Category: The Church the Body of Christ

Who is Your Apostle?

Thursday, October 18, 2012

“For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:” (Romans 11:13 KJV).

Who is our apostle? While today’s Scripture plainly reveals the answer, today’s Christian is often totally ignorant of it.

Upon inquiring the average church member, “Who is your apostle?,” we will receive one of three answers: (1) the 12 apostles, (2) Jesus, or (3) “apostle” so-and-so who leads a local church or ministry. Unfortunately, none of these common replies are correct; yet church tradition perpetuates such ignorance.

“Apostle” (apostolos) simply means “one who is sent away.” We need to know whom God sent to us Gentiles. Who is God’s spokesman to us?

One might argue the twelve apostles were sent to the world, and this is true (Matthew 28:19,20; Mark 16:15), but first they were to convert all of Israel (Matthew 10:5-7), which they never did (Matthew 10:23). Also, after the Apostle Paul’s ministry began, the twelve loosed themselves from their commission to go to Gentiles, for they understood God was now sending Paul to the Gentiles (Galatians 2:7-9; cf. Acts 9:15,16).

Another, using Hebrews 3:1, might contend Jesus is our apostle, yet Jesus’ earthly ministry was Israel only (Matthew 15:24; Romans 15:8). Jesus was sent to Israel (Hebrews is written to Israel, therefore, Jesus is Israel’s Apostle).

Paul is God’s apostle (sent one) to us Gentiles (Romans 15:16; 2 Timothy 1:11). If we want to learn what God is doing and saying to us today, we go not to Israel’s apostles and prophets (whether Old or New Testaments), for they speak of what God did in time past and what He will do in the ages to come. Only Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon, discuss what God is doing today in the Dispensation of Grace: only Paul mentions the Church the Body of Christ. We study all the Bible, Genesis through Revelation, but we bear in mind only Paul’s epistles deal with us.

Jesus Christ said if we are to accept Him, we must accept whom He sent to us (John 13:20). Frankly, we must accept the Apostle Paul, or we reject Christ (1 Corinthians 14:37).

What is Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth?

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

“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).

Literally tens of thousands of groups claim and quote the Bible, but they all have starkly opposing views. How can they use the same text to promote these antithetical views? Whom are we to believe?! How do we solve these contradictions?

The Bible’s first verse notifies us of a division—heaven and earth (Genesis 1:1)—which is present even in the Bible’s closing book (Revelation 21:1). As expected, God has a program that concentrates on heaven (mystery; Romans 16:25), and another program that focuses on earth (prophecy; Acts 3:21). Also, He has one agency He will use in heaven (the Church the Body of Christ; Ephesians 2:6,7), and another He will use on earth (the nation Israel; Exodus 19:5,6). All of God’s dealings with mankind can be divided into three time periods—“time past” (past), “but now” (present), and “the ages to come” (future) (Ephesians 2:7,11-13).

As today’s Scripture indicates, we seek God’s approval, not a church or preacher’s approval. During Bible study, it is ALWAYS crucial to our spiritual wellbeing that we note the author and audience of that passage/book, lest we claim verses God never promised us. We should not steal Israel’s verses, and she should not take ours. This is “rightly dividing the word of truth!”

Every Bible verse fits into one of those two programs—prophecy or mystery—and we must never mix those programs and their unique doctrines. Part of the Bible is written to us Gentiles in the Dispensation of Grace (the mystery program)—Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon—and the rest of the Bible deals with Israel and her earthly prophetic (kingdom) program. If we mix these programs, contradictions (and denominations) will arise. Oh, the confusion!! Church tradition and careless theologians have done us such a great disservice, wrongly dividing God’s Word, trying to apply verses to us that God never gave us (instead He gave them to Israel).

Dispensational Bible study is the only way to understand God’s Word, for this is the way God Himself designed His Word to be studied.

333’s 500th: Grace Publishers

Friday, October 12, 2012

“The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it” (Psalm 68:11 KJV).

Saints, by God’s grace, 333 Words of Grace reaches yet another milestone!

For the past 500 days, I truly have been honored to teach God’s perfectly preserved Word (the King James Bible) rightly divided, to you all. Our goal from the very beginning was to provide free, quality, sound, brief devotionals to anyone who had an open heart, so that he or she could be edified, encouraged, and enlightened by God’s Word rightly divided.

How we desired to “have all men saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3,4). How we shared God’s desire “to make all men see the fellowship of the mystery” (Ephesians 3:9), to proclaim the precious and clear Bible truths that, sadly, religious tradition has deliberately muddled and hidden. Our goal was to demonstrate that the King James Bible is interesting and practical, intricately designed and divinely preserved, trustworthy and majesty. How we praise the Lord that He accomplished His will!

God is doing something so fantastic in this the Dispensation of His Grace, and as members of the Body of Christ, we are privileged to teach and preach His wonderful grace to us in Jesus Christ as found in His preserved Word, and preserved words, the King James Bible. With humble and thankful hearts, as the Lord gives us strength, we will continue to minister to you here in this venue.

Saints, by God’s grace and faithfulness, and with your prayerful support, we now aim for 1000. We will continue to hope, pray, study, and write, with the intention of further “publishing” God’s Word in a clear, sound manner—dispensationally studied, believed, and taught. My, how we have come such a long, long way, but we have much more from God’s Word to “publish.” Only by God’s grace, our next 500 devotionals will be even better, covering an even greater variety of topics. We do ask for your prayers, as we now have 800 new devotionals planned and begun.

Thank you, and please remember that all of our posts are archived here at https://333wordsofgrace.wordpress.com. 🙂

A New Creature

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV).

As today’s Scripture suggests, when someone trusts Jesus Christ alone as his or her personal Saviour, he or she receives a new identity in Christ!

Although we could list more, here are five things that happen to a person the instant he or she trusts in Christ’s finished crosswork on Calvary as sufficient payment for his or her sins:

  • Circumcised: God severs the old, spiritual, sinful relationship the individual had to Adam, and gives him or her a new relationship with Him, one no longer hindered by sin, but permanently maintained by Christ’s performance and mediatorship (Colossians 2:11-13).
  • Regenerated: The individual, once “[spiritually] dead in trespasses and sins,” is now given new life, eternal life, the life of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:1-23; Ephesians 2:1,5).
  • Indwelt: The Holy Ghost comes to live in the inner man of the individual, and He will use God’s written Word—which is studied and believed rightly divided—to transform the mind and heart, and ultimately the lifestyle, of the individual (Romans 12:1,2; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 1:14).
  • Baptized: The Holy Spirit baptizes the individual into the Church the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). This is not water baptism, but a supernatural baptism that the Holy Spirit performs (Colossians 2:12). This is the only baptism needed today, and it is the only baptism that saves us today!
  • Sealed: The saint is sealed by and with the Holy Ghost until the day of the rapture (Ephesians 1:12,13; Ephesians 4:30). Salvation is permanent, for Jesus Christ paid the price of our sin debt in full, and we can rest in His finished crosswork.

The individual is now a saint, one who is “holy,” separated unto God for the purpose for which He originally created him or her.

Saints, we are dead to sin, so let us walk by faith in our new identity, in our “new creature” status, the “one new man,” everlasting members of the Church the Body of Christ (Ephesians 2:15). 🙂

A Departing Saint and an Incoming Saint

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

“And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular” (1 Corinthians 12:26,27 KJV).

Saints, rejoice with us! One saint is going home to be with the Lord, and another just trusted Jesus Christ as her personal Saviour!

Mrs. “B.,” a family friend, trusted Jesus Christ as her personal Saviour about 40 years ago. She was a great Christian mother and wife. For the past five years, she has endured Alzheimer’s disease. Within the last few weeks, her health has rapidly deteriorated, and as of the last few days, she is less alert, and is sleeping more. She is nearing home, drifting away from this world, and inching closer to the heavenly abode which marks the end of the Christian’s earthly life. The Lord has not forgotten her, and He will usher her home in His own time: therein we shall rejoice!

Ms. “K.,” someone with whom I just spoke on the phone, has trusted Jesus Christ as her personal Saviour. She is only a few minutes old in the Lord, but how she is just as much a member of the Church the Body of Christ as Mrs. “B.” Welcome to the family of God, Ms. “K.” You have new life in Christ! Therein we shall rejoice!

As today’s Scripture indicates, we mourn that Mrs. “B.” is unable to bid us a (temporal) farewell, and that she will not understand when we bid her a (temporal) farewell. How we mourn that she is suffering, but are comforted in the fact that she is not fully mentally aware of that suffering. If only she could remember, for her “to be absent from the body, [is] to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). Though she cannot comprehend that verse anymore, we rejoice on her behalf, for she is nearing heaven’s glory.

In summation, we rejoice that, one day, Ms. “K.” and Mrs. “B.” will meet each other in eternity, two saints whose earthly lives briefly overlapped…. 🙂

Expect the Adversaries

Sunday, September 30, 2012

“For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Corinthians 16:9 KJV).

Hypothetically, if we are the Lord’s children, then we will have an easy life? Right? Wrong!

As one Christian brother expressed it, “God has not promised us Christians a rose petal pathway.” Contrary to the feel-good cliché “God wants you healthy and wealthy,” our membership in the Church the Body of Christ does not ensure our lives will be trouble-free.

While we Christians serve the Lord Jesus Christ, this world has never been and will never be His friend: “They hated [Jesus Christ] without a cause” (John 15:25; cf. Psalm 35:19). During His 33 years on earth, the world was very unkind to our Lord and Saviour. He was hated, belittled, and executed by His own people. The world will “love” Christ living His life in us to the same extent they “loved” Him living His life during His earthly ministry—not at all!

In the verse previous to today’s Scripture, Paul is staying at Ephesus until Pentecost. Today’s Scripture says that while Paul had opportunity to preach and teach in Ephesus, the satanic policy of evil had its men in place. Evil men, Satan’s cohorts, were eager to divide Paul’s audience and persecute Christians, including harming the Apostle himself. Today’s Scripture refers to Acts 19:21–20:1, when Paul preached against the pagan goddess Diana in Ephesus. Fearing financial ruin, the local idol makers anger the Ephesians and cause them to turn against Paul. This riot in Ephesus (present-day western Turkey) forces Paul to depart to Macedonia (present-day northern Greece).

The Philippian believers endured intense persecution, yet Paul encouraged them: “And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God” (1:28). Do not fear or be intimidated by Satan’s evil world system. (“Satan” is a Hebrew word meaning “adversary.”) The devil is our adversary because he is God’s adversary. Thankfully, Satan’s tactics do not have to destroy us: God’s grace is sufficient for us to bear them (2 Corinthians 12:9,10).

Expect the adversaries, and expect God’s grace to endure them! 🙂

My Kingdom is Not of This World? #3

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

“Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence” (John 18:36 KJV).

What did Jesus mean when He spoke today’s Scripture?

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Within these two realms, God also created governments: “For by him [the Lord Jesus Christ] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him” (Colossians 1:16).

God also made creatures to occupy those offices of government: He formed the angels to rule in heaven for His glory, and mankind to rule on the earth for His glory. One of God’s chief angelic-like creatures, a cherub named Lucifer, rebelled against God by wanting to rule for his glory: Lucifer proclaimed, “I will be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:14b). This title “most High” means “possessor of heaven and earth” (Genesis 14:19,22). Essentially, Lucifer (Satan) purposed to usurp all of God’s authority, in heaven and in earth.

Satan was able to recruit a portion of God’s angels to follow him in his rebellion in heaven (Ezekiel 28:18; Matthew 25:41). When God placed man on the earth, man was to rule earth for God’s glory (Genesis 1:26,28). Unfortunately, man (Adam) willingly chose to relinquish his God-given authority to Satan, by sinfully following Satan in his rebellion against God (Romans 5:12).

Today, the governments of heaven (Ephesians 6:12) and earth (2 Corinthians 4:4) are in rebellion. Earth’s governments are corrupt because Satan is “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). In fact, Satan tempted Christ with a proposal: if Christ would worship him, Satan would give Him the world’s governments (Matthew 4:8,9; Luke 4:5-7).

In today’s Scripture, when Christ claimed His kingdom was “not of this world,” He meant that His kingdom would not originate from the evil world system underlying today’s governments. His reign would restore earth’s governments to God (Colossians 1:20).

My Kingdom is Not of This World? #1

Sunday, September 23, 2012

“Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence” (John 18:36 KJV).

What did Jesus mean when He spoke today’s Scripture?

Within Christendom, there is a strange doctrine that, because Jesus Christ’s kingdom has never been established literally, visibly, and physically on earth, it must have been a “spiritual kingdom,” an invisible kingdom “in the hearts of men.” Today’s Scripture is often twisted to promote this warped theology. Such nonsense is the result of a failure to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15), a negligence to understand and believe the Bible dispensationally.

“JESUS… shall reign over the house of Jacob [Israel] for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:33). Did this ever happen? No. Jesus Christ came to earth and left 2,000 years ago as Israel’s rejected King: He never did rule Israel, for Israel declared in John 19:15: “We have no king but Caesar!” So, how can Luke 1:33 say Jesus Christ will rule Israel “for ever?”

Dispensational Bible study relieves us of confusion and consternation. Luke 1:33 is to be taken literally, but it is to be believed dispensationally. Israel’s prophetic (kingdom) program, the program to which Luke 1:33 belongs, is currently suspended. God is not restoring the earth’s governments today. Instead, He is forming the Church the Body of Christ, a heavenly people whom He will use to restore the heavenly governments in the ages to come (see Colossians 1:16-20).

While our Dispensation of Grace is operating, Israel’s kingdom program is delayed. Once our dispensation ends (at the rapture), then God will resume Israel’s program and Christ will return at His Second Coming to fulfill Luke 1:33 (establishing His literal, physical, visible earthly kingdom).

Returning to today’s Scripture, what then did Jesus mean there? His kingdom is a literal, physical, visible kingdom, so how is it “not of this world?” We will study the Scriptures for the answer.

The Patient Waiting for Christ

Saturday, September 22, 2012

“And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ” (2 Thessalonians 3:5 KJV).

Saints, we must patiently wait for the Lord to come and take us home!

In today’s Scripture, the Apostle Paul reminds the Thessalonian believers—and us—that the Lord will “direct” (guide) our hearts, our innermost beings, “into the love of God” and “into the patient waiting for Christ.” These two doctrines are crucial to the Christian life.

“The love of God [Christ]” “constraineth” (motivates, empowers) us so that our lives are pleasing to God (2 Corinthians 5:14,15). But our Christian lives are not only meant to be experienced here on earth: in eternity future, Christ’s life in us will be lived in the heavenly places!

“The patient waiting for Christ” means we are to be patiently waiting for the day when Jesus Christ will rapture us, the Church that is His Body. (Sadly, absurd modern “bibles,” including NKJV, pervert “patient waiting for Christ” to read “the patience [or perseverance] of Christ,” thus cleverly denying the rapture!)

As our King James Bible declares, we are not simply exercising Christ’s patience; we are patiently waiting for Christ to come get us (there is a major difference). While we who have trusted in Jesus Christ alone as Saviour often earnestly pray for Him to hurriedly return to rescue us from this nasty, miserable world, that is not patience. 🙂 The actual purpose of the rapture—“our gathering together unto [Christ]” (2 Thessalonians 2:1)—is to remove us from earth so God can inaugurate us into our governmental positions in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6,7; Colossians 1:16,17).

We patiently wait for our Lord Jesus Christ. He is still extending His grace and mercy to mankind. As long as there are still (lost) people willing to trust Him, our Dispensation of Grace will continue to operate. It will be terminated when no one else wants to trust Christ alone as their personal Saviour. Be patient, saints! 🙂

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

The Great LORD God #4

Friday, September 7, 2012

“Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears” (2 Samuel 7:22 KJV).

As King David of old praised his LORD God, so do we!

David rightly understood that his God, the God of Israel, was incomparable, Someone who could do and did “great things and terrible [so wonderful that they caused terror!]” (verse 23). David knew that God was forming the nation Israel, a special people separate from the Gentile (non-Jewish) world. God had “redeemed to [Himself] [Israel] from Egypt, from the nations and their gods” (verse 23). The nations’ “gods” were nothing but idols of wood and stone, but Israel’s God, JEHOVAH, was supreme, and David in today’s Scripture praised the great LORD God because He was the great LORD God.

But God, long after David had passed away, would do something else, something just as “great and terrible [awesome]” as forming the nation Israel. Now that God has revealed the mystery program through the Apostle Paul’s ministry, we better understand God’s will than David did. Not only would God redeem a people, Israel, from the pagan Gentiles, He would redeem a second group of people from the pagan Gentiles—us, the Church the Body of Christ—who would do in the heavenly places what Israel would do on earth.

God has two “peculiar” people in His Word: the nation Israel (His earthly people) and the Church the Body of Christ (His heavenly people). “…[T]ell the children of Israel;… if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine”(Exodus 19:3,5). Regarding us, the Body of Christ: “…[T]he great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:13b,14).

Who could devise such an unfathomable plan for the earth and the heaven? We join David in saying, “Only the great LORD God….”