Bible Studies

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The Church that God designed was established in Jerusalem, Israel around 33-34 AD, shortly AFTER the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Many other “Churches,” being the products of Man, have come along with different agendas, such as feeding and sheltering the poor, social and political reform. These agendas have a place and purpose, but do NOTHING, in of themselves, to promote the primary mission (Matt. 28: 19, 20) that God gave His Church to accomplish.

The devil appreciates all the help that the Christian Community has to offer in making his world (Luke 4: 6) a better place to live for as long as it lasts, providing the unadulterated Gospel Message and Biblical discipleship are left out of the picture.

The Church Age dispensation will remain in place until its prophesied end (Matt.24: 14) when the event that what theologians have named the Rapture takes place (1Thess. 4:16, 17).

Note that Matt. 24: 14 teaches that the Gospel Message will be preached to ALL the world, but not that it will be believed by all who hear it.

All souls, do in fact, live on somewhere else after departing the body at the moment of physical death, but that somewhere else is NOT going to be the same place for everyone.

All departed unbelievers (in the unadulterated Gospel Message) will continue to fill the Torments of Hades until the Rev. 20: 13,15 event takes place.

All departed Church Age, born-again believers are in the presence of the Lord (2Cor. 5: 8) in interim bodies (2Cor. 5: 1), but will not all receive the same eternal reward and privileges (1Cor. 3: 14, 15/Rev. 2Rev. 3).

In the meantime, there is not ONE departed soul in any corpse, on a death bed, in a casket, urn, morgue, funeral parlor, funeral service, grave, or cemetery; only the bodily remains in different stages of decomposing, having already been rendered, or in the process of turning to dust (Gen. 3:19).

The only connection between the dust or the bodily remains is that the dust or the bodily remains of a departed born-again believer will be raised up in a glorious resurrected body when the Rapture takes place. There is nothing that can happen or fail to happen to or with the bodily remains that can prevent God from accomplishing this divine objective.

This can bring comfort to loved ones left behind when the bodily remains are not available for customary disposal, or whose graves are later destroyed by unforeseen events.

As a 30-year veteran and now a retiree of a law-enforcement career, I spent decades doing my part to protect the physical lives and tangible property of the people I served. But in God’s timing, all of the people I labored to protect have or will never-the-less pass away, and all of the property I labored to protect will have been left behind.

The same can be said of all Christians who pursue the same type or other secular professions or types of labor or service. Such service has its place and purpose in time, but do not contribute to the eternal destination or experience of the souls involved.

Such pursuits and service are “a” good fight, but not “the” good fight spoken of in 2Tim. 4: 7.

Being ignorant of, or insensitive to, the spiritual needs of the people around us at home, at work, at school, at social events, or recreational activities, plays right into the hands of the devil.

It is the spiritual contribution (evangelization/edification) of the people that one interacts with, is what gives eternal significance to whatever else we are doing 24/7.

The enduring of all the adversity that comes along with walking the walk as well as one talks the talk is what the good fight of 2Tim. 4: 7 is all about.

I’m not suggesting the we walk around with a portable pulpit, but if we do not draw 1Pet. 3: 15 inquirers to us, there is something missing in the unspoken testimony of our daily lives that needs to be addressed. If one walks the walk, it does not go unnoticed, and it is this difference that draws inquirers to us, setting the stage for one’s participation in the Great Commission.

It is one thing to hope for something, but it is a totally different experience to KNOW something and to live accordingly. The advancing disciple has learned the truth and is experiencing its accompanying freedom and confidence that such knowledge brings (John 8: 32).

The advancing disciple has been set free (from anxiety, fear, and insecurity) that ignorance of the truth generates. The advancing disciple KNOWS where he or she is going when his or her earthly departure takes place, and WHY this is so.

This is NOT self-centered arrogance to be projected in a “holier than thou” attitude. On the contrary, it is total humility, as all credit is given to the unearned, undeserved, atoning Work that was finished (John 19: 30) on the cross by the Lord Jesus Christ, to which we have NOTHING to add, or to take any credit.

The advancing disciple, along with the angels in Heaven (Luke 15: 10), rejoices when ANY one soul is saved, but along with God the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4: 30), is grieved when the “good fight” of 2Tim. 4:7 is neglected.

End of Part Two

End of Series

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