Bible Studies

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Unlike on-line ministries that are open 24/7, most traditional local assemblies are not open every hour of every day. Therefore, most advancing disciples will spend a lot more time in personal sanctified time, alone with God and His Word, than the time he spends “in Church.”

This is why the plan of God calls for Biblically qualified pastor teachers to be behind the pulpits, and available to answer any questions that may arise from EITHER source of edification.

The cover-all, “This is our faith” response to specific questions will not satisfy the appetite of an advancing disciple. At the very least, he or she wants to be referred to chapter and verse of Scripture that provided corroboration.

I say at the very least, because via selective manipulation and or misapplying verse(s) of Scripture, the Word of God can be made to appear to say just about anything that a clever speaker or writer desires.

When I was introduced on stage during the oral examination part in the ordination process, I was referred to as the man who had many difficult questions for my pastor to answer during my twelve years of study and preparation. I was (jokingly) told on stage that my oral examination would be pay back, as it was my turn to be publicly interrogated as to my knowledge of Bible Doctrine and its application.

Like the memory bank in a computer, the content of one’s own edified soul structure (1) is only as accurate and reliable as the information it is fed.

Success in spiritual combat not only calls for a well-fed soldier, but knowledge of the location, plans, and strategy of the enemy, as well. The devil, and most (See Jude 1: 6 for exceptions) of his Eph. 6: 12 forces of evil are NOT in Hell (yet), (2) waiting for all the bad people to join him. He and the Eph. 6: 12 forces of evil, walk among us, promoting his agenda, with the unwitting help of human beings that he has deceived (3).

Here in the Church Age, the devil’s agenda is primarily to oppose the Matt. 28: 19, 20 mission that God gave to the Church.

The devil believes what the Old Testament prophet Hosea had to say about the people of God, then and now.

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge… (Hosea 4: 6 NASB 2020).”

There is a lot of junk food (adulterated Gospel Messages and false doctrines) and accompanying practices out there that have left the fatted calves ready for the 1Cor. 3: 12-15 forfeiture (for believers), and the Rev. 20: 15 condemnation (for unbelievers).

Many who believe all is well are in for rude awakening, and its going to be too late to be able to do anything about it.
My prayer for the unsaved souls is that they would feast on the bread of life that gives eternal life. My prayer for born believers is that they would feast on the edifying bread of Bible Doctrine.

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When Jesus spoke about the eating of His flesh and the drinking of His blood, He was not talking about cannibalism as the means to obtain eternal life (4). Jesus was speaking metaphorically, using symbolic language.

Celebrating The Lord’s Supper is NOT accomplished by reproducing and ingesting the literal body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The resurrected body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is presently seated in the 3rd Heaven, and is not reproduced here on Earth  through religious efforts of Man.

The Biblically stated purpose and means of celebrating the Lord’s Supper (Communion) is to “bring into remembrance” (not to reproduce) the Person and the atoning Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, as one eats the symbolic bread and drinks the symbolic wine.

The Lord’s Supper (Communion) was being celebrated according to Scripture, long before the cathedrals, altars, priesthood, and pageantry of Man came into the picture. It was celebrated wherever the believers gathered together, and was done so without any of the above being involved.

Man is impressed by what is tangible, especially if Man is at the center of attention during the rituals. God is satisfied by the intangible activity (e.g., Ephesians 4: 30/Titus 3: 5) that takes place in the  unseen spiritual realm.

During the Church Age, the temple of God on Earth is not a building. It is the physical bodies (5) of born again believers.

Every born again believer is a (6) New Testament priest, in that he or she has direct access to the throne of grace; represents oneself before God; and represents God before Man, here on Earth. This 1Peter 2: 9 priesthood is quite different from the religious priesthoods that have been established by Man that promote the religious traditions of men (7).

The last sacrificial altar addressing sin that God acknowledged was the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The last sacrificial offering pertaining to sin that God accepted was the atoning Work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This by no means diminishes the sacredness or the need to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. But if we are to benefit from it, it must be done His way and for the purpose that He established.

. . .

All born-again believers are priests,  but not all priests are   pastor-teachers.

A pastor-teacher is a born-again believer who has administrative authority and responsibilities within the local assembly (or ministry) that he serves, but his primary role is to study and teach the Word of God.

Nutritious (edifying) and balanced (all-inclusive) spiritual meals takes distraction-free, sanctified time, for pastor-teachers to prepare. It takes sanctified, distraction-free time for students (disciples) to ingest and metabolize the food that has been prepared.

My prayer for born again souls is that they would continually nourish their souls with the daily, edifying teaching of the Word of God, in order to advance in the post salvation life of discipleship. Discipleship is initially for one’s own edification and spiritual growth, but with the long-term objective of being used by God to save and edify others.

There are two competing forces of influence that promote an appetite for either the good or the evil they represent (8). Whichever one we choose to feed and exercise will be the one that usually takes immediate control of our thoughts and actions.

The end result is that we either glorify God through our obedience, or we sin by doing the things that we should hate (9). In closing, my prayer for my fellow believers is that you develop and maintain a “bon appetit” for spiritual food, so that each one of us can build, maintain, and make use of an edified soul structure (10).

End of Part 4 of 4

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(1) Matt. 7: 24-27 (2) Rev. 20: 10 (3) Rev. 12: 9 (4) John 6: 53 (5) 1Cor. 3: 16 (6) 1Peter 2:9 (7) Mark 7: 7 (8) Romans 7: 14-23 (9) Romans 7: 19 (10) Matt. 7: 24 - 25

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