, they were “of the baser sort” (the worst of the worst!). That mob then caused a riot in Thessalonica. It physically attacked a Christian, Jason, and his household. After that intense day, Paul and Silas by night barely escaped to nearby Berea with their lives (verses 6-10)!

Saints, may we learn this simple lesson. Let us brush off the silly and snide comments, awful frowns, and rude gestures from the lost world. After all, the Bible says Christians have been assaulted (literally) “by worse!” 🙂

Paul and Dispensationalism #12

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

“Brethren, be ye followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample” (Philippians 3:17 KJV).

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

Many earnest Christians say, “I do not follow man. I go by what Jesus said.” Bless their dear hearts—they follow the traditions of men by following Jesus’ words to Jews. Jesus Himself said He was not God’s spokesman to us Gentiles: “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). Are you a lost sheep of the house of Israel? Then, Jesus’ earthly ministry does not apply to you (2 Corinthians 5:16)!

Paul is our apostle (Romans 11:13) whereas Jesus Christ is Israel’s Apostle (Hebrews 3:1). It thoroughly astonishes Bible readers to learn that the Apostle Paul is the person we should follow, not Jesus in His earthly ministry. Jesus never said we Gentiles need to follow Him. However, we do find Jesus Christ speaking through Paul and instructing us to follow Paul as he follows Jesus Christ. “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you” (Philippians 4:9).

Friend, if you do not know where to go in the Bible to retrieve God’s Word to and about you, you have no hope in ever understanding the Bible. You will not know the baptism valid for you; you will not know how to handle sickness; you will not have a clear Gospel message to believe; you will not know how to pray; you will not know how God’s Spirit works in you today as a believer; you will not know how to function as a spouse, child, student, parent, boss, employee, pastor, teacher, neighbor, citizen; and so on.

You cannot find victorious Christian living in the Old Testament, the Four Gospels, the early part of Acts, or Hebrews through Revelation. If you want victorious Christian living, you must go to the Holy Spirit’s instructions found in Paul’s 13 epistles, Romans through Philemon. This is the key to Christianity’s doctrinal dilemma!

A Man of 27, a Master of Geology, and His God of Grace

Friday, August 7, 2015

“But by the grace of God I am what I am…” (1 Corinthians 15:10a KJV).

Saints, today is a special day for two reasons. Firstly, today is my 27th birthday! Secondly, I am graduating college with a master’s degree in geology!

These past 27 years have been quite a joy, despite the many “valleys.” Furthermore, I have spent one-third of my life in college—those nine years (4 1/2 years as an undergraduate and 4 1/2 years as a graduate student) were fun as well. All of these years have just flown by and two major chapters of my life have now closed. What a thrilling concept! There is a certain sadness to it as well, I suppose. I now have to adjust to many new circumstances.

I still have a lot more to learn about life and in life, but I thank our God and Father for preserving me all these years and shielding me from the evil world system that Satan intended to use to defile me. The men and women who played a vital role in my physical life as well as my spiritual life and my intellectual life, I will never forget them—my parents, my two older brothers, my friends and classmates, my teachers and professors, pastors, and many others. While not everything they taught me was good information, it did greatly sharpen me and cause me to better appreciate God’s truths that I learned as a small child.

So, what now, you ask? I have not yet made any final decisions, but I do have a tentative schedule with prospective goals. It does involve Earth science, that I know. We will see where ministry takes me as well. On one hand it is exciting, but on the other the mysterious part of it produces some anxiety. 🙂 For those of you who have prayed for me all these years, thank you from the bottom of my heart. We can now see that those prayers were not in vain. Our Lord Jesus Christ did a mighty work and we rejoice in Him that He has some wonderful plans to come!

Grad 2015Shawn Brasseaux
Master of Science, Geology
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
2015

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! 🙂

arC Ministries Turns 8!

Friday, July 31, 2015

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

To our Lord Jesus Christ’s glory, arC Ministries celebrates its eighth anniversary today!

Eight years ago, as an 18-year-old college student, I endeavored to use Facebook to create a Bible study group for teens and college students. Thus, “ambassadors for the risen Christ ministries” was born. As I grew more in God’s Word rightly divided, I grew increasingly aware of the need for additional ministry projects. The more I had been learning drove me to share those precious truths with others. That eventually led me to look for supplementary avenues of ministry.

During these past eight years, God’s grace has enabled us to continue the original group on Facebook. In addition, we have branched out quite a bit in other areas. This devotionals blog has been operating for over four years now. For the last three years, we have focused on developing and drafting a grace study Bible (entering its fourth year tomorrow). Other ministry projects include a 22-week newspaper ministry column (this devotionals blog’s predecessor), a YouTube channel with home Bible study videos, a Twitter feed, a full-length Bible studies blog, a college campus ministry, a nursing-home ministry, and our Bible-question-and-answer blog. We hear from people all over the world!

Our name says it all: we serve the risen Lord Jesus Christ, not some “dead Jew” and not ourselves. The original motto of our ministry was, “To equip ambassadors, and to encourage others to become ambassadors.” Our primary goal is to teach Christians, and our secondary goal is to evangelize the lost world. Eight years later, we still endeavor to uphold God’s Word (King James Bible) rightly divided, whether it be in edifying the Christian brethren or preaching the clear Gospel of the Grace of God to this lost and dying world. For those of you who have been with us from day 1, thank you for your prayer and encouragement. We pray for you upon every remembrance! There is still plenty more for the Lord Jesus Christ to do in and through us, so let us give Him all the praise and glory as we enter Year 9! 🙂

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…. 🙂

Bible Believers Boldly Broadcasting Beliefs

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

“For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the LORD was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily. Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay” (Jeremiah 20:8,9 KJV).

Brethren, be Bible believers boldly broadcasting blessed beliefs.

JEHOVAH had commissioned the Prophet Jeremiah to warn sinful Judah of the coming Babylonian invasions, to warn them to get right with the God of their fathers. Now, 20 chapters into his ministry, Jeremiah has received some “feedback”… and it is not positive! Pashur, the son of the priest, the chief governor in the LORD’S house (Temple), hears Jeremiah speaking against Judah’s sins and foretelling God’s judgment using Babylon. Does Pashur believe JEHOVAH’S message? Nay, on the contrary, Pashur physically beats Jeremiah and places him in the stocks (structure to imprison, holding hands and feet, for public display) (verses 1 and 2).

Today’s Scripture is excerpted from Jeremiah’s pity party: he was just as human as we. He laments that no one wants to hear him preach God’s Word, that he was now being mocked for speaking truth. So, Jeremiah determines just to shut his mouth, not to speak at all about JEHOVAH, or preach anything else in His name. It has gotten him into trouble and—like most—he wants to avoid persecution for the sake of the God of the Bible. But then, Jeremiah just could not keep it inside anymore. God’s Word was just bursting forth! It was exhausting trying to keep quiet when people needed to hear the truth! He preached for many more years, despite further persecution and imprisonments!

Have you ever greatly wanted to share the Gospel or the Bible with someone? You just had to say something because you could not stay quiet any longer. Jeremiah felt the same way! May we study God’s Word, especially Paul’s epistles, and may we believe those words, so they burst forth from our lips for all to hear… no matter the cost! 🙂

Noteworthy Ninth

Sunday, June 28, 2015

“I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word” (Psalm 119:16 KJV).

To God’s glory alone, it was nine years ago today that I entered the writing ministry!

Dear friends, it has been quite an exciting journey these last nine years in the Holy Bible. Long before we had these daily devotionals, decuple-monthly Bible Q&A articles, weekly newspaper columns, scores of tweets, and thousands of Facebook posts, there were brief notes and reflections on Bible passages. (Those writings have never been released.) Drafting them for many months “primed” me to get to where we are today. I had no idea what I was getting into!

When I entered the writing (teaching) ministry, I thought I had some Bible knowledge. Looking back on it all these years later, I now realize that I knew nothing! My writing style was crude, my theology was denominational, but in time that all straightened out. Over 2,000 completed written Bible studies later, and over 2,000 incomplete written Bible studies later, only by God’s grace we have come quite a long way. A handful of you have been with us from the very beginning. You have grown with us all these years. With each passing day, the Holy Bible is becoming more and more thrilling, is it not? What glorious Bible truths we have uncovered in these last nine years overall!

Being a Bible teacher, one learns more while teaching than those he teaches. Teaching the Bible is a constant reminder of what it says, and being taught the Bible is a constant reminder of what it says. We can delight in God’s Word because we are mindful of it and we understand it (today’s Scripture). It is not the burden or the mess that religion makes it out to be. The Holy Bible is the world’s most marvelous Book. Yes, our King James Bible is the greatest Book, and may we continue to read, study, believe, delight in, and teach it. There is still much more growing to be accomplished. There is still much more treasure to mine from God’s precious Word. It is with great delight that we thus begin our tenth year in the writing ministry! 🙂