Foundations Of Faith

Coming Soon!

2010-04-15T16:59:00.000-07:00

Foundations of Faith

Workbook

Now you can do these lessons in your comfy chair instead of at your desk.

Please visit my blog at betty.tracyent.com for more Bible studies, books and articles.

Sanctification

2010-02-16T14:47:00.000-08:00

Facing Temptaions

2009-12-29T16:52:00.000-08:00

Heaven

2009-12-14T15:18:00.001-08:00

HEAVEN AND HELL

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

This study is to determine what the bible says about HEAVEN and HELL.

Is heaven a location somewhere out at the edge of our galaxy or some other location? What is Heaven like? What will we do in Heaven?

Is hell a place where lost souls suffer for ever and ever? Is the Devil in charge of Hell? Is Hell a place of fire and brimstone where the unbeliever will burn forever?

We will start this study of HEAVEN and HELL by getting a Hebrew and Greek definition of the words HEAVEN and HELL. Let’s start with heaven.

HEAVEN

Lexicon Results

Strong's Hebrew 8064 - shamayim

שמים

Transliteration

shamayim
Pronunciation

shä·mah'·yim (Key)

Part of Speech

masculine noun
Root Word (Etymology)

from an unused root meaning to be lofty

TWOT Reference

2407a

Outline of Biblical Usage

1) heaven, heavens, sky

a) visible heavens, sky

1) as abode of the stars

2) as the visible universe, the sky, atmosphere, etc

b) Heaven (as the abode of God)

Lexicon Results

Strong's Hebrew 1534 - galgal

גלגל

Transliteration

galgal
Pronunciation

gal·gal' (Key)

Part of Speech

masculine noun
Root Word (Etymology)

by reduplication from H1556

TWOT Reference

353i

Outline of Biblical Usage

1) wheel, whirl, whirlwind, whirling

a) wheel

b) whirl (of dust, chaff)

Authorized Version (KJV) Translation Count — Total: 11

AV — wheel 8, heaven 1, rolling thing 1, whirlwind 1

This word is translated into the word HEAVEN one time in Psalms 77:18.

Psa 77:18
The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.

Lexicon Results

Strong's Hebrew 7834 - shachaq

שחק

Transliteration

shachaq
Pronunciation

shakh'·ak (Key)

Part of Speech

masculine noun
Root Word (Etymology)

from H7833

TWOT Reference

2367a

Outline of Biblical Usage

1) dust, cloud

a) fine dust

b) (thin) cloud

Authorized Version (KJV) Translation Count — Total: 21

AV — cloud 11, sky 7, heaven 2, small dust 1

Psa 89:6
For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD, who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?

Psa. 89:37
It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah

Greek (New Testament)

Lexicon Results

Strong's Greek 3772 - ouranos

οὐρανός

Transliteration

ouranos
Pronunciation

ü-rä-no's (Key)

Part of Speech

masculine noun
Root Word (Etymology)

perhaps from the same as G3735 (through the idea of elevation); the sky

TDNT Reference

5:497,736
Vines

View Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage

1) the vaulted expanse of the sky with all things visible in it

a) the universe, the world

b) the aerial heavens or sky, the region where the clouds and the tempests gather, and where thunder and lightning are produced

c) the sidereal or starry heavens

2) the region above the sidereal heavens, the seat of order of things eternal and consummately perfect where God dwells and other heavenly beings.

Lexicon Results

Strong's Greek 2032 - epouranios

ἐπουράνιος

Transliteration

epouranios
Pronunciation

ep-ü-rä'-nē-os (Key)

Part of Speech

adjective
Root Word (Etymology)

from G1909 and G3772

TDNT Reference

5:538,736
Vines

View Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage

1) existing in heaven

a) things that take place in heaven

b) the heavenly regions

1) heaven itself, the abode of God and angels

2) the lower heavens, of the stars

3) the heavens, of the clouds

c) the heavenly temple or sanctuary

2) of heavenly origin or nature

Lexicon Results

Strong's Greek 3321 - mesouranēma

μεσουράνημα

Transliteration

mesouranēma
Pronunciation

me-sü-rä'-nā-mä (Key)

Part of Speech

neuter noun
Root Word (Etymology)

from a presumed compound of G3319 and G3772

TDNT Reference

n/a
Vines

View Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage

1) mid-heaven

2) the highest point in the heavens, which the sun occupies at noon, where what is done can be seen and heard by all.

Authorized Version (KJV) Translation Count — Total: 3

AV — midst of heaven 3

Psalm 119:89 For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.

Isaiah 66:1 Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me, and where is the place of my rest?

Acts 7:48-49 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,

Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me, saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?

1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

Ephesians 2:19-22 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

New Heaven and Earth

Isaiah 11:6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

Isaiah 65:25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Revelation 22:3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

HELL

Lexicon Results

Strong's Hebrew 7585 - shĕ'owl

שאול

Transliteration

shĕ'owl
Pronunciation

sheh·ole' (Key)

Part of Speech

feminine noun
Root Word (Etymology)

from H7592

TWOT Reference

2303c

Outline of Biblical Usage

1) sheol, underworld, grave, hell, pit

a) the underworld

b) Sheol - the OT designation for the abode of the dead

1) place of no return

2) without praise of God

3) wicked sent there for punishment

4) righteous not abandoned to it

5) of the place of exile (fig)

6) of extreme degradation in sin

Authorized Version (KJV) Translation Count — Total: 65

AV — grave 31, hell 31, pit 3

Sheowl is the only word that was translated into HELL in the Old Testament. Sheowl is also translated to grave and pit.

In the New Testament we find three words that were translated into HELL. They are Geenna, Hades and Tartarus (Gehenna).Tartarus is Greek and Gehenna was the word that the Jews used.

Concordance Results (KJV)

Strong's Greek 1067 – Geenna Strong's Number G1067 matches the Greek γέεννα (geenna), which occurs 12 times in 12 verses in the Greek concordance of the KJV
Page 1 / 1 (Mat 5:22 - Jam 3:6)
(More Info)

Mat 5:22
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Mat 5:29
And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Mat 5:30
And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Mat 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Mat 18:9
And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

Mat 23:15
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

Mat 23:33
Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

Mar 9:43
And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

Mar 9:45
And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

Mar 9:47
And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:

Luk 12:5
But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

Jam 3:6
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

Lexicon Results

Strong's Greek 86 - hadēs

ᾅδης

Transliteration

hadēs
Pronunciation

hä'-dās (Key)

Part of Speech

proper locative noun
Root Word (Etymology)

from G1 (as negative particle) and G1492

TDNT Reference

1:146,22
Vines

View Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage

1) name Hades or Pluto, the god of the lower regions

2) Orcus, the nether world, the realm of the dead

3) later use of this word: the grave, death, hell

In Biblical Greek it is associated with Orcus, the infernal regions, a dark and dismal place in the very depths of the earth, the common receptacle of disembodied spirits. Usually Hades is just the abode of the wicked, Luk 16:23, Rev 20:13, 14; a very uncomfortable place. (TDNT)

Authorized Version (KJV) Translation Count — Total: 11

AV — hell 10, grave 1

Act 2:27
Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Act 2:31
He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

1Cr 15:55
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

Rev 1:18
I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold , I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Rev 6:8
And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Rev 20:13
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

Rev 20:14
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Lexicon Results

Strong's G5020 - tartaroō

ταρταρόω

Transliteration

tartaroō
Pronunciation

tär-tä-ro'-ō (Key)

Part of Speech

verb
Root Word (Etymology)

from Tartaros (the deepest abyss of Hell)

TDNT Reference

n/a

Outline of Biblical Usage

1) the name of the subterranean region, doleful and dark, regarded by the ancient Greeks as the abode of the wicked dead, where they suffer punishment for their evil deeds; it answers to Gehenna of the Jews

2) to thrust down to Tartarus, to hold captive in Tartarus

Authorized Version (KJV) Translation Count — Total: 1

AV — cast down to hell 1

2Pe 2:4
For if God spared not the angels that sinned , but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

Hell (eternal damnation)

Acts 24:15 And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.

Matthew 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.

Matthew 22:13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Tithing and Stewardship

2009-11-08T08:55:00.000-08:00

God will be no mans debtor. Man gives to God with a teaspoon; God gives back to man with a shovel.

What is Tithing?
The word “tithe” means “a tenth”- one tenth of the income of one’s household.

• In Genesis 14:20 Abraham gave tithes of all he had.

• Jacob promised God a tenth. Genesis 28:22 “…I will surely give the tenth unto Thee.”

• Leviticus 27:30 Tells Israel to give a tenth of land, fruit or seed.

• The children of Israel brought tithes of all things. 2 Chronicles 31:5 “… and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly.”

I will gladly bring a tenth, (or tithe), of my income and possessions.

To Whom Does all My Money and Other Possessions Belong?
1 Timothy 6:7 “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.”

God gives me the ability and skill to earn my money; so, all I have I owe to God.

Haggai 2:8 “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts.”

Psalms 24:1 “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”

When do I Give Tithes?
Whenever something comes into my home. If I am paid weekly, I should give weekly. If I am paid monthly, I should give monthly.

Where do I Bring My Tithe?
Malachi 3:10 “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be meat in mine house…”

The storehouse is God’s house- the local church I attend- where I receive my spiritual food. The work of the local church is carried on by the tithes and offerings given by God’s people.

The Church- Luke 21:1-4 "And He looked up and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And He said, 'Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.'"

What Should be My Attitude in My Giving?
2 Corinthians 9:7 “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

I will purpose to give my tithe. I will set it aside to give before my budget of spending for anything else. Giving to God’s work must come first.

What is the Relationship Between Giving and Receiving?
2 Corinthians 9:6 “…He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”

Acts 20:35 “I have shewed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'”

Malachi 3:8, 10, 11 “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, ‘Wherein have we robbed Thee?’ In tithes and offerings.' ... Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat (food) in My house, and prove Me now herewith,' saith the Lord of Hosts, 'if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it, and I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruit of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field,' saith the Lord of hosts.”

Luke 6:38 “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

Does God Want Me to Prosper?
Psalms 35:27 "Let them shout for joy and be glad, that favor my righteous causes: yea, let them say continually, let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”

Deuteronomy 8:18 “But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.”

God promises to give us all we need to accomplish His will in our lives. He gives us as much more as we can handle without being spoiled (ruined). My giving to support the House of God is a sign of my being able to handle more wisely. So, if I give my tithe, God will bless me abundantly.
Money in itself is not evil. It is the LOVE of money and what it is spent for that brings trouble.

1 Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is the root of all evil which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

Thoughts on giving
The Tithe
Abraham commenced it.
Jacob continued it.
Moses confirmed it.
Malachi commanded it
Christ commends it.

Give as you would if an angel was waiting at the door.
Give as you would if tomorrow found your life were o’re.
Give as you would to the Master if you saw His loving look.
Give as you would as if His hand your offering took.

Giving is a good thermometer of our spiritual warmth. Giving involves time, talent, treasure (money or possessions), love, and most important- ourselves.

Church Attendance

2009-11-06T08:48:00.000-08:00

Becoming part of a local church is an important step in my Christian walk.

Conditions of church attendance
Attending a church will not take the place of being born again. Since I have accepted Christ as my savior I am ready to serve in a local church.

Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Acts 16:31 “And they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

Acts 2:47 “…And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”

Why should I attend church?
The word “church” in the Greek New Testament means “assembly” or group of believers meeting together. (Acts 4:31)

• The disciples set the pattern. Acts 2:42 “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

• Strength comes from unity. I need a church to serve in; and, other believers need my testimony for Christ.

• I cannot be a well-rounded, healthy Christian outside of the church. If I don’t stand for something, I will fall for anything.

• I need the fellowship of God’s people and the united prayers of fellow believers.

• Christ’s command of Matthew 28:19, 20 applies as much to me today as to those of His time. (“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”) Attending church prepares and strengthens me to do this.

• The church provides opportunity for me to witness and serve
1 Corinthians 3:9 “For we are laborers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.”

When should I become active in a local church?

As soon as I’m born again into God’s family.

1 Corinthians 12:27 “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”

The entire church is compared to a body of which Christ is the true head and the believers are members. As a member of the body of Christ, I want to function and find my place of service.

Colossians 1:18 “And he is the head of the body, the church.”

Matthew 16:16 “Peter said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

If this also is my true confession of Christ, then I should identify with my fellow believers in a local church.

What are my responsibilities to my church?
• My love and faithfulness. Hebrews 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye seethe day approaching.”

• Maintain regular attendance; be dependable.

• Give to support its programs (churches have mortgages, electric bills, gas bills, etc. just like businesses and households do.)

• Keeping its teachings such as dress codes.

• Testifying (2 Timothy 1:8 “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;”)

• Witnessing. (Luke 8:39 “Return to thine own house, and show how great things God hath done unto thee…”)

• Serving (1 Thessalonians 1:3 “…remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our father;”)

• Loving the brethren (John 13:35 “by this shall all men know that yea are my disciples, if ye have love for one another.”)

Can I claim to love God but do not wish to be bound to one church anymore than I can love someone but refuse to marry because of the responsibilities?

Can I claim to be a good Christian and not serve in my local church anymore than I can be a good citizen of my country and enjoy its privileges but refuse to pay taxes, vote, or fight for my freedoms?

Can I claim to love my brothers, especially those in leadership and not be there to support them an allow them to teach me? (James 3:1 “My brethren, be not many masters (teachers, preachers, pastors,) knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.” The leaders in a church will be held accountable for my salvation and strength in God. Don’t make their job impossible by not actually being there for the spiritual meal they prepare for me.)

Suggestions for meaningful worship
John 4:24 “God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

I will...
• Bow for silent prayer prior to service

• Pray for my minister, for those serving, and for each other and for myself.

• Pray that God’s Word will find lodging in the hearts and lives of the congregation.

• Sing the hymns. Meditate on the song message as I worship.

• Use my Bible. Turn to the scriptures used. Underline the portions expounded and made meaningful in the sermon.

• Take notes on the sermon and apply the teaching to my daily life.

• Avoid talking, laughing and whispering during the service (except where appropriate)

• After the service, fellowship with those in attendance.

My attitude towards God’s house: I should...
• Respect and love it.

• Defend the church against scoffers and unbelievers.

• Be mindful of the church appearance and atmosphere. I will do what I can to improve and maintain it.

• Contribute to the upkeep of God’s house in both time and money.

• Cooperate.

The church is not just a building. The church is an assembled body of believers. We are the temple of the living God. 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”

Church Attendance: My absence...
• Aids the devil in overcoming souls.

• Weakens my spiritual life.

• Makes poor witness to others.

• Causes Christianity to be questioned.

• Makes me vulnerable to the world.

• Makes the minister’s job more difficult. It is hard to prepare a meal when you never know how many will be there to eat. It is discouraging to prepare a tweleve course dinner and have no one come to eat it. Yet it is the minister's responsibility to make sure I learn the things I need to. This is impossible to do if I am not there.

• Weakens the fellowship.

• Discourages the brethrens.

When I am not there, my chair screams “Empty.”

The Importance Of Choosing The Right Church

I need to choose a church that is Bible centered; I know that what is taught at the church I attend helps to shape my new life in Christ. The type of Christian I will be in a few years will depend greatly on the church that I attend regularly. A few of the ways in which the church helps to shape my life:

• My church determines what you are taught or not taught about the Bible.

• My church provides avenues of spiritual growth and fellowship.

• My church service for God.

• My church encourages to do soul winning.

• My church trains me in Christian living.

• My church furnishes me with prayer warriors- people who will stand with me during times of sickness, death, and adversity.

• My church gives me a missionary vision.

• My church influences what my children will believe about spiritual matters.

• My church influences my depth of spiritual maturity. It can cause me to be a shallow, ineffective Christian; or, it can help me become a deeply spiritual Christian.

I will choose my church carefully.

If necessary, it is better to travel a little distance to attend a Bible centered church than to go to a church that is doctrinally unsound close by.

If I am careful about selecting the clothes I wear, the food I eat and the place in which I live, I should be even more careful about the church I attend.

The church in which I accepted Christ would more than likely be a good place for me to attend as there would be a special interest in me as a new convert. However, God often moves people to a new church after a few years to teach them more about Him.

Above all, pray about this most serious decision.

The Family Alter

2009-10-02T09:17:00.001-07:00

How to Read the Bible

2009-09-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

The Bible is God's Love-Letter to Me

The Instruction Book
God's direct will and instruction for me is in His Word, the Bible.

As a plane in flight needs a chart and instruction from the tower, so I need to know God's Word for instruction and direction for my life.

Romans 15:4 "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope."

To keep my direction clear and stay on the Christian course I must know God's Word.

Psalm 119:15 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

The Bible is the light for my way.

Psalms 119:11 "Thy Word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee."

God has given His Word in a supernatural way.

2 Timothy 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."

Doctrine shows you the path to follow. Reproof shows you that you are off the path. Correction shows you how to get back o the path. Instruction in righteousness shows you how to stay on the path.

2 Peter 1:21 "For the prophecy (Word) came not in old time by the will of men, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

Bible reading provides food for my new spiritual nature.

As a newborn spiritual babe I should...

"Desire the sincere milk of the Word." 1 Peter 2:2

I need to feed my spiritual nature and partake of God's Word as much as possible in order to grow.

Matthew 4:4 "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

Jeremiah 15:16 "Thy Words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart;..."

2 Timothy "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth."
Study the Bible so God will approve of your work because you will truly understand His will in your life.

Bible Reading provides my strength.
Reading and knowing the scriptures is the key to overcome sin and living a victorious Christian life.

Ephesians 6:17 admonishes me to "Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God."

The Bible is my most effective tool to use in my Christian walk and warfare against the devil; It is my only defensive weapon.

Hebrews 4:12 "For the Word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul an spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a divisor of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

Methods and Suggestions
Read the Bible regularly for
• Spiritual food and strength.
• Learning more of God and His plan for mankind.
• Pleasure and blessing I receive in my newfound life in Christ.
• Discovering God's promises and deeper truths.

Read it slowly with a prayerful attitude and open mind.

Read it where you can concentrate.

Enjoy what you do understand and leave portions you do not until you are more fully acquainted with the Bible and more spiritually mature. You will understand more every time you read it.

Why Use the King James Version of the Bible?
The King James Bible is the simplest, (yes, I said the simplest) to read. It only has about 8000 different words as opposed to the NIV, which has over 14,000 different words.

In comparisons of different translations for grade level placement, one scholar came to the following assessment:
1 The King James averages grade level- 5.8 (fifth grade, eighth month)
2 New International Version- 8.4
3 New American Standard Bible- 6.1
4 The English Version-7.2
5 New KJV- 6.9

A comparison of words in the KJV and the NASB:
KJV NASB
Matt 1:11 carried away deportation
Luke 5:29 sat recline at the table
Matt 5:21 kill murder
Matt 5:19 Break annuls
Luke 11:33 bushel peck-measure
Mark 5:25 issue of blood hemorrhage
Matt 9:18 certain ruler synagogue official
Matt 9:17 bottles wineskins
Matt 9:13 mercy compassion
Matt 8:32 go be gone

You get the idea.
(This is only a mall sampling. For more information on this issue go to “New Age Bible Versions” by G.A Riplinger, 1993 or http://www.hsnp.com/gok/bible18.html)

I am convinced the KJV is the most accurate English Bible commonly available. It does have some problems, but it came from superior transcripts and had more scholarly translators who actually believed the Bible was true. Some other translation’s translators didn’t really believe the Bible was true, especially concerning Creation, before they started and this has affected how they translated certain passages. I know of people that have learned Greek and Hebrew to aid in their study of the Bible. They say that there is nothing like reading It in the original to get the full meaning, but the KJV comes closer than any of the other translations.

It also is written in the most beautiful form the English language has ever taken; Shakespearian English (No one actually spoke this way. It was a dialect used for artistic purposes). Not only is God’s Word worthy of being presented in the most beautiful form available, this near-poetic language is easier to memorize. You tell me what sticks in the brain better;

“First this: God created the Heavens and Earth--all you see, all you don't see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God's Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss.” (The Message)
or

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” (KJV)

Though similar, the later has a poetic cadence that makes it easier to memorize.

The unfamiliar words (form, void, etc) give you a perfect opportunity to increase your vocabulary. And since the new words are used in real life, you will remember them far better than if they had come from an abstract workbook page.

We do use other translations occasionally as study tools, to get a different perspective on a verse, but when there is a difference of translation, We go with the KJV.

“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them (His Words), O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” (Psalms12:6-7)

“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

“Cling to the whole Bible, not a part of it. A man can not do much with a broken sword.”

(The “thee’s and thou’s” that bother so many in the KJV have a specific purpose. In the sixteenth century, thee, thou, thy, and thine were singular pronouns while “you” was plural. In modern English “you” is both singular and plural, occasionally causing some confusion.)

Other good translations are the New King James and American Standard. The New International Version, Young’s, and others can shed some understanding on some scriptures.

Biblical Interpretation
Proper interpretation and understanding of the Bible requires three basic tools; understanding of biblical context, understanding of historical context, and understanding of original languages.

In order to understand scripture we must always take the context of scripture into account. What was the author saying in the whole chapter, the whole book? Who was he talking to? Why?

There once was a man who wanted to know God’s will in his life. He randomly opened his Bible. It fell to the scripture where Judas killed himself. Wondering what this meant for him, he randomly opened his Bible again. This time it fell open to the scripture where Jesus says “... Go, and do thou likewise.” (Luke 10:37)

Was this God telling him to kill himself? Of course not. You must take scripture in its context. You cannot take a verse here and a verse there and put them together to form a doctrine. This is mis-handling of the Word of God.

God tells some people to do things He doesn’t want everyone to do. For example, all believers are not to go preach to Nineveh as Jonah was told to do. Nor build a large boat and gather a bunch of animals onto it. Nor lay in the middle of the city, naked, eating nothing but bread and not talking for an entire year like Ezekiel was told to. We must pay attention to who each scripture was written to and why. The moral lessons taught in every scripture can be applied to our lives, but the fact of the scripture applies to who it was written to. This becomes clearer every time you read through the scriptures.

The second rule of biblical interpretation requires we see what was happening in history. For example, when God told Jonah to go to Nineveh (the capital of the Assyrian empire), it was because the Ninavites were very cruel conquerors of the entire region. They would cut the heads off of the leaders of each city-state they conquered and often torture the inhabitants. God was fed up. He sent Jonah to warn them to change their ways or else. Of course we know that it worked; they repented and God spared the city. Well, for a while anyway. History tells us that the city relapsed into its old ways and was destroyed for its cruelty a generation or so later.

We must understand the history surrounding an event to truly understand what the Bible is telling us. Again, this becomes clearer as you become more familiar with the Word. After you have become more familiar, a good history book or study guide can help you learn the history of the time.

The third tool we need to really understand the Bible is a knowledge of original languages. This is not so hard as it used to be. Any Internet-connected computer has access to a Strong’s Concordance (and they are available in book-form from any book seller for as little as $10.00). This is a list of each word in the Bible and its location AND its definition in the original language. You simply look up the words in a verse and see what the original author meant:

The Concordance
A concordance is an assemblage of every word in the Bible in alphabetical order with all of its locations. The Strong's concordance also links you to the original Hebrew or Greek word and gives the definition of that word. This better allows you to know what the author really meant when he wrote that scripture.

Let's say we want to know where the verse "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but shall have ever lasting life" is found.

First we will pick a word to look up- “world.”

In the alphabetical listing we find that the word "world" is listed 249 times. This means that in 249 verses the translators translated a Greek or Hebrew word to mean "world." Forty-six of these are in the Old Testament. In the 203 New Testament occurrences, three different Greek words (represented by three different numbers; 165, 2889, and 3625) were translated into the word "world."

By reading the part of each verse listed we find that the one we want is John 3:16. “World” in this verse is number 2889. We turn to the Greek Lexicon in the back and find that this "world" is κόσμος or in the English alphabet; kosmos. It means:

1) An apt and harmonious arrangement or constitution, order, government
2) Ornament, decoration, adornment, i.e. the arrangement of the stars, 'the heavenly hosts', as the ornament of the heavens. (1 Peter 3:3)
a) The world, the universe
b) The circle of the earth, the earth
3) The inhabitants of the earth, men, the human family
4) The ungodly multitude; the whole mass of men alienated from God, and therefore hostile to the cause of Christ
5) World affairs, the aggregate of things earthly
a) The whole circle of earthly goods, endowments riches, advantages, pleasures, etc, which although hollow and frail and fleeting, stir desire, seduce from God and are obstacles to the cause of Christ
6) Any aggregate or general collection of particulars of any sort.
a) The Gentiles as contrasted to the Jews (Rom. 11:12 etc)
b) Of believers only, John 1:29; 3:16; 3:17; 6:33; 12:47 1 Corinthians 4:9; 2 Corinthians 5:19
The Strong’s is for the King James Bible. There ae concordances for other translations also.

Thompson Chain Reference Bible
This is the Bible required by many Bible colleges. It is King James.

Down the sides of each page are two columns with numbers and scripture “addresses”. The addresses take you to other scriptures on the same subject as the adjoining verses. The numbers take you to a supplement in the back that lists scriptures by subjects. Before this supplement is a Table Of Contents that lists all the different subjects so you can look up whichever one you need.

The Thompson Chain also has a concordance (not as complete as Strong's, of course), maps, charts about the life of Christ and other prominent Bible characters, summaries of each book in the Bible, and an archeological supplement.

Dickson Bible
(No longer in print, but there are several similar Study Bibles out there) In the front of it is a very good dictionary with scripture references. In the back, the concordance also gives a definition. It has in-verse definitions. It also has “The Life of ….” outline pages. It has a chart of tables and measures, a timeline and synopsis of each book, and chapter, maps, and other helps.

Center Reference
(Cambridge is one brand) These Bibles have a column down the middle of the page with small numbers or letters followed by definitions of words in the corresponding scripture and sometimes other verses on the same subjects.

Bible dictionary
This is a dictionary specific to giving you the Biblical definitions of words and terms. Vines and Ungers are good. For a good none biblical dictionary try the Webster's Original 1828 dictionary (available on line, from Amazon and from a number of booksellers).

Comparative Bible
This is a Bible that has more than one translation in the same book. It will have one translation in one column and another right next to that. These are good for Bible studies. They have from two to twelve different versions.

Interlinear Bibles
These Greek or Hebrew Bibles with the direct English translation written underneath each word.

Bible Atlas
This is a book of maps, pictures and information about the biblical region of the world (modern day Palestine). They usually have different maps of the same area marked for different time periods. For example, one map may be marked for the travels Moses and the next for Joshua’s, while a later one is marked for Christ and another for Paul.

Bible Commentary
A book (usually containing the Bible itself) that contains comments written to explain the scripture. For example:

Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
(Commentary) “The word “God” here is “Elohim” which means “God” in the majestic plural tense (This is the tense royalty uses to refer to themselves. It does not mean more than one as our plural does, but a plurality of greatness.) It is using a singular verb.

This could be worded: “In the beginning of time, God made space and matter,” though it wouldn’t be as poetic.

Psalms 90:2 says “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.”

Some put a gap of several million years here. Is this correct interpretation of the Bible?

First of all, who wrote this? The traditionally accepted author is Moses, though some believe he only compiled several books written by many previous authors. These people believe Adam himself may have written down this scripture as God dictated it to him. Either way, the purpose of this scripture was to tell all those following the author in history how the earth began. Does it make since for there to be a gap of millions of years here that is not mentioned at all? Would that fulfill its purpose?

The entire idea of “the gap” is to allow for evolution and explain the fossil record. Millions of years of evolution, dinosaurs, and many other creatures were to have lived and died between verse one and verse two.
This is also when the devil was supposed to have been a beautiful angel, leading God’s choir. He rebelled and was kicked out of heaven with a third of the angels, those who supported him in his rebellion. History tells us the first mention of any such idea was a poem written in the 1400’s by John Milton called “Paradise Lost.”

Do these ideas fit with the author’s purpose? No. It would make no sense to leave these important pieces of history out. If they occurred, God would have included them here when He dictated it. That is only logical.
Turns out we can easily explain all the “evidence” for the “Gap theory” (otherwise known as evolution) with the flood recorded later in this same book. There is NO biblical support for the “Gap Theory,” especially in this chapter.

Also, Satan can easily be explained with Isaiah 45:7- “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.” Satan was not a surprise, nor an accident. He was an intentional creation of God for the purpose of giving us a choice. Love is not Love if it is not a choice. He wanted us to choose to love Him, so we had to have a choice not to love Him, to love something else. There had to be an evil counterpart to God. God created the devil just as he is today.”
From “The Simple Bible”

Important!
Remember that commentaries and all these helps, as well as the Internet, are written by human beings. They are fallible. They may help us understand the Bible or they may confuse us, or even lead us into lies. Use them carefully and always check EVERYTHING out with the Bible itself.

EVERY Christian should read the entire Bible, cover to cover, at least three times and frequently thereafter (Our pastor challenges us to read through it every other year) before reading any commentaries. This applies to the Internet also. This may even be true for listening to preachers on the radio who are not your pastor. It is important to be well founded in what really is in the Bible before you listen to humans.

Online Resources
You can find the entire Bible in several translations many place including biblegateway.com and blueletterbible.com. The Blue Letter Bible also contains Strong’s concoradance linked to each word. Bible Gateway includes many translations (among them, interlinear Bibles).

Matthew Henry was a scholar who lived in the 1800’s and wrote a detailed commentary on the entire Bible. It is very complete and informative.

youtube.com has many preachers available who you can learn a great deal from. However, keep in mind they are human and can be mistaken. ALWAYS check out what they say with your Bible and your pastor.

Instructions for reading the Bible
1)Read the New Testament through first; then, read some out of both Testaments, a chapter or two out of each everyday.
2)Read it from cover to cover get the general overall view of God's Word.
3)Read the life of Jesus Christ (the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John).
4)Read about the Early Church (Acts, the two epistles of Peter, the three epistles of John).

5)Find out the areas you wish to pursue more deeply. Use the concordance to help you find relevant scriptures.

Take the Bible at face value; believe it means what it says and is not written in riddles.

Memorize at least one verse every week; start with your favorites. There is often a list of good verses to memorize in the back of the Bible, plus the internet has many such lists (Search for “Bible memory verse list). A box or set of cards called "Precious Promises" or “Daily Bread" is available for purchase at almost any Bible bookstore and may be helpful.

Psalm 119:89 "For ever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in heaven."

Isaiah 40:8 "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the Word of our God shall stand forever."

Scriptures to read
• When in sorrow, read John 14.
• When men fail you, read Psalm 27.
• When you have sinned, read Psalm 51.
• When you worry, read Matthew 6:19-34.
• When you are in danger, read Psalm 91.
• When you have the blues, read Psalm 34.
• When God seems far away, read Psalm 139.
• When you are discouraged, read Isaiah 40.
• If you want to be fruitful, read John 15.
• When doubts come upon you, read John 7:17.
• When you are lonely or fearful, read Psalm 23.
• When you forget your blessings, read Psalm 103.
• For Jesus' idea of a Christian, read Matthew 5.
• For James' idea of religion, read James 1:19-27.
• When your faith needs stirring, read Hebrews 11.
• When you feel down and out, read Romans 8:31-39
• When you want courage for your task, read Joshua 1.
• When the world seems bigger than God, read Psalm 90.
• When you want rest and peace, read Matthew 11:25-30.
• When you want Christian assurance, read Romans 8:1-30.
• For Paul's idea of Christianity, read 2 Corinthians 5:15-19.
• For Paul's rules on how to get along with men, Romans 12.

Why not follow Psalm 119:11 and hide some of these in your memory?

Learning To Pray and Discovering God's Will

2009-08-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

Prayer is my spiritual lifeline.

Jesus is my mediator and High Priest. Through Jesus I have direct access to God.

1 Timothy 2:5 "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ."

It is an expression of my needs, and, God invites me to ask even though He already knows what my needs are.

Luke 11:9 "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."

What do I pray about?
Everything. God wants to be involved in everything in our lives.

Philippians 4:6 "Be careful for nothing; ("Don't be worried about anything." Living Letters Bible) but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your petitions be made known unto God."

I will be earnest and sincere as God knows and sees my heart before He hears my words.

Why Pray?
It is a form of worship. As a child of God it is my privilege to go directly to God with my needs, my requests, and my Thanksgiving.

John 4:24 "God is a Spirit; and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth."

It develops a habit of close fellowship with God.
It preserves me from evil.

Matthew 6:13 "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
It brings forgiveness.

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins."

It secures me, strengthens me, and gives me personal guidance.

Different kinds of Prayer
SINNER'S PRAYER- God is waiting and will always hear and answer the prayer of repentance from the heart of the sinner.

1 Timothy 2:4 "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."

Acts 2:21 “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

PRAYER FOR HELP IN TROUBLE.
Psalm 22:11 "Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help."

Matthew 14:30 "But when he (Peter) saw the wind boisterous, (and that he was sinking in the waves) he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying 'Lord save me.'"

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING.
Ephesians 5:20 "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

1 Thessalonians 5:18 "In everything give thanks..."

INTERCESSORY PRAYER-
Prayer on the behalf of others.

Christ prayed for his disciples. John 17:9-10 “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.”

Abraham prayed for the righteous in Sodom, the wicked city. Geneses 18:20-32

Moses prayed for the children of Israel. Deuteronomy 9:18 “And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.”

The disciples, or early church, prayed for Peter while he was in prison. Acts 12:5 “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.”

LONG PRAYERS
Strength in prayer is better than length.

Matthew 6:7 warns "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do; for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."

Long prayers are not required.

Matthew 6:8 “For your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him."

PUBLIC PRAYERS
When I am asked to pray in public, I must remember that I am praying to God and leading others to His throne of grace.

INSINCERE OF SELFISH PRAYERS
Some prayers are not heard because of sin in my life.

Psalm 66:18 "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."

Some prayers are unanswered because I've asked amiss.
James 4:3 "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."

PRIVATE MATTERS.
Matthew 6:6 "But thou, when thou prayest enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly;"

UNSPOKEN PRAYERS.
1 Samuel 1:13 "Hannah prayed for a son, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard."

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is …. a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

How often do I pray?
If you love someone, do you ask, “How often should I talk with them.”

Luke 18:1 "...men ought always to pray and not to faint."

1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray without ceasing."

Try to at least begin and end your day with prayer.

How do I begin?
I will address my prayer to my Heavenly Father with respect and a proper title, even as Christ set the example for me. Some titles might be: Our Father, My Heavenly Father, Dear Heavenly Father, Gracious Father in Heaven, Our Loving God, Dear God or Jesus, or even Daddy Father (Abba Father); anything that shows respect and love for God.

What should my prayer include?
ADORATION AND PRAISE - Example; The Book of Psalms

THANKSGIVING and outpouring of gratitude to God because of His grace, mercy and loving kindness- Example; Psalms 103- "Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: …”

COMMUNION WITH GOD- Example; Luke 6:12 “And it came to pass in those days, that He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.”

1 John 1:3 “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

CONFESSION OF SINS AND WRONGS- Example; Psalms 51 “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: …For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight:…Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me….Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. …The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise….”

PETITIONS (plea for personal help)- Example; Romans 9:1-2 "I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, 2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.”

Matthew 6 4 "That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee openly.”

Philipians 4:6 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

INTERSETION- Romans 10:1 "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.”

SUBMISSION- Example; Luke 22:42 “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

The sample prayer Jesus gave to us:
Matthew 6:9 “After this manner therefore pray ye (Not after the words necessarily. “in this way.”:

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Conditions upon which prayer avails
MUST BE IN FAITH- Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

Matthew 17:20 “And Jesus said unto them, “Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

Mark 11:23-24 “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

NAME (authority) OF JESUS- John 14:13 “And whatsoever ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

15:16 “Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My Name, He may give it you.”

MADE UNDER DIRECTION AND DYNAMIC OF HOLY SPIRIT- Jude 20 “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,”

SIN MUST BE CONFESSED AND RENOUNCED- Psalms 66:18 “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:”

Isaiah 59:1-2 “Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.”

Sin separates us from God.

I MUST HAVE A FORGIVING HEART- Mark 11:25-26 “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

MY PRAYER SHOULD BE IN KEEPING WITH THE WILL OF GOD.- 1 John 5:14-15 “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.”

How do I close my prayer?
By giving recognition to Jesus Christ as our Father and Lord.
IN THE NAME (authority) OF JESUS- John 14:13 ”And whatsoever ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

God has given His Son authority
Ephesians 1:22 “And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church.”

Sample: "Thank you for the answer, Father. Amen"
AMEN. This means “So be it.” It indicates our willingness to accept God’s answer whether yes or no.

Question: Should you close your prayer or continue in a mind of prayer all day?

How do I discover God’s will?
Ephesians 5:17 “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”

God wants me to know His will. If I ask and seek Him and study HIS WORD, He will make it known to me.

Colossians 1:9 “…That ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.”

I have a will of my own. Often it conflicts with what God would want for me. Therefore, I must pray “Your will be done.” Furthermore, I must earnestly listen for God’s answer to my prayers and seek direction from the Bible; for…

Proverbs 14:12 warns me “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the ends thereof are the ways of death.”

God desires for me to seek His purpose in my life.
Romans 12:2 says “…That ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Ways by which I am guided into the will of God.
HIS WORD- Isaiah 40:8 “…but the Word of our God shall stand for ever.”

All about me may change but God’s Word won’t!

HIS SPIRIT- Isaiah 30:21 “…And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, this is the way, walk ye in it when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”

WAIT ON THE LORD- If I’m uncertain, what do I do? Pray. Do nothing. Make no decision because of a time limit. Unless you are sure it is God’s leading let the matter rest.

Psalms 27:14 “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”

Response-ability; Our Response to God’s Ability

P-rayer
R-eleases
A-ll
Y-our
E-ternal
R-esources

Don't worry about anything but pray about everything.

Who is God?

2009-08-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

What Is The Character Of God?

God has chosen to reveal Himself to me in the Bible. Only by reading it can I come to know Him. Some of the names of God in the Bible are:
Advocate,
Advocate,
Almighty,
Ancient Of Days,
Author And Finisher,
Baptizer,
Bishop And Guardian Of Our Souls,
Chief Apostle,
Chief Cornerstone,
Christ (Messiah),
Comforter,
Counselor,
Daystar,
Deliverer,
Deliverer,
Everlasting Father,
Everlasting God,
First Born,
God Of Everlasting Time,
God Of Seeing,
God Of The Covenant,
God Our Righteousness,
God Our Rock,
Godhead,
Great High Priest,
Head Of The Body,
Highest,
Holy One,
Immanuel (God Is With Us),
Jealous (He Wants Nothing Between Him And Us),
Judge,
King Of Kings,
King, Father,
Lamb Of God,
Lamb Slain Before The Foundation Of The World,
Last (Or Second) Adam,
Lord (Boss),
Lord God Almighty,
Lord God,
Lord Of Lords
Master,
Mighty God,
Mighty God,
Mighty One,
Our Banner,
Our Peace,
Physician,
Pioneer And Perfecter Of Our Faith,
Potentate,
Prince Of Peace,
Redeemer,
Righteous One,
Rock,
Root Of Jesse,
Salvation (Jesus),
Sanctifier,
Savior,
Seven Fold Spirit,
Shepherd,
Shield,
Spirit Of God,
Spirit Of Grace,
Spirit Of Holiness,
Spirit Of Life.
Spirit Of Mercy,
Spirit Of Truth,
Stone,
Strength,
Strengthener,
The Anointed One,
The Branch,
The First And The Last,
The I Am,
The Lord Is There,
The Lord Of Hosts,
The Most High,
The One Who Heals,
The One Who Sanctifies,
The Sun Of Righteousness,
Wonderful,

Let’s look at some of these closer:
“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 1 John 4:8

“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16

“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy.” Micah 6:8

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Ephesians 2:4

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:10

God is Love.

“Touching the Almighty, we cannot find Him out: He is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: He will not afflict.” Job 37:23

“Justice and judgment are the habitation of Thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before Thy face.” Psalms 89:14

“Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” Isaiah 9:7

“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.” Jeremiah 23:5

God is Justice.

“But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want (have needs).” Psalms 23:1

“O fear the LORD, ye His saints: for there is no want (needs) to them that fear Him.” Psalms 34:9

“The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want (be lacking) any good thing.” Psalms 34:10

“The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want (be empty).” Proverbs 13:25

“Not that I speak in respect of want (need): for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Philippians 4:11

God is the Supplier.

If God is love and He is the supplier of all my needs and He is just, than if He tells me to do something, He will give me all I need to do it. He will not tell me to do something and then sit back and laugh at me while I flounder. I can depend on His supplying all I need. I can't always tell where that supply will come from and God often waits until what seems to me to be the last minute to give me those supplies in order to build my faith that HE will supply. But I CAN depend on Him. So the next natural question is…

What Does God Want From Me? What Is My Purpose In Life?
This is an important question to ask.
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man (kind).” Ecclesiastics 12:13

“If ye love Me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15

“And He said unto him, ‘Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.’” Matthew 19:17

“If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love.” John 15:10

“And hereby we do know that we know Him; if we keep His commandments.” 1John 2:3

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments.” 1 John 5:2

OK, He wants me to keep His commandments. What are they?

“Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, …Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” Deuteronomy 6:1,5

“Jesus said unto him, ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’" Matthew 22:37-40
So if I Love God more than anything else in the world and love my neighbors as much as I love myself I am obeying all the laws and commandments contained in the Bible.

"And who is my neighbor?" Luke 10:29b
Jesus responds by telling him the story we now call "The Good Samaritan."

“And Jesus answering said, “A certain [man] went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded [him], and departed, leaving [him] half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked [on him], and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion [on him], And went to [him], and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave [them] to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.” Luke 10:35

The Levite and priest were high officials in the church. They were fellow countrymen to the injured man, distant family members, if you will. They were also supposed to be in the business of caring for the hurt and poor. It was part of their job. Samaritans were highly despised by the Jews and the feeling was generally mutual. Yet in Jesus' story it was the despised one, the one the hurt man would have spit on if he could have, who helped him.

“Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, "He that shewed mercy on him." Then said Jesus unto him, "Go, and do thou likewise." Luke 10:37

I am to love God more than anything or anyone else in the world. He is to not only be my first priority, but interwoven into all my other priorities.

I am to love other human beings as much as I love myself.
Philippians 2:3-7 “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory: but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.”

Like Jesus, I am to put the needs of my fellow man ahead of my own needs. I am to serve others like Christ served them. This includes not only the people living in the physical house next door, but my spouse, my children, my parents and siblings, my friends and coworkers, and those on the other side of the planet.

Only by living a life of sacrifice can I have the fulfillment of truly knowing God. Only by following Luke 17:33 can I have true satisfaction.

“Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.”

I must loose my life to God in order to obtain true happiness.

The Gift of the Holy Ghost

2009-08-03T15:32:00.000-07:00

The promise to the believer "is unto you and to your children and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call"

· Introduction; Before the birth and life of Jesus the Holy Ghost was promised through prophecy.

Joel 2:28-29 "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, you old men shall dream dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit."

· The Holy Ghost is a promise; it is a gift from God and is promised to all who believe.

Acts 2:38-39 "Then Peter said unto them, repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you and to your children and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."

· Who is the Holy Ghost? In lesson three we found out the name of the Holy Ghost is Jesus.

John 14:16 "And I will pray the Father and He shall give you another comforter, that He may abide with you forever." Jesus promised you a comforter.

John 14:26 "But the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things."

· The Purpose; If you have repented of your sins and accepted Jesus in your heart you are a child of God and in a saved condition. However God has promised something more for you. Now you need the Gift of the Holy Ghost for many purposes.

Comfort: John 14:18 "I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you."

Teacher, Revealer: John 14:26 "But the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in My Name, He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you."

Guidance: John 16:13 "Howbeit when He the spirit of truth is come He will guide you into all truth."

Power: Acts 1:8 "But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you."

· Gifts of the Holy Ghost. As we mentioned earlier the Holy Ghost is a gift. There are nine gifts of the spirit. These gifts are found in...

1 Corinthians 12:8-10 "For to one is given by the spirit the word of wisdom to another the word to of knowledge by the same spirit; to another faith by the same spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same spirit; to another the working of miricles, to another divining of spirits, to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of toungues."

God will call upon you for the use of these gifts, as they are needed in His service.

· Evidence of the Holy Ghost

You may ask the question, How do I know if I have the Holy Ghost? There are many examples of people receiving the Holy Ghost in the scripture.

One example is Acts 2:4 "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other toungues as the Spirit gave them utterance."

Acts 10:45-46 "And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the gentiles also was poured out the Gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with toungues and magnify God."

Acts 19:6 "And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them and they spake with Tounges and prophecied."

· Receiving the Holy Ghost: We have discussed the Holy Ghost as being a promise to believers. We discussed its purpose and who the Holy Ghost is. But now we need to find out how to receive this wonderful Gift. Let us look to the Word of God for examples of how people in the early church received the Holy Ghost.

Acts 2:1-4 "And when the day of Pentecost was fuly come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting, and there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it say upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance."

This is the first record of people receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost. These people were probably in church worshipping God when they received the brand new experience. Let us look at another example of people receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 8:17 “Then laid they their hands on them and they received the Holy Ghost.”

Acts 19:6 “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them and they spake with tongues and prophesied.”

We see examples of God’s people receiving the Holy Ghost when praying and worshipping God (Acts 2:1,4). We also have examples of them being filled when the Apostles laid hands on them. Many people receive the Holy Ghost in many different ways. But this we know, that Jesus said in …

Luke 24:49 “And behold I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”

The word tarry means to wait, so we should not be satisfied until we are filled with God’s Spirit. We have a promise from Jesus (Luke 11:9) that if we ...

“…ask it shall be given you: seek and ye shall find, knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

This concludes our study on the gift of the Holy Ghost. Don’t live beneath your privilege. God wants you to receive this Wonderful Gift.

Communion – Fellowship

2009-07-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

Communion and fellowship come from the same Greek word, koinonia. This Greek word means;

Fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation.
1) Sharing which one has in anything, participation.
2) A gift jointly contributed, a collection, a contribution, as exhibiting an embodiment and proof of fellowship.

Take notice, in 2 Corinthians 6:14 how the word Fellowship and communion are used in the same way.

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness and what communion hath light with darkness?”

Most Christians today believe that the communion ritual was introduced by Jesus when He was eating the Passover with his disciples.

Luke 22:17 “And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, take this, and divide it among yourselves:
18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
19 And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, this is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me. (Do what?)
20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the New Testament in My blood, which is shed for you.

The Passover celebration before the cross was a shadow of something better to come. Every carnal element of the Passover has a spiritual meaning in the New Testament teaching. Jesus is the Lamb, Hyssop is our faith, etc. The bread and wine also have spiritual significance after the cross.

What is the spiritual significance of the Bread and Wine?
The bread represents His Body and the wine represents His Blood.

Colossians 1:18 “And He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence.
24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His bodies sake, which is the church:”

Corinthians 10:16 “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion (fellowship) of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body (fellowship of the church) of Christ?
17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that One Bread.”

1 Peter 1:18 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers:
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”

The Lord’s Supper
What did the words “Lord’s Supper” mean when they were spoken by Christians in the first century church? Let’s take a look.

1 Corinthians 11:20 “When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.
21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper; and one is hungry, and another is drunken.
22 What? Have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.”

I believe the words Lord’s Supper were used in the first century church in reference to a fellowship meal. Today we might call it a potluck dinner.

Romans 14:17 “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”

John 6:53 “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Who so eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me.
58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
59 These things said he in the synagogue, as He taught in Capernaum.
60 Many therefore of His disciples, when they had heard this, said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can hear it?’
61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples murmured at it, He said unto them, ‘Doth this offend you?’
62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where He was before?
63 It is the spirit that quickeneth: the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

Where did the communion ritual come from?

Dionysus
Dionysus was an ancient god of wine. He was responsible for the intoxicating effects as well as the social and beneficial influenced. He is viewed as the promoter of civilization, a lawgiver, and lover of peace---as well as the patron deity of agriculture and the theatre. He was known as the liberator, freeing one from one’s normal self, by madness, ecstasy, or wine.

The divine mission of Dionysus was to mingle the music of the flute and to bring an end to care and worry. There is also an aspect of Dionysus on his relationship to the “cult of the soul” and the scholar Xavier Riu writes that Dionysus presided over communication between the living and the dead.

Within Greek mythology Dionysus is made to be the son of Zeus and Semele: other versions of the story contend that he is the son of Zeus and Persephone. He is described as being womanly or man-womanish.
The modern scholar Barry Powell also argues that Christian notions of eating and drinking the flesh and blood of Jesus were influenced by the cult of Dionysus. Perhaps even cannibalism was involved.

Beyond this almost all barbarian nations had their own versions of Dionysus under many names. There is a simple explanation; Dionysus, Bromius, Sabazius, Attis, Adonis, Zalmoxis, Corybas, and Orpheus himself are replicas of the grand prototype Osiris; and the variations which appear among them resulted from the transplantation of the God from one country to another, and reflect simply the specific needs of his multifarious worshipers.

According to the Catholic encyclopedia the communion ritual was introduced into Christianity by the Pope in the year 349. When he made this ritual an official Christian practice, he said the ritual was borrowed from the Mystery Religion of Rome (Plain ole’ paganism).

The Passover was instituted by God Himself as a memorial feast to bring us to the Cross. Like many other things, the Passover was a shadow of better things to come. Jesus is the perfect and FINAL Lamb of God. We do not continue carnal rituals. Do we keep the feast?

1 Corinthians 5:8 “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

Water Baptism

2009-07-01T13:55:00.000-07:00

Meaning and Importance
Water Baptism is an outward sign of an inward work. It gives testimony of a changed life.
1) Why is it Important?
Jesus was baptized of John to fulfill scripture and left us an example to follow. (Matthew 3: 13-17)
a) Matthew 3:15 “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.”
Jesus commanded His followers to be baptized.
b) Matthew 28:18, 19 “…and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.”
I have the promise of the gift of the Holy Ghost.
c) Acts 2:38 “Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for (because of) the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
An act of my obedience
d) “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)
I am now a follower of Christ. It is my privilege to follow the Lord in being baptized in water.
e) Mark 16:16 “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

2) What is the significance?
a) Romans 6:4 “Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
It is a testimony of my love and obedience to the Lord before my unsaved friends, family and to my fellow believers.

3) Mode or Method of Baptism
“Baptize” means “to dip or immerse, to be covered by water, put completely under, buried.”
a) Colossians 2:12 “Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.”
Immersion in water- baptism- typifies the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord. I go completely under the waters of baptism- an act on my part to symbolically bury my old life (death to self)- and come up in newness of life in Christ.

If you were to plant a seed, would you sprinkle a little dirt on it and expect the seed to grow? Or would you completely cover (bury) the seed?

Now, if we are to be “buried with Him in baptism” how much water is sufficient?

How could Jesus come “straightway out of the water” (Matthew 3:16) if water had been sprinkled or poured on Him? Why does Acts 8:38 record “And he commanded the chariot to standstill: and they went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him”? Why didn’t they use the drinking water carried on such travels, if sprinkling or pouring was enough to be buried with him in baptism?”

4) In What Name are We Baptized?
We are baptized in the mane of Jesus. (Acts 2:38, 8:16, 19:5)
a) Matthew 28:19 says, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
Let us look very closely at this verse to see what it is really saying. Did the apostles disobey Christ in Acts 2:38 and 19:5 or do we miss something? If we baptize in the NAME of the Father, we must find out what His NAME is.
b) In John 5:43 Jesus said, “I am come in my Father’s name.” This tells me (us) the NAME of the Father.
If we baptize in the NAME of the Son we must also find out what His name is. That name is Jesus.
c) Matthew 1:21 says, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shall call his name Jesus.”
And if we baptize in the NAME of the Holy Ghost we must find this name. That name is Jesus.
d) In John 14:16-18, 20 Jesus said, And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him” but ye know Him: for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I WILL COME TO YOU.”
e) In verse 20 Jesus said, At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father and ye in me, and I in you.”
f) John 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my stead, He shall teach you all things.”
We see by these scriptures the NAME of the Father is Jesus (John 5:43).

The NAME of the Son is Jesus (Matthew 1:21).

The NAME of the Holy Ghost is Jesus (John 14:26).

Therefore, if we baptize in the NAME OF Jesus we are obeying Matthew 28:19, “baptizing them in the NAME of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
g) Colossians 3:17 “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed do all in the Name of the Holy Ghost.” And Ephesians 3:14,15 “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.”

Assurance of Salvation

2009-06-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

“And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever.” Isaiah 32:17
Assurance of salvation is for every child of God. Too many Christians are under a cloud of doubt unnecessarily because of not leaning on the sure Word of God.

1) My Need for Assurance
I need to know that I am saved because:
· I cannot depend on my feelings.
· I cannot depend on the church.
· I cannot depend on my works, keeping The Law, any set of rules in or out of the Bible, or any church tradition.
· I have an enemy, the devil, who lies to me about my salvation.
Therefore, I need assurance. God’s Word provides this.

2) Positive Proofs of my Assurance
God’s Word tells me that I am saved and that I can know it.
a) John 3:36 “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.”
b) Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
I can know by the witness of the Spirit of God.
c) Romans 8:16 “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our Spirit, that we are the children of God.” God has adopted us.
d) Romans 8:15 “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba Father.” (My Father)
By a desire to do God’s will and we have a new love for the brethren.
e) 1 John 4:13 “Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit.”
f) 1 John 3:22 “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandmenst and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.”
g) Romans 12:10 “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love in honour preferring one another.”

I no longer seek the world’s ways. Rather, I earnestly strive to apply;
h) Romans 12:2 “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, acceptable, and perfect (mature) will of God.”

3) I am Secure in Him
Christ has promised to keep me.
a) Jude 24 “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.”
b) Romans 8:38, 39 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to remove us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The Bible says I have “Everlasting life.”
c) 1 John 5:13 “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
d) John 3:36 “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

Some people ask how a man is to know that he is saved. How does a man know anything? Suppose I am dealing with an inquirer who has accepted Christ, but has not the assurance, which a believer should have. Do I ask him to kneel down and pray until some happy feeling comes into his heart? No. I take God’s Word and put it into his hand, and say, “My friend, will you read the 36th verse of the 3rd chapter of John?”
He reads “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.”
Say to him “Who has everlasting life?”
“He that believes on the Son of God.”
“Do you believe on the Son of God?”
“I do.”
“Have you everlasting life?”
“No, I do not feel it.”
I suggest that he reread the passage.
He reads, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.”
I say, “Who hath everlasting life?”
He looks at the Book and says, “He that believeth on the Son.”
“What have you?”
Why, I do not know that I have anything.”
“What does that verse say that the one who believes on the Son of God hath? How many of those who believe on the Son have everlasting life?”
“All of them.”
“How do you know it?”
“It says so.”
“Do you believe on the Son?”
“I do.”
“What have you?”
“Everlasting life.”
“How do you know it?”
“Because God says so.”

4) Can I Lose My Salvation?
Yes.
a) Ezekiel 18:24 “But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he that done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.”
b) 2 Peter 2:20,21 “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome. The latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the Holy commandment delivered unto them.”

It is possible for us to lose our salvation. However it isn’t very likely. Abide in Christ and you shall live.

Why Must I be Saved?

2009-06-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

Why Must I Get Saved?
Because You are a Sinner.

1) Because Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden and ate of the forbidden fruit, sin became a part of our nature.

a) Romans 5:12 “Where as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned.”

b) Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

c) Romans 6:23 “The Wages of Sin is death.”

d) Ezekial 18:20 “The soul that sinneth, it shall die...”

A sin is loving anything more than God, having a selfish thought, pride, stealing, lying, lusting after someone who is not your spouse, adultery, the misuse of sex, murder, hatred, violence, drunkenness, disrespecting your parents, being mean, stirring up trouble, not forgiving someone who hurts us, greed, selfish anger, envy, gossip, worry, witchcraft, choosing to be stupid, being happy when others do the above, and approving of other’s sin.

2) God’s Love for Me.

All my needs were provided for before I ever realized that I was a sinner.

a) Isaiah 53:5 tells me that Christ was “wounded for my transgressions, He was bruised for my iniquities: the chastisement of my peace was upon Him.”

b) 1 John 4:9, 10 “In this was manifested that love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the Propitiation (atonement) for our sins.”

c) Jeremiah 31:3 “…Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.”

3) God’s Provision for Me

a) In Isaiah 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

I am pictured as a lost sheep away from the shepherd. Christ the Good Shepherd sought me. Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost.

b) Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

c) John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Read John 3:16 again putting your own name in place of the word “whosoever.”

I hear the Good Shepherd’s voice calling me and I will answer His call.

d) Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Realizing this, I will repent (turn away from) my sins and confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus. I will respond to God’s provision for me and receive forgiveness for my sins.

e) 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Take time now to accept Christ as you personal savior. Those that are already saved take this time to renew your commitment to the Lord.

“I have experienced something wonderful and supernatural since accepting Christ as my personal savior. Now I want a better understanding of what has taken place by studying the Bible. One thing I know: that He first loved me.”

4) I Responded to God’s Call.

Now that I’ve confessed Jesus and have accepted Him as my personal Savior, God dwells in me.

a) 1 John 4:15 “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.”

I am saved.

b) Romans 10:9-11 sates “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.”

Now I am a part of God’s family.

c) John 1:12 “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of go, even to them that believe on His Name.”

5) I am Born of Him.

a) John 1:13 “Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

I was born once by physical birth of my earthly parents. Now I’ve a different birth through Christ.

b) John 3:6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.”

With my human mind I can never understand the new birth for it is spiritual.

c) 1 Corinthians 2:14 “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

I know that I am a new creature.

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

This change reminds me of the caterpillar, which is transformed into a beautiful butterfly. No longer is it an ugly crawling creature. Rather it has changed into a colorful flying one. My life seems similar. God has changed my ugly sinful self, bound by havits of sin, into a person capable of exhibiting the Fruit of the Spirit; “Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” (Galatians 2:22, 23)

My new birth is evidenced by my new motives, new desires, and a growing love for the things of God.

e) Ezekiel 36: 26 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you…”

So it is according to Titus 3:5

f) “Not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” And since I have been (1 Peter 1:23) “born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.”

I now have eternal life.

g) 1 John 5:12 “He that hath the Son hath Life.”