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True to Christ

6/29/2015

By Betty
Be true to Christ for whom you are,
Lest in pretense your conscience is marred.
True beauty is not brought out by falsehood.
True beauty shines forth from a heart that's good.
Love makes it bloom as a bright, fragrant flower.
Kindness flows from it like an April shower.
The beauty of this flesh will soon fade away,
But the beauty of the soul will forever stay.
Whatever's in your heart will flow out.
You cannot hide what you're about.
To whom you are in Christ be true.
Let the beauty of His holiness shine in you.

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Understanding Bible Prophecies

6/25/2015

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---Tim
Bible prophecies are like puzzle pieces. This article is written to help put the pieces together. The best way to understand Bible prophecies is to study prophecies that have already been fulfilled.
Jesus spoke concerning John the Baptist in Matthew 11:14, “And if ye will receive it, this is Elijah, which was for to come.” The prophecy which promised the return of Elijah is found in Malachi 4:5, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord...” This is wonderful! God promised to send Elijah the prophet, the man taken from earth in a chariot of fire, and the prophecy was fulfilled when God sent a little baby named John into the womb of Elisabeth the wife of Zacharias. Who could believe it? In John 1:21, John the Baptist was asked if he was Elijah, and John said, “No.” Not even John knew it.
The key to understanding this prophecy is found in Luke 1:17. The angel said the child born to Elisabeth would go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah. The prophecy promising Elijah was not fulfilled literally,—or, shall I say, to the satisfaction of the carnal mind—but rather, it was fulfilled spiritually; and almost no one on earth realized it was fulfilled. Today the Jews are still waiting for Elijah to return, and laughably many Christians are also waiting for Elijah to return to earth.
God is not required to fulfill prophecies in a literal way! God is not required to fulfill prophecies to the satisfaction of the carnal mind.
Let us look once more at John the Baptist. Luke 3:4 proclaims the prophesy of Isaiah 40:3-5 was fulfilled in John's ministry: “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”
The Bible declares this prophecy has been fulfilled. Were the mountains made flat at the time of John? Were the valleys filled in? Did everyone acknowledge having seen the glory of the Lord? Do Christians today acknowledge that John prepared the way for the Jehovah God? No, no, no, and sadly no. The prophecy was not fulfilled literally, but rather, the prophecy was fulfilled in a spiritual way.
Let us look to Jesus. Perhaps we may find a prophecy fulfilled literally. Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son...” Oh, praise God, we have found a prophecy fulfilled literally. But hold on one minute. The rest of Isaiah 7:14 says, “...and shall call his name Immanuel.” The angel said to call his name Jesus, so literally, he was not called Immanuel.
Let us look at the promise to Abraham in Genesis. God promised Abraham his seed would be
numbered like the stars, dust of the earth, and sand of the sea. Do you know how many stars are in the sky? Do you know how many grains of sand there are? Do you know how much dust there is? Of course God does not always fulfill prophecies in a literal way. God is a talented speaker who uses parables, figures of speech, idioms, short stories, and every other literary tool to get His point across.
Let us look again at the promise to Abraham. The promise was to his seed, and the book of
Galatians tells us the prophecy was not even concerning the natural children of Abraham, but was rather speaking concerning Christ and the Christians. Galatians 3:29, “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” This message must hurt the carnal mind in a big way.
To understand prophecy, we must realize God is not required to fulfill prophecies in a literal way. The next key to understanding prophecy is to look at the prophecy with the New Testament
understanding and not with the understanding man had at the time of the prophecy.
Look at Zechariah 8:23, “Thus saith the Lord of hosts; in those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.” When this prophecy was given, the people at the time would have assumed that the day would come when the people of the world would come to the Jewish nation and be taught the ways of God. But we must not look at this prophecy with the understanding of the Old Testament; we must look at this prophecy with New Testament understanding.
The New Testament tells us the children of Abraham are those who have faith in Christ and that the only true Jews are those who are Christians. Romans 2:28-29, “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”
Once we realize God is not going to backslide and return to the shadows and types of the Old
Testament, once we realize God is not going to disannul the work of the cross and the teachings of the New Testament, once we realize God is not going back to temple-building or choosing one race of people over another race of people, and once we realize prophecies will not always be fulfilled literally, we can see most prophecies concerning the end times and the coming of Christ have already been fulfilled; and we can be ready to receive the King of kings and Lord of Lords, our great God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

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How to Understand the Bible

6/20/2015

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--- Tim
This article is written to explain the correct and only way to understand the Bible.
The Bible is like a box of puzzle pieces, and each denomination employs a team of
Greek and Hebrew scholars to put the pieces together.
The Catholics put the pieces together and stress church authority, intercession by the
saints, and the presence of God in communion. The Methodists put the pieces together
and do good works. The Presbyterians put the pieces together and see the predetermined
plan of God. The Pentecostals put the pieces together and see water baptism as the new
birth. Each church, or rather, club, uses the same puzzle pieces, but each group comes
up with a different picture. Why?
The reason why each denomination comes up with a different picture is because they
try to understand the Bible with the carnal, natural, intellectual mind, and the Bible
cannot be known through the intellect of man.
Jesus prayed in Matthew 11:25, “I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and has revealed them
unto babes.” Please notice the word revealed. The only way to understand the Bible is
through divine revelation.
I know some groups reject divine revelation and proudly proclaim, “God speaks only
through His word.” When a person tells me, “God speaks only through His word,” I
accept his declaration of ignorance and leave him alone. Without divine revelation of
what the Word means, the Bible cannot be understood.
Jesus said in John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will
guide you into all truth.” The only way to know the truth is for the Holy Ghost to open
one's eyes to see the truth. All the Bible experts at the time of Jesus completely missed
the mark, but one day on the road to Emmaus, Jesus walked with two disciples and
opened their eyes to understand the scriptures. Until Jesus opens one's eyes, it is
impossible for one to understand the Bible.
Luke 24 relates the story of the walk with Jesus. When the Bible class was over,
Jesus vanished out of their sight, and the disciples said one to another, “Did not our heart
burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the
scriptures?”
The only way to understand the Bible is to have Jesus Christ himself teach you the
Bible. Now don't get me wrong: Bible commentaries are good if one knows the correct
way to use them. The correct way to use a Bible commentary is to tear the pages out
one by one and use them to build a nice fire in your fireplace. After the fire has started,
kneel down and pray, asking Jesus to open the scriptures unto you. Get comfortable,
read your Bible, and enjoy that which Jesus reveals to you.

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Love

6/16/2015

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By Betty
God's love is a commodity
Which is freely given to us
That we may live in true Christianity.
Love grows when in Him we trust.
Jesus spoke about love when he said,
“Freely you have received, freely give.”
His life for you He dearly paid
That you might have joy and live.
For love brings forth joy and peace,
Peace with God and new life.
Jesus did it all and gave you a new lease
That you might walk with Him in His light.
Greater love hath no man than this
That a man lay down his life for a friend.
Cling to His love, and enter into His bliss.
Let love flow through you and help you stand in the end.

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Does the Sinner's Prayer Impart Grace?

6/13/2015

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by Tim
Does the sinner's prayer impart grace? The short answer is, “No.” Salvation is not
something God is required to impart simply because a person recites a certain prayer.
Counting beads and reciting a few “Hail Marys” accomplishes nothing. Standing up
in church and proclaiming belief in Jesus the Son of God means nothing. Water baptism
does not guarantee salvation. Good works and service to God will not get the job done.
Salvation is not the result of anything a man or woman may do in his or her quest for
God. Salvation is the fruit of what Jesus does. Jesus quickens the repentant sinner, and
Jesus imparts salvation and newness of life.
Surely Jesus has quickened or saved many people when they have said the sinner's
prayer, but many other people recite the sinner's prayer without any change of lifestyle.
To promise salvation to people based on their recitation of the sinner's prayer results in
churches full of unconverted sinners who are trusting in a false promise. The true
Christian message points to our blessed Savior Jesus who sits as a High Priest, ready to
save those who come to Him.
When someone recites the sinner's prayer, and then says, “Nothing happened,” allow
me to assure you that nothing happened. When Jesus Christ saves a person, something
glorious and life-changing happens. Salvation is an experience. Salvation is not a
mental belief system.
When someone recites the sinner's prayer, and nothing happens, explain to them
salvation is not the result of anything they do, but rather salvation is an imparted gift that
only Jesus can impart. Encourage them to read the Bible and to pray until they pray
through into a relationship with Jesus Christ. Perhaps nothing ever will happen. Jesus
told us most people are going to hell when they die, and there is nothing you can do to
change the sad reality.
But be encouraged. Do the work of God, point people to Jesus, and be assured Jesus
wants to save people more than you do. If your message points people to Jesus, people
will be saved. If your message points people to church and the works that men do, they
will not be saved.

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Submit to the Elders

6/11/2015

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---Tim
I have been counseled to submit to the elders. This article is written to explain the proper
roll the elders should have in one's life.
I have over forty years seniority in the true church, which is the body of Christ, and have
shared the gospel with great multitudes of people. I have been spit on, beaten, arrested, and
threatened as I have served the Lord. I am one elder with a message everyone should hear.
A true elder will point everyone to our king, Jesus Christ. The book of Revelations mentions
elders twelve times. Revelations 4:10-11: “The four and twenty elders fall down before him
that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns
before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for
thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” Notice how these
true elders lead in the worship of our Lord! But sadly, the so-called elders of these local, socalled
churches do not lead in worship but rather have taken the position of the “Dear Abbys”
or Ann Landers of the church.
God has ordained apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers in the church; but he did not ordain the position of counselor. It is not the job or duty of any man to be your own
personal “Moses.” Bring your problems, troubles, needs, and cares to our High Priest, Jesus
Christ.
Isaiah 9:6 promises that the Messiah will not only be our mighty God and everlasting
Father, but He will also be our Counselor. A true elder will counsel everyone to establish a
personal relationship with Christ. Seek to know the Lord as the one who can show you what to
do in the trials of life. Most problems cannot be solved simply by having knowledge or
wisdom anyway. Problems are solved when the power of God is manifested in the situation.
Woe to these local elders of these local clubhouses. They have no business getting involved
in your business. Christ is the head of every man. The elders might be just what a boy needs,
but if you are a man, you had better look to Jesus Christ yourself.

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I am a Sinner

6/9/2015

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by Tim
I have noticed a sad and shocking thing. When I get around churchgoers, the one
overshadowing message I hear is, “I am a sinner.” Get over it friends. Everyone is born
with a sin nature, and everyone will have a sin nature until death or the resurrection.
Alright! Even little babies have a sin nature. But let us grow up in Christ. Let us
present our bodies a living sacrifice unto God. Let us crucify our flesh and live a
victorious life. We cannot get rid of the sin nature, but we can keep it in obedience to
Christ. We can overcome sin.
Sin is the breaking of God's law. It is possible for a person with a sin nature to live a
life free from breaking God's laws. In fact, if you are still actively breaking God's laws,
you are a disgrace to Christ. Repent; turn from your wickedness and cry out to Jesus.
If you leave this life as an active sinner, you are in big trouble and have failed to let
the work of Christ bring you to the state of an overcomer.
1 John 3:6-9, “Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not
seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth
righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the
devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was
manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God
doth not commit sin.”

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True to Christ

Understanding Bible Prophecies

How to Understand the Bible

Love

Does the Sinner's Prayer Impart Grace?

Submit to the Elders

I am a Sinner

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