Enough of Attacks on Zionism, Indeed

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Jerry

I just read an article on World Net Daily that is most sound Biblically.

The article points out the flaws in Biblical understanding of many misguided Evangelical Christians who are against the modern State of Israel.

Here is the link:

Ministry leader says ‘enough’ of attacks on Zionism

I will repost that link in a comment below to make it “live,” since I haven’t figured out how to do that in the space of a post itself yet.

The article even makes mention of the Abrahamic Covenant! That covenant is still in full force, and has not been abrogated or assigned to someone else other than to whom it was originally given.

Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Mic 7:18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
Mic 7:19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
Mic 7:20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

Psa 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.

Rom 11:11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
Rom 11:12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
Rom 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
Rom 11:14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.
Rom 11:15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
Rom 11:16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
Rom 11:17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
Rom 11:18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.

Act 7:5 And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.

Mat 8:11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Mat 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Posted in Bible Prophecy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The New Treasury’s Twentieth Anniversary

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Jerry

Twenty years ago today I arrived home from teaching in Detroit, a trip of 60 miles each way.

My wife let me know that The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge had arrived. That happened to be on Valentine’s Day, so the anniversary is an easy one to remember.

Every year since then we remember that event on Valentine’s Day.

Though the printed form of the book is no longer available new from the publisher, The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge is available in digital form from either Libronix (software by Nelson, the publisher of the book) or in Logos Bible software.

For those who prefer using the cross references in book form, a more portable edition of the cross references has been published as Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible, and this resource is still in print, either from the publisher, Thomas Nelson, or from Amazon, or from your local Christian bookseller. If a local bookseller does not carry the book, it can always be special ordered.

If you have never done cross reference Bible study, you are missing much of what is in the Bible for you.

Of course, you must start to read the Bible itself for yourself first. But don’t delay the study of the Bible by means of cross references.

Cross references link related passages of Scripture in such a manner that they throw much light upon the subjects dealt with in a particular verse.

Many Christians have chosen a “life verse.” If you have done so, you might want to look up the cross references for that verse first! You will certainly enjoy what you find.

No concordance can do what either The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge or Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible can do. You can study individual Bible verses in depth using these cross reference tools. You would find it difficult, almost impossible, to study individual verses in depth with a concordance. Think you can? A concordance can find all the places where a given word in either English or the original language is found. But a concordance will not lead to other verses on the same theme that do not use the same words. That is what cross references do very well.

Some people think they prefer using a concordance, because what it presents has no way to be doctrinally biased. They are right–there is no bias in a concordance. It is simply an index of where all the words in the Bible are found.

Some people think since cross references were humanly devised they must be biased. They must be subjective. Therefore they prefer using a concordance.

What about bias in the cross references? If you have read what I have written in the Archives here, you know something about where the cross references came from. Knowing that, you would understand that there can be little or no possible bias in them. Instead, there is much blessing and insight to be gained by their study.

Cross references have been developed at the hand of believing Bible scholars over several centuries. They are commonly found in the center or side column margins of reference Bibles. The references collected in the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge were the work of Thomas Scott, from the margins of Scott’s Bible (a five volume work), sometimes referred to as Scott’s Commentary.

I came along in 1992, after more than two and a half decades of careful research and collecting of cross references in my wide margin Oxford and World Bibles, and created what is now The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. In 2007 my condensation of that work, Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible, became available after I spent a bit over two full years to consolidate the references.

Those who absolutely do not want any human opinion intruding into their study of the Bible should stick with Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible.

But most students of God’s Word tell me they prefer to have access to my notes. What notes I have provided in the New Treasury are thoroughly documented with Scripture. I believe that most people who disagree with my notes have simply not carefully considered the abundant Scripture evidence I give to support my comments. Or, they are already committed to a false system of theology that is not really grounded in the Bible, properly interpreted.

They need to come here and learn to do Real Bible Study!

Posted in Bible Study Tools | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

It is Time to Defend Religious Freedom

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Jerry

We need to stand up for what is Biblically correct. We must defend religious freedom with a vengeance! Our Lord Jesus Christ made it very plain when He stated,

Mat 22:17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
Mat 22:18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
Mat 22:19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.
Mat 22:20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
Mat 22:21 They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.
Mat 22:22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.

Jesus did NOT say we are to render to Caesar the things that are God’s!

Just now, in the news, the Roman Catholic Church and its Bishops in America are rightly objecting to certain provisions of “Obama Care” that violate their conscience and their doctrine. One of the Roman Catholics I read of made it plain that he would encourage all 70 million Roman Catholics to vote against Obama in the next election.

That should be enough to swing the election the right way. I only hope and pray that they will “remember in November.”

But this is not only a Roman Catholic issue. This is a Biblical issue, and therefore must be of supreme concern for all Christians, particularly those who believe the Bible (and those are the only true Christians, by the way).

Here in the United States of America we have been privileged to live under a Constitution with a specific Bill of Rights. The First Amendment declares we have the God-given right to absolute religious freedom, a freedom that “shall not be infringed.”

This is not merely “freedom of worship.” That limited “freedom” is even granted in Communist countries. What we have is “freedom of religion,” and this includes the public expression of religion.

This freedom is not a privilege granted by government. It is a freedom given by God. I intend that we keep this freedom. The way to do that is to get more people busy reading the Bible for themselves, believing it, and obeying it. That is what Real Bible Study is all about.

Today I received an important email from Chuck Colson of Prison Fellowship, urging me to sign the following petition. I did, based on obeying what Jesus taught in Mark 12:17,

Mark 12:17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him.

MR. PRESIDENT, I STILL BELIEVE

Dear President Obama,

I am deeply disappointed at your recent failure to protect religious liberty in the context of the HHS preventive care mandate. As Americans we are used to having political and religious disagreements. But we should all be able to agree that the government should not force religious people and institutions to provide drugs and services that violate their faith.

The recent statement from HHS that it will give religious objectors one extra year to change their religious views added insult to injury. It is as if you are saying to religious people “We respect your religious views so much that we’ll give you one extra year to abandon them.” Religious principles have no expiration date. True protection for religious liberty–the kind required by the Constitution you swore to uphold and the federal laws you are obliged to enforce–requires a broad religious exemption, one that protects any person or institution from being forced to provide services in violation of sincerely held religious beliefs.

Please reconsider your administration’s actions and order HHS to provide the kind of broad protection for religious liberty that our laws require. Doing so would honor the sacrifices of those who fought and died to give us our freedoms. It would allow religious employers across the country to stay in business and keep offering health insurance to their employees. And it would pay tribute to the great heritage of religious diversity upon which this great nation was built.

SIGN THE PETITION:
http://www.manhattandeclaration.org/petition/petition.aspx

Once again, I have not been able to figure out how to make a link “live” in a post.

Remember, the Bible instructs us that we are to obey God rather than man,

Acts 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

As far as I am concerned, the “compromise” recently offered (as of this posting date) by President Obama that is being hailed in the news media is utterly unsatisfactory. It is not in accord with the intended protection provided by the First Amendment. It is not in accord with what the Bible teaches. I commend President Obama for reading the Bible nightly as once reported in the news. I hope the news report is correct about that. But President Obama and everyone else in this country needs to learn how to dig deeper into the truths of the Bible for themselves.

And to do that, I invite everyone to come here and start reading. I suggest that you look to the right under “Archives,” and begin reading the oldest posts from January 2010 first, and work your way up to the current posts. By the time you get that far, you surely will have learned a whole lot about Real Bible Study!

Posted in Politics and the Bible | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

“Right to Work” is Morally Wrong

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Jerry

I just signed the following petition for Michigan:

Subject: “Right to Work” is Wrong for Michigan

Hi,

Recently, with over 22,000 protesters outside the Indiana Statehouse, Gov. Mitch Daniels signed a so-called “right-to-work” bill into law.

Here in Michigan, a group of extreme Lansing politicians are trying to pass a similar bill.

Let’s call this what it is – a blatant power grab by corporate special interests that will give more profits to greedy CEOs at the expense of our jobs, our retirement security, and our kids’ future.

It’s not often that we agree with Gov. Snyder, but during recent testimony on Capitol Hill, Snyder said “right-to-work” is “a very divisive issue,” and that “I don’t believe it’s appropriate in Michigan during 2012.”

With Michigan’s unemployment rate at 9.3-percent, we can’t afford to waste time on controversial policies like “right-to-work”, which have failed to create jobs in other states.

That’s why I signed a petition to The Michigan State House, The Michigan State Senate, and Governor Rick Snyder, which says:

“As a taxpayer and middle class worker, I strongly oppose any effort to make Michigan a so-called “right-to-work” state.

The legislation, supported by Rep. Mike Shirkey and Sen. Pat Colbeck, will give even more profits to greedy CEOs at the expense of our jobs, our retirement security, and our kids’ future.

Numerous economic studies have shown that these unfair laws won’t create jobs and will weaken the middle class. Even Governor Snyder has said he doesn’t want Michigan to become a “right-to-work” state.

To protect Michigan workers, please vote NO on the so-called “right-to-work” bill.”

Will you sign this petition? Click here:

http://signon.org/sign/rick-synder-says-something?source=s.em.cp&r_by=2461790

Thanks!

I added the following additional comments of my own:

“Right to Work” means “Right to Impose Injustice” on workers. Such laws have as their not-so-hidden agenda the destruction of due process rights of employees.

Anyone who supports “Right to Work” supports what is utterly morally reprehensible.

Demonstrate that you have some moral backbone and vote NO on this legislation.

Caterpillar has just closed, or perhaps it is about to close, a factory in Canada to move its operations to Muncie, Indiana, if I recall correctly from reading the news on line today. I believe the Market Ticker may have had an article posted today about that.

This is an example of a corporation making use of wage arbitrage at the expense of its workers. The wage scale for workers newly hired in Indiana will be about half the wages that were being paid to the workers in Canada.

I am in favor of moving all jobs back to the United States that were off-shored or sent across the border. But we need to find a way to be sure employees are paid a living wage. Even the Bible requires that (Jeremiah +*22:13).

On the surface bringing these jobs to Indiana sounds like a plus for Indiana. But the social costs that will and must be borne by Indiana citizens will actually become a drag on its economy, for lower wage workers (by today’s standards) must depend for more government services, whether medical care, food stamps, or other services, like reduced-price school lunches.

No doubt the local government in Indiana had to provide incentives to encourage Caterpillar to move there. But this comes at a cost of considerable tax dollars to the government, which will have to pay for added infrastructure to support the new factory.

But the issue I would bring up is another piece of news about Indiana that I heard in the last week or two that reported that Indiana is the first “rust belt state” to adopt “Right to Work” legislation.

I have written here before, and argued here before, that “right to work” legislation is a misnomer. It is contrary to the Biblical standards of justice taught in the Bible. Go back to your Bible and read Malachi 3:5, and check out the cross references I posted recently for that verse in my article, “Politics and the Bible.”

Mal 3:5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.

When “Right to Work” is the law, employees suffer because there is often no right to “due process.” This means employees may be terminated at will for no reason (violating Colossians 4:1). This means workers can and will be required to work longer hours without additional pay (violating Jeremiah 22:13 and related passages given in the cross references of The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge or Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible).

I have been working diligently on expanding the cross references available for Real Bible Study, and have now gotten as far as Matthew 13. That is why I have had to slow down on doing anything else beyond the work on my very large project. On February 20 I will have logged two years of work on the project, and it looks like the work on the New Testament may take two years more, but only time will tell. It has been a very interesting and delightful study of God’s Word for me.

I hope all of you will take the time to do some serious, independent reading of your Bible. It will do your soul an eternity of good!

It is never too late to begin your own daily reading of the Bible! Just do it! Start in the New Testament and read it for at least 20 minutes a day. Some days you can work in more reading time. While reading the Bible through in a year is commendable, it is probably even better to start with a less ambitious reading plan. In this case, to a degree, less will mean more for those just beginning to read the Bible seriously for themselves. Don’t rush it, enjoy it!

If a whole lot more of us were reading, believing, and obeying the Bible, this world would become a place where more morality prevailed.

Posted in Politics and the Bible | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Politics and the Bible

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Jerry

As in every election cycle, there seems to be much misinformation on all sides.

In general, I stay away from politics. But lately I’ve heard snippets on the radio news or read headlines at news sites on the Internet, that seem to me to indicate that so-called “Evangelicals” have lost their moorings.

Some do not seem to have a moral compass. The current President was faulted for that just recently in a headline I saw. But I did read a while back that our President does read from the Bible each night. If true, that is a very good thing. Now if he could just learn about this site and learn how to do Real Bible Study he might be greatly blessed as a result.

I ran across a link recently to a site on the Internet which has a downloadable PDF file which lists the current presidential candidates, and provides a matrix or chart with links to candidate statements and U-tube videos documenting in their own words what their positions are on a great many issues.

I will try to give the link, but I have never found out how to make a link “work” when I post it in my main article. Links always work fine when I post them in comments below the article. Maybe some kind soul can patiently tell me how to get this stuff to work right! Just leave a comment below.

Here is the link to the “Positions of GOP Candidates for President” file. Last updated on 1-1-12 at 8:30 pm, there are two versions in PDF format available. One is the Condensed (19 Issues), the other the Full Version (64 Issues), located in the upper right corner of the page at the link to the “Southern New Hampshire 9.12 Project.”

http://www.southernnh912.com/

Notice the top article listing the contributors to Romney’s campaign, with Goldman Sachs on top with $354,700. (At least this was the article visible when I went to the site a few days ago).

None of the candidates is perfect. Neither am I, so we are even on that score.

However, I agree with Karl Denninger at the Market Ticker blog he writes (I strongly recommend you read his site daily–it is short, to the point, and crucially important). As I recall, Karl Denninger recently remarked that a person with the record of Mitt Romney and his actions with Bain must not become our president. The reason? While what Romney did in connection or conjunction with Bain Management was technically legal, it was atrociously morally wrong. We need a President that follows a clear-cut moral standard, not one who violates basic justice and morality, and I will add, the Bible.

What part of the Bible did Romney violate? Try this verse on for size:

Malachi 3:5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.

All political candidates, all persons in leadership or management, indeed, everyone needs to get hold of this verse and understand it fully, then abide by what God clearly says he wishes all of us to do.

Malachi 3:5 is surely one major practical application verse in the Bible that Evangelicals and probably everyone else have missed, or totally ignored to their obviously eternal peril.

So-called Evangelicals and the likewise so-called “religious right” seem to have never discovered that this verse really is in the Bible. If they would discover it is there, and then obey what it teaches, this nation and world would be a much better place.

It would also help everyone to learn how to do real Bible study. Dust off the cover of your Bible. Learn to search the Scriptures (in obedience to the direct command of Christ in John 5:39), and look up the cross references given for each part of Malachi 3:5.

Here is a more complete set of cross references for this verse which I just lately assembled in my ongoing project to expand the number of cross references available for serious Bible study:

5. I will come near. *Ml 2:17. +Ex 32:34. Nu 5:24. Jsh 9:20. *Ps 50:3-6. +*Ps 96:13. *Ps 98:9. Je 5:29. Ezk 34:20-22. Zc 13:8. *Lk 18:7, 8. *He 10:30, 31. *James 5:8, 9. 1 P 4:17. *Jude 1:14, 15. Re 2:14, 20-23. 18:21, 23, 24. and I will be. Note: The coming of the Messiah would be followed by the condemnation and punishment of the Jewish nation. He would come near unto them in judgment, and be a swift witness to testify that their works were evil; and thus he would speedily convict the sorcerers, and other notorious criminals, of which the bulk of the nation at that time principally consisted, and bring them to condign punishment. Indeed the prevalence of the sins here enumerated, and of similar crimes, caused the Jews to reject Jesus the true Messiah, and his holy Gospel, and thus brought on the ruin of the whole nation. Mic 1:2. a swift witness. Ml 2:14. Ge 31:50. Dt 9:13. Jg 11:10. Ru 1:21. Jb 20:27. 31:12. *Ps 50:7. Ps 81:8. 146:7. Ec 5:8. *Je 29:23. 42:5. Mic 1:2. Mt 7:12. *Mt 23:14-35. Jn 7:7. *2 P 2:1. the sorcerers. Ex 22:18rp. Le 19:26. *Le 20:6, 10, 27. Dt 18:10rp. *Je 7:9, 10. 27:9. Ezk 22:6-12. +*1 Cor 6:9, 10. *Ga 5:19, 20, 21. +Re 9:21. +*Re 21:8. *Re 22:15. *S#3784h: Ex 7:11. 22:18 (witch). +*Dt 18:10 (witch). 2 Ch 33:6 (witchcraft). Da 2:2. adulterers. Ge 39:11. +**Ex 20:14rp. Le 18:20. 20:10rp. +*Dt 5:18, 21. Pr 6:29. *Je 5:7. *Je 7:9. 23:10. *Ezk 22:11. 1 Tim 1:10. +*He 13:4. false swearers. Le 6:3-5rp. Le 19:12rp. +*Dt 5:11, 20. 1 K 21:13. Ps 24:4. Ec 9:2. Je 5:2. *Je 7:9. **Ezk 17:16. +*Zc 5:3, 4. 8:17. Mt 26:72. 1 Tim 1:10. +*Re 21:8. against those. *Ex 22:21-24. +*Le 19:13. +*Dt 24:14, 15, 17. 27:19. +*Ps 12:5. *Pr 22:22, 23. *Pr 23:10, 11. *Je 22:13-17. +*Ezk 16:49. *Ezk 22:7. Mic 2:2. +*James 5:4, 12. oppress. or, defraud. Ex 22:21rp. Ex 23:6. +*Dt 24:14rp. Jb 27:13. +**Ps 15:4. Ec 4:1. Is 3:5. 10:2. 29:21. Je 7:6. 17:11. Ezk 18:7. 22:7. Ho 12:7. Am 4:1. 5:12. Mic 2:2. Zp 3:1. Zc 7:10. *Mk 10:19. 1 Cor 6:8. +*1 Th 4:6. the hireling. **Dt 15:7-14. Jb 7:2. *Ep 6:9. in his wages. +*Ge 29:15. 30:28. *Ge 31:7. +*Le 19:13. +**Ps 15:4. +*Je 22:13. Mt 20:2, 9n, Mt 20:10, 11, 12, 13, 14. Lk 3:14. +*Lk 10:7. 1 Cor 9:7n, 1 Cor 9:14n. +*Col 4:1. +*1 Tim 5:18. +*James 5:4. the widow. Jb 22:9. Ps 94:6. +Is 1:17. Je 22:3. 49:11. Ezk 22:7. *Zc 7:10. *Mt 23:14. Mk 12:40. Ac 6:1. fatherless. +Ge 11:28. +Ex 22:22rp. +*Dt 10:18. 14:29rp. Dt 16:11, 14rp. Dt 24:17rp. Jb 6:27. Is 1:23. Je 22:3. 49:11. stranger. Ge 23:4 (*S#1616h). Ex 12:48mg. Le 19:33. Dt 23:16. +Dt 26:11. Ps 146:9. Je 22:3. Zc 7:10. +Mt 25:35. fear not. ver. +*Mal 3:16. Ge 20:11. 42:18. *Ex 1:17. *Ex 18:21. Le 25:17, 43. Ne 5:15. +*Jb 21:14, 15. *Ps 36:1. *Pr 8:13. *Pr 16:6. Is 1:2. 48:1. +*Je 10:25. **Je 22:13, 16. Lk 18:4. 23:40. Ro 3:18.

Copy and paste for personal use, if you need to, the above cross references and sit down with your Bible, and read these passages. It may help to use two Bibles, perhaps a larger one opened to Malachi 3:5. Use a smaller Bible to turn to the cross reference passages. If you have access to Bible software, you could type each reference into the search box, which is easier and faster than turning to the passage in a hard copy Bible.

May I suggest that this upcoming Presidential election may prove to be most important in our lifetime. We really do not need another president who follows the same mistaken and broken policies that have been followed for at least the past thirty years or more.

Our nation can no longer afford the nonsense promoted by the banking community, the so-called Federal Reserve–which is neither Federal, nor is it a reserve. It is a banking cartel which does not have the interests of this nation in mind whatsoever, but their own pockets.

The Bible declares in a most straightforward manner that national debt is the curse of God.

I wrote a post last year about that, documenting the Biblical evidence for my claim. Read it under the category “Politics and the Bible” linked immediately to the right under “Categories.”

I am old enough to remember when the United States was the largest creditor nation in the world. That was under the blessing of God, according to my Bible. We have since become the world’s largest debtor nation, and the Bible declares that this is the curse of God.

Our current President has added more debt to this nation’s national debt than all the previous presidents from George Washington until George Bush before him combined.

But the President is not alone in this fault. Both houses of Congress are insane, and utterly ignorant of basic mathematics and the Bible, and are fully responsible for this runaway debt spiral.

We cannot continue on this pathway much longer. Some suggest two years more is the limit. Some give it four or five. Like the timing of the Rapture, the tipping point and its date are utterly unknown, but could be soon. When our economy implodes, the resultant catastrophe will likely be uncontrollable, and may possibly lead to the destruction of our society and nation.

Of course, nobody believes me when I say that the Bible addresses the issue of national debt head-on. That is because nobody seems to have ever done any Real Bible Study on this subject.

It is the most important financial and political issue facing our nation today, yet none of the candidates have said anything of substance which addresses the issue realistically.

Posted in Politics and the Bible | Tagged , , , , , , , | 65 Comments

Romans 15:7 (with comments) Part 5

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Jerry

Romans 15:7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

CROSS REFERENCES FOR FULL-TEXT STUDY, PART 5:

receive. Ac *16:15. 17:7. 2 C +*6:9. 7:2, 15. Ga 6:1. Ph 2:29. Col 4:10. 1 T 5:17. Phm 12, 17. He 13:1, 2. 1 P 2:17. 3:8. +*4:8-10. 1 J 3:14. 2 J %10. 3 J %8-10.

CROSS REFERENCE TEXTS

Acts 16:15 And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.

Lydia, a “seller of purple,” was a business woman who exercised the gift of hospitality. All of us need that. Who can tell just what impact our friendship will have on a newcomer to our church, an impact that could possibly bring about eternal results for God’s glory.

Not all of us have the native ability to effortlessly exercise hospitality to others, but we ought to make it our concern to always be welcoming to others. Certainly we need to make sure that we are not acting in an unwelcoming manner!

This means helping newcomers to get to know others in our Christian fellowship or church. This needs to be carefully designed into how we “do church.” When we have a social function at church, such as a church supper, do we leave newcomers to themselves with no one to talk to? I have been through that at the local “village church.”

There ought not to be any such thing as a “village church” in the sociological sense. Such a church is friendly to individuals who come from the community, or whose family has been in the church, and who were introduced to the church nine months before birth. But if a newcomer from outside the local community moves to town and starts attending church, they are given the cold shoulder.

We need what are called “camp churches,” Christian fellowships composed of blood-bought Bible believing Christians who are met together on the basis of their personal saving relationship to our Lord Jesus Christ. They are there for Christian growth. They are interested primarily in spiritual things. They love to talk to each other about things God is doing in their lives, or what God has taught them in His Word, the Bible. They are interested in and deeply committed to Bible study.

My experience in the local “village church” involved none of the above. People in the church who I had met regularly in the course of normal business in the community–the owner of a hardware store, a lady who was the vice president of the local Friends of the Library Committee where I was the president, never once welcomed me when I started attending their church. Never a greeting, never a handshake, and absolutely never a conversation about anything, let alone about the Lord.

Is your church like that? I even went to the pastor of this church and shared with him how unfriendly his church seemed to be. He replied, “Jerry, I can’t make the people be friendly.” I believe the pastor tried to make adjustments in the church order on Sunday mornings and evenings to address this issue. He had a different family of the church featured each week which he introduced to the rest of the congregation, particularly to benefit newcomers who might not know the family by name.

But this does not improve the climate of fellowship. If I could even manage to remember the family’s names, there was no opportunity provided to personally get to know them on any level.

The pastor arranged for informal get-togethers once a month after the Sunday evening service. But the names of participants were arbitrarily parceled out to participating homes where we would meet, and the group so assembled one month never met again as a group in a home setting, so again, no one really had a chance to get to know anyone else by going to such meetings.

The odd thing is, I was asked by Dr. Carl George about this time to ghost write his book, Prepare Your Church for the Future, so I was well-equipped by that recent experience to share strategies and principles that may well have proven effective, but as a newcomer, I had no permission, and so no “platform” or basis of authority to share what I knew.

I sometimes wonder if our Lord Jesus Christ himself were to surreptitiously visit a “village church” would even He be admitted to their fellowship?

Dr. Carl George may have it right. In a telephone call when I reported my experience to him, he said, “Jerry, shame on you for even attending such a church after all you now know about ‘village churches’ from ghost-writing my book!” He indicated that in his opinion it is impossible for a newcomer to truly enter into the fellowship of such a church. I tried carefully for nearly five years to prove him wrong, and it did not work.

Acts 17:7 Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.

Take note that we do not know much about Jason, but his name is associated in the Bible for all time as being a person who received fellow believers in Christ. What if we were all to be known for the same reason to those even outside the Christian community we inhabit on Sunday mornings?

2 Corinthians 6:9 As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;

I have marked this passage with a “+” symbol in the cross references given above. That symbol means “find more here.” The references are too numerous to include in this series on Romans 15:7, but if you have access to them in The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, or The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, or Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible, I believe the references will shed much additional helpful light on this verse and the theme as a whole.

2 Corinthians 7:2 Receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man.

2 Corinthians 7:14 For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth.
2Co 7:15 And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him.

Paul knew how to bring a new leader properly into the local congregation. He gave his stamp of authority and approval to those working with him. I have met a number of pastors, including Pastor Carl George, who are very good at this. What a contrast to the reception afforded to me in the local “village church.” As a result, I was able to be blessed and to be a blessing to many in Pastor George’s church in Gainesville, Florida, many years ago now, in 1974.

Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

Part of receiving one another is to exercise a ministry of compassion, and a ministry of helping others overcome spiritual and other difficulties as the Lord enables us. We can be a blessing by offering needed instruction from God’s Word, by offering our prayer support, and whatever practical or tangible support the Lord may open the door for us to provide.

Philippians 2:29 Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation:

Once again, we have an instance of Paul supporting a newcomer with his own authority and commendation. Remember that Barnabas went to great effort to support Paul when he first became acquainted with Christians in Jerusalem after his own conversion.

Col 4:10 Aristarchus my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister’s son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;)

Marcus, better known as Mark, was the one who accompanied Paul and Barnabas initially in the record found in the book of Acts. Mark proved, in Paul’s eyes, to be unfaithful. When Barnabas insisted on Mark joining them again, Paul declined, and Paul and Barnabas went their separate ways. But in this text we see that Paul has come to recognize the value of Mark once again, so the former difficulties in their relationship must have been overcome. Paul is now insisting that Mark be fully received by all believers.

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Romans 15:7 (without comments) Part 5

Posted on December 3, 2011 by Jerry

Romans 15:7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

CROSS REFERENCES FOR FULL-TEXT STUDY, PART 5:

receive. Ac *16:15. 17:7. 2 C +*6:9. 7:2, 15. Ga 6:1. Ph 2:29. Col 4:10. 1 T 5:17. Phm 12, 17. He 13:1, 2. 1 P 2:17. 3:8. +*4:8-10. 1 J 3:14. 2 J %10. 3 J %8-10.

CROSS REFERENCE TEXTS

Acts 16:15 And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.

Acts 17:7 Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.

2 Corinthians 6:9 As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;

2 Corinthians 7:2 Receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man.

2 Corinthians 7:14 For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth.
2Co 7:15 And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him.

Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

Philippians 2:29 Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation:

Col 4:10 Aristarchus my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister’s son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;)

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Bias against Atheists is Naughty not Nice

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Jerry

This is the text of a new bill board advertisement promoted by the American Humanist Association.

I read about this today at the following location on the Internet:

http://global.christianpost.com/news/new-atheist-holiday-ads-accuse-christians-of-intolerance-62786/

The article quotes AHA (American Humanist Association) director Roy Speckhardt, who said:

“Humanists get their knowledge from science rather than ancient texts and divine revelations,” Speckhardt said. “This is the first time we’ve called out those prejudiced against us to rethink that prejudice. I hope people take them to heart and treat everyone as equally as they can this holiday season.”

I am not here to “knock” science, but I have no doubt that Mr. Speckhardt believes that evolution is included in what he would call science.

I have stated here before that evolution is not science, it is philosophy, and those who think otherwise are not informed enough to know the difference.

Mr. Speckhardt appears to disdain any other source of knowledge but science, for he says Humanists do not get their knowledge from ancient texts and divine revelations.

It would do humanists much good if they could be encouraged to be open minded about sources of verifiable truth.

I’ve met professors of mine (well one of them, at least) in graduate school that likewise disdained all other sources of knowledge but science. I let my professor know he had arbitrarily confined himself to a rather small box, ignoring a whole realm of truth that exists beyond it, in the form of history, for example, that cannot be directly verified by the scientific method since it cannot be, like an experiment, repeated at will.

The Bible contains history. Its history has been abundantly verified to be accurate down to the smallest details. Check out the information provided in the Archaeology Study Bible, for a readily available modern resource on the subject.

The Bible contains divine revelation. In fact, it is Divine revelation. And the proof of that? The most remarkable proof is the fact of its fulfilled prophecy.

Mr. Peter W. Stoner wrote a small book titled Science Speaks: Scientific Proof of the Accuracy of Prophecy and the Bible (Moody Press, 1958).

I invite Humanists, Atheists, and Agnostics to carefully check out that resource.

And just who is it that is being naughty and not nice? I suggest that those who would twist the provisions of the Bill of Rights, particularly the First Amendment, to suit and promote their Humanist anti-Bible, anti-God agenda are the ones who are censoring the free speech of others, and who are actually violating the recognition of the absolute right of religious freedom asserted in the First Amendment.

At no time have I censored Humanists, Atheists, or Agnostics. I won’t allow them to censor me either, should they try.

And in the past, they have attempted to censor me, but when I challenged the head of the local ACLU, Mr. Howard Simon, I think his name was, to a public debate, I got no response.

The atheists at the school where I taught (Cass Technical High School in Detroit) challenged the Bible Discussion Club which I was asked to sponsor to a debate. The debate was held. The atheists were truthful though, for after the first debate, they admitted publically in the school newspaper that they had lost the debate with the students of the Bible Discussion Club. The atheists said they were not prepared well enough, so they announced a second debate in The Michigan Chronicle. Apparently, the atheists chickened out of the debate, for though it was announced in The Michigan Chronicle, the debate was never held.

On this site I have encouraged those who differ with me to participate in discussion. Atheists, Agnostics, and Humanists have never done so. The invitation is still open.

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Hell Should Not Be Sugar-Coated

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Jerry

I just encountered an interesting article titled “Christian Leaders: Hell Should Not Be Sugar Coated” at the following link:

http://global.christianpost.com/news/christian-leaders-hell-should-not-be-sugar-coated-59639/

After the article was a comment by a poster named Bob ELdridge:

So many teach a god of hate and revenge, excusing their own continuous blasphemy as they deny the love of God, without the slightest bit of fear, failing to keep the commandment to prove all things and continue to speak of how clear the scriptures prove their doctrines, while being completely without understanding. Praise be to God for ALL will be brought to the Truth, every knee will bow to Christ, the Truth, because it is the will of God and no man can stay His hand.

This comment, in brief, is standard fare for those who do not believe in eternal unending punishment in the Lake of Fire, which is what the Bible warns is the certain fate of all who are unsaved.

Notice, too, the immediate focus upon the love of God, as if this were His only attribute.

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Consider John 3:36,

Joh 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.

The Bible obviously speaks not only of the love of God, but the wrath of God.

Talk about proving all things, it is time posters like Mr. Bob Eldridge and those who share his view, like Pastor Rob Bell, settle down and do their homework first and learn what the Bible itself actually teaches.

To arrive at the full truth of what the Bible teaches, we must get our doctrine from the Bible, not our church, denomination, organization, or favorite teacher.

We must carefully consider all the evidence, not just the portion of evidence we like.

And we need to be humble enough to accept what God clearly declares He will do, and not re-write the script to suit our own sensibilities.

Matthew 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

In one sentence at Matthew 25:46 Jesus described the eternal destiny of both the saved and lost. The lost “go away into everlasting punishment.” The saved, or righteous, go away into life eternal.

The terms “everlasting punishment” and “life eternal” translate the same Greek word in the original text.

This logically means that the duration of life eternal is the same as the duration of everlasting punishment.

This Biblical proof fully answers the doctrinal error expressed by Mr. Bob Eldridge and Pastor Rob Bell and anyone else who holds such a mistaken view.

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Romans 15:7 (with comments) Part 4

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Jerry

Romans 15:7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

CROSS REFERENCES FOR FULL-TEXT STUDY, PART 4:

receive. Ac *9:26-28, 43. *11:25, 26. *16:15. 17:7. 2 C +*6:9. 7:2, 15. Ga 6:1. Ph 2:29. Col 4:10. 1 T 5:17. Phm 12, 17. He 13:1, 2. 1 P 2:17. 3:8. +*4:8-10. 1 J 3:14. 2 J %10. 3 J %8-10.

CROSS REFERENCE TEXTS

Acts 9:26 And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.
Acts 9:27 But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.
Acts 9:28 And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem.

Acts 9:43 And it came to pass, that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner.

It can be hard at any time to enter the fellowship of a new church. It is even harder if you start out with the reputation Saul (who became Paul) had!

In our day I find that churches, large or small, are not purposely structured for fellowship. That needs to be corrected, for this problem is a great hindrance to the furtherance of the Gospel.

How to correct this problem? That is answered by the next cross references, and is the heart of the Biblical solution.

Acts 11:22 Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch.
Acts 11:23 Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.
Acts 11:24 For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord.
Acts 11:25 Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul:
Acts 11:26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

The solution is what I call the Barnabas Factor. God often uses people in our lives to encourage us in our faith. God uses people to literally work us in to the fellowship of other believers.

This probably cannot happen in any church that is not purposely structured for fellowship. We don’t need “purpose-driven churches” today. We need “structured for fellowship churches” to effectively grow and deepen the faith of the body of Christ, following the pattern described in this passage in Acts.

Barnabas possessed the spiritual qualities to carry out the ministry of encouraging believers in their faith.

Now just where can we get such men and women today?

They don’t grow on trees. They grow from individuals who immerse themselves in the careful, regular study of God’s Word for themselves.

Surely Barnabas was divinely equipped, for he was “sent” by the Jerusalem church. But to qualify to be “sent” he must have developed the qualities needed for the task. He was a good man, and so had a sterling character as an example of the believers. He was full of the Holy Ghost, or Holy Spirit. He was full of faith. He was very observant, and recognized the presence and work of the grace of God in others, whether in individuals or a congregation.

Barnabas was glad to see spiritual fruit. He was not jealous of the spiritual progress of others, but rejoiced with them. He encouraged others in their faith and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they would cleave to the Lord. He encouraged others to be faithful to the Lord. He encouraged them to be steadfast in their faith. Thus he encouraged them to keep on believing, to persevere.

The clearly manifest result was that many people were added to the Lord.

Is that going on in your local fellowship? Or is your church a place that cannot be said to be a place of fellowship?

Pastors and local leaders in the congregation must learn to develop believers (including themselves) who can in turn exercise the Barnabas Factor in the local congregation to make it truly a fellowship of believers.

How can you learn to exercise the Barnabas Factor? Study the Scriptures that form the cross references I have given for Romans 15:7. The Bible states that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” That word of God today is found written in the Bible.

You cannot grow spiritually if you are living spiritually on a starvation diet! Get into God’s Word daily for yourself. No matter how busy you might be, you certainly can take twenty minutes a day to read consecutively in the New Testament. I suggest that is where you should start, and build your faith from there by following the many suggestions I have shared here for doing Real Bible Study.

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