My Three Girls ~ A Walk Down Memory Lane

LAST MONDAY I SHARED ABOUT MY TRIP TO THE LOCAL MALL and my enjoyment in watching the little ones playing in the Tyler Galleria Mall Tot Lot.  The next day as I was looking at the old photo of my girls in 1957 that I used in that post, I was reminded that even though all our children are equally precious to us, they each have individual personalities. 

Studying that photo, I remembered how Deborah, the oldest by one year, was the thinker, a beautifully sweet child who loved to read.  Deborah was a responsible young lady we could depend upon.  When I was stationed at Bergstrom AFB in Austin, Texas, in 1957 she began school in the first grade.  We walked her to school the first few days - and then she had no trouble walking alone.  Today that would cause great concern, a young girl in the first grade walking to school alone.  But in 1957 that was not really a problem.

Leslie, the youngest, was the cute cuddly little doll who was a wee bit mischievous but so lovable I could not get mad at her.  In 1956 before I went to Korea, she was 18 months old and I loved dressing her, and combing her hair so that a pony tail stuck up in the middle of her head.  She was adorable.  See the photo below.

And equally sweet and lovable was our middle daughter, Cynthia, called Cindo.  She had the most distinct character of all three - and the photo in the middle of the collage seems to capture that perfectly.   We see Leslie, sweet and cuddly.  We see Deborah, alert, wondering, and sitting forward, not shrinking back.  And then we see Cindo in the middle with the look on her face telling us, "Maybe I will and maybe I won't!"  And that was her sweet adorable personality.  Cindo had that stubborn, yet inquisitive nature.

In 1958, after I left the Air Force we moved to Southern California where I went to work in the computer industry with Burroughs Corporation.  In late 1959, Burroughs transferred me to the Norfolk Naval Supply Depot in Virginia for nine months and then to the Washington DC office.  We lived in Alexandria, Virginia, for several years and then transferred back to Southern California. 

As we were driving from Virginia to Southern California, somewhere in the Midwest Cindo's inquisitive nature showed itself.  Driving across country both ways, first in 1959 and then returning in early 1963, we had stations wagons - perfect for a family with three young girls.  

This was before the awareness of seat belts - so we could put the rear seat down, lay blankets and quilts across the back and the girls had a playroom during the day - and could put on their jammies and fall asleep when we drove later in the evening.  Since we were not in a big rush on either trip, we could relax in our motel rooms, have a late breakfast, get on the road a bit later and continue driving into the evening, which we all enjoyed. 

As we were driving one evening, the girls put on their jammies and the other two girls fell asleep.  But Cindo wanted to come up front and sit between us (those were the days of sofa-like bench seats instead of bucket seats in cars).  That evening driving through the open Midwestern countryside, the moon was full and bright - and it was hanging just in front of us to the left of the highway. 

Cindo must have looked away for a moment and then back again - for the moon was now on the right of the highway.  She was amazed.  "How did the moon move?"  And, of course, I had fun with her telling her that I had moved it.  Isn't it wonderful when our children believe us without question?  But then I did tell her the moon did not move  - we did, by changing direction.  That can remind us of our relationship to God.  God does not move, it is us.  We either move closer to Him or we drift further away.

Once, living in Southern California before moving to Virginia, I was driving with the girls sitting in the front seat with me.  And I convinced them that I could change the traffic light from red to green, just by snapping my fingers.  You see, I knew that by looking at the yellow light on the intersecting street, it turning yellow meant that in a couple of seconds my light would change to green.  So, snap the fingers - and voila!, the light becomes green.  To three young girls, I was making magic.

After living in Virginia for a few years, we arrived back in Southern California and moved into a home in North Hollywood.  One evening as we sat for dinner, I put on my serious face and told the girls, "Since I am from Alabama, before we have dinner we have to sing Dixie."   Sweet Deborah and Leslie sang Dixie.  Cindo crossed her arms in front of her chest and said firmly, "No!"

I told her, still looking very serious, "If you don't sing Dixie you will have to go to bed without dinner."   She looked at me with that determined look, got up, and started to her bedroom.  I had to run after telling her that I was only kidding.  But that was my girl, my Cindo - beautifully stubborn and I loved her for it.

God gave us children to love and protect - but He never said we could not have fun doing it!

I pray that you have enjoyed my walk down memory lane.  I know that I have always enjoyed reliving all those wonderful moments.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

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This Is A Great Presentation On The Rapture!

THE VIDEO BELOW IS A GREAT DISCUSSION OF THE RAPTURE  ~  Dr. Andy Woods, Senior Pastor of Sugar Land Bible Church, Sugar Land, Texas, is making a presentation at the 2016 “Steeling the Mind Bible Conference" in Spokane, Washington, organized by Compass International of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

After spending almost 30 years studying the Bible and eschatology, I have often been frustrated reading some Bible scholars or watching their presentations - and finding so many areas where I just cannot agree with them.  But watching this presentation by Dr. Andy Woods I was amazed that he and I are absolutely on the same page in our beliefs and knowledge of the End Times Prophecy of the Rapture.

One minor area where I thought we might disagree is the Battle of Ezekiel 38-39.  I have always viewed that battle as happening just before the Rapture for one reason:

Ezekiel 39:9-10, "'Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and bucklers, the bows and arrows, the javelins and spears; and they will make fires with them for seven years.  They will not take Woods from the field nor cut down any from the forests, because they will make fires with the weapons; and they will plunder those who plundered them, and pillage those who pillaged them,' says the Lord GOD."

God is telling the people of Israel that the weapons from the destroyed armies of Gog and Magog will supply all the fuel they will need for SEVEN YEARS.  And since the Tribulation is seven years - I assumed that the Battle of God and Magog, Ezekiel 38-39, would happen before the Rapture.  And in the "Left Behind" book series written by Dr. Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins - that is the way it happens.  First the battle of Ezekiel, then in very short time - the Rapture.

But the way that Dr. Woods explains it will also fit.   The Rapture occurs - and immediately afterward, with the restraining power of the Holy Spirit led church removed - the Antichrist arises and the the Battle of Ezekiel 38-39 happens.  God makes quick work of the invading Gog/Magog armies - and provides Israel with enough fuel to last the seven years of the Tribulation - which begins the moment the Antichrist signs a Seven Year Peace Accord (Daniel 9:27) with the nation Israel.

That said, I highly recommend this video to all my FRANs (Friends, Relatives, Associates, Neighbors) and suggest your share it with your FRANs.  This is the true Biblical picture of the coming End Times.

The organizer of the Steeling the Mind Bible Conferences is Compass International, an evangelical, non-profit, non-denominational ministry.  Since 1993, in addition to email Bible studies, Israel tours, and missionary outreach, Compass has been organizing Steeling the Mind Bible Conferences to bring together top Christian speakers to teach on difficult and timely issues – providing great spiritual armor to complement local churches.

Compass International Doctrinal Statement- What we believe and defend…

1.  Inerrancy Of Scripture:  We believe and defend that the Holy Bible is the inerrant, supernaturally inspired Word of God.  (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21) 

2.  Trinity:  We believe that God exists in three persons in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  (Matthew 28:19) 

3.  Born Of A Virgin:  We believe that Jesus Christ was born of a human virgin.  (Isaiah 7:14) 

4.  All Mankind Is Born Sinful/Lost:  We believe that man is born sinful and separated from God.  (Romans 3:23)  

5.  Saved By Faith In Christ Alone:  We believe that salvation comes to man only through faith in Jesus Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross and bodily resurrection three days later.  (Romans 1:16, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5)  

6.  Jesus Resurrected:   That Jesus defeated death, was bodily resurrected and is alive today.  (Luke 24:6, 2 Timothy 2:8) 

7.  Jesus Will Return To Earth And Reign As A Jewish King From Jerusalem:  That Jesus will return for dead and alive Church Age Believers first (Rapture) and return again seven years later to reign as King of the earth for 1000 years from His throne in Jerusalem. (1 Corinthians 15:52, Revelation 20:6) 

8.  The Jews Are God’s Chosen People: We believe that the Jews, Israel, were chosen by God as a special people (Deuteronomy 7:6, Romans 2:10) 

9.  Salvation Is Eternal And Cannot Be Lost:   We believe that salvation is permanent, eternal and forever based on what Jesus did on the cross, not what we do or don’t do on this earth.  (Hebrews 13:5, Romans 8:38-39, John 3:16, Titus 3:5-7)

10.  That Every Word In The Bible Was Inspired By God:  And Should Be Taken Literally, Within Proper Context.  We believe the Bible should be interpreted within a dispensational framework.  (Ephesians 3:9, 2 Timothy 2:15)

11.  That An Eternal Hell Exists:   We believe that an eternal hell exists, has tormenting flames and is dark, and awaits all those who do not trust by faith that Jesus died on the cross to pay for their personal sins and that Jesus was resurrected, defeating death. (Matthew 10:28, Matthew 25:30, Revelation 20:15) 

So, get a hot cup of tea, get comfortable, and enjoy this great presentation of:

One Second After the Rapture - 1 Thess. 4:13-18
Dr. Andy Woods
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR6-hkETypo&list=PLJ5WZ9aWBhyjHdDJRWOiSwwaY6Na9fq_H&t=0s&index=13

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

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Do I Believe Prayer Works?

DO I BELIEVE PRAYER WORKS?  No, I KNOW that prayer works.  I know prayer works from personal experience, I know prayer works from seeing prayer work in the lives of others, I know prayer works for my Lord has told me.

John 15:7-8, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples."

To abide in Christ is to be in tune with Him - through diligently studying His Word, through faithfully going to Him in prayer, through awareness of the Holy Spirit within guiding us.  In prayer ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you - when we find our prayers are in tune with Jesus' will.

1 John 5:14-15, "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him."

Does God always answer prayers the way we want?  No, we must keep in mind that God knows our needs better than we know them.

Isaiah 55:8-9, "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,' says the LORD.  'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.' "

I realize that many people, frustrated about their prayers, do not like to hear this, but God always answers prayer.  Sometimes it is, "Yes," other times, "No," and still other times, "Wait a while, My child." 

For some who are new believers, some who are not mature in their faith and in the Word of God - that might be an exasperating answer.  But it is true.  About ten years ago, on the TimesDaily Religion Forum, a lady member was very antagonistic, telling me, "I used to be a Christian.  But God let my eleven year old daughter die even though I prayed many times for her to be saved.  God may exist, but if He does He is not the God you talk about."

This lady was bitter and, in some ways I can relate.  If we do not have a strong walk with the Lord - times like that can drive us into deep despair.  When we do not have strong faith to keep us in such times - it is easy to start blaming God.  The lady told me, "I am agnostic, leaning toward atheism."   I knew that she threw in the atheism just as a barb against me.  But I also did understand her - and tried often, on the forum and in private messages - to reach her.  I never could, but at least I knew that I had tried.

About twenty years ago, I first began posting to my Friends Ministry eNewsletter - and it grew to over 800 people.  I would often share prayer requests sent to me by many of my Friends.  And when you have that many Friends around the world, the number of prayer requests can become pretty large.  After a while, some of my Friends began to complain that there were too many prayer requests and not enough Scripture discussions and dialogues.  I understood, for it often did get the point where it seemed that so many of my posts were prayer requests - and although God does tell us to pray for one another, often too many prayers for folks we do not even know - can begin to burden us.

I did not want Friends leaving my Friends Ministry mail list - yet I felt a need to share prayer requests sent to me.  What should I do?  One evening Dory and I were taking our evening walk around the neighborhood when I felt God put an answer in my heart, "Start a separate Intercessory Prayer Chain."  Simple answer, why had I not thought of that?  In my next Friends Ministry eNewsletter I invited all my Friends who wanted to participate in the Intercessory Prayer Chain to send me an e-mail asking to be put on that list.  About 150 Friends responded and thus began the prayer chain.

Some time later I found Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa's "CCCM Prayer Chain" and asked to be included.  When I got the first e-mail from them, it was not what I had expected.  I expected to see something like, "Our friend, Al Smith, had a heart attack and has been hospitalized.  Pray for his recovery."   And variations of such specific prayer needs. 

But what I received was a long list of names (several hundred), like a telephone book, and most often with no specific prayer need shown  It was like:  Pray for Al Smith.  Duh!, pray what for Al Smith?  So I quickly dropped off their list - for I find it difficult praying what I call the "Telephone Book" Prayer List.

You will notice a key phrase in the paragraph above:  SPECIFIC Prayer.   Why is this important?  If we pray for a specific need - then we will know when God has answered that prayer - and we can give thanks to God for an answered prayer.  If we pray in generalities, how can we know when our prayer has been answered?  If we pray such as, "Oh, Lord, I pray for all the people in our church."   Duh!  You pray what for those members?

That is kind of like a funny joke a dear Friend, Bob Diorio, shared with me years ago.  Bob was a fellow computer salesman, but could have had a career as a stand-up comedian. 

A Blonde became a Christian believer and knew that God answers prayer.  She really believed and kept praying, "God please let me win the lottery!"  Week after week, she prayed the same prayer, "God please let me win the lottery!"   Finally one day, totally exasperated, she prayed to God, "Lord, why won't You answer my prayer?"   Then she heard the voice of God, "Do Me a favor, Blondie.  Buy a ticket!"

The spiritual mentor who led me to the Lord in 1987, Pastor Sam Lacanienta, taught us about prayer.  "Do not pray in generalities, for then you have no idea what you really were asking of God - or if He answered.  And if you do not know what you ask of God, how will you know when He answers that prayer?"    The most important part of prayer is not receiving what we want, but receiving what God wants for us - and giving thanks for that answered prayer.  In that way, we abide in Christ and we glorify God.

For years in several home churches in Orange and Riverside Counties, I was responsible for doing the Sunday Church Bulletin.  Members of our church family would give me prayer requests and each Sunday our bulletin contained two separate prayer inserts:  One was "Prayer Requests."  The other was giving thanks for "Answered Prayers."  And I did put the burden on folks that when they asked us to pray for a need - they should tell us when and how God answered that prayer need.  Then we all could give thanks to God for answered prayers.

Many years ago, my step-father had my mother in a cult church, Herbert W. Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God.  Each year they would go to another location and have one week of ritual ceremonies.  One year their meeting was in Dayton, Ohio, so they planned to go through Indianapolis and visit for one night with my cousin.  Then the next day drive to Dayton.  I prayed for God to give them safe travel, protect them from any car problems or accidents, and bring them home safely.  One hour out of Indianapolis driving to Dayton, their car stopped running and they had to be towed back to Indianapolis.  The next day they drove on to Dayton and a week later came safely home to Alabama.

I was a wee bit frustrated with God.  "Lord, I prayed that You protect them from any car problems - and you let their car stop running."

His answer, "What you really prayed for is that I bring them home safely.  And I did!"   And I gave thanks to God for an answered prayer.  There is a possibility that had they continued on toward Dayton that day - in another few miles they may have been involved in a serious accident.  I will never know - but my omniscient God knows.  And He answered my prayer by bringing them home safely.

In 2000 Dory and I were helping our pastor lead a Bible Study at the Vintage Terrace Seniors apartments in Corona, California.  One week a member, Frank, was there and asking prayer.  He had several large black growths on his face which looked like large warts.  He had gone to the doctor and they were cancerous.

A week or so later, I noticed that when I combed my hair, something in my right temple began to snag and bleed.  Looking more closely, it was a large black growth, very similar to what Frank had on his face.  Dory and I were very concerned and she told me, "You better let the doctor look at that."  And I agreed.

That night as I lay in bed, I put my finger on that growth and had a simple prayer, "Lord, please remove this growth."   That was my whole prayer, for when I prayed it I felt the peace of God come over me, like a warm light shining on me, and I knew that He had answered, "Yes."   The next day, the growth was noticeably smaller, the next day even smaller.  And by the fourth day, it was completely gone - leaving only a small white scar - which is there to this day, a reminder of God's love and faithfulness.  Why four days and not instantaneously?  I leave the details to God.

I have been in the computer industry since 1958.  And in 1966 I transitioned from Field Engineering into Computer Sales.  At that time technical experience was important for a computer salesman, hence we were called Sales Engineers.  Fast forward about twenty years and the computer industry had changed drastically.  In the mid-1980s and forward a person with a technical background was no longer needed to sell computer systems.  By then, a warm body on the telephone who knew at least ten technical words and could push for the sale (sort of like the used car salesman) was what companies wanted.  Warm bodies were cheaper, there was much less sales expense, and it was the era of mass consumer selling.

In that environment, several times I found myself unemployed for long periods since most companies did not want experience, just a glib telephone tongue.  About 1985 I found myself unemployed for about a year.  And because my mom had a heart problem, I would not let her know my situation.  As far as she was concerned, I was working and just fine.  Finally one month toward the end of that year, Dory and I found ourselves at the last day of the month, with only $5 in our pocket - and rent due the next day.

At 3:00 PM California time I went into my bedroom, lay on the bed, and prayed a simple prayer, "Lord, give us a way to pay our rent."  That was it, my complete prayer with my most pressing prayer need.

The next morning my mom called and told me, "Yesterday I was taking a bath and just felt like I wanted to send you money.  I had your brother wire you $1000 this morning."  I asked her, "Mom, what time were you taking a bath?"    Her answer, "About 5:00 PM" - which is 3:00 PM California time - exactly when I was laying on my bed and praying.   My rent was $750 - so God also gave me enough for food and utilities.  God knows our needs.

In the late 1980s after I became a believer, my mom being in a cult church really began to weigh heavily on me.  I had been praying for her for several years and a couple of times when she was in the hospital and I went home to be with her.  I took that time to try to witness to her.  I will never forget the one day in her hospital room, we were watching a Christian show on the television, and I told her, "Mom, it does not matter what a person has done.  A person can be a murderer, but if that person believes and asks Jesus Christ to forgive him, to come into his heart and save him, be his Lord and Savior - Christ will do that. Christ will save that person!"   

Her response floored me.  She meekly told me, "I never knew that."   That broke my heart for she had been in this cult church, Herbert W. Armstrong's church, for twenty years - and did not know that Jesus Christ would forgive her?  That broke my heart - but it also made me wonder how many other folks are sitting in churches week after week - and do not know that Christ will forgive them?

And in 1993, with a history of several strokes, my step-father moved her from her home of over fifty years in Alabama - to Little Rock, Arkansas, so he could be near his daughter.  Suddenly that home I grew up in and always knew was there if I ever felt a need to go home - was no longer in my family.  It had been sold.  That bothered me, made me angry.  But a few months later he and his daughter put my mom into a nursing home and that made me furious.  If I could have seen him at that time, I am not sure of what would have happened.

But, once again God spoke to me, telling me, "This is what you have been praying for, a way to save your mother."

I called the nursing home and asked, "Is there a Baptist church near your facility?"   She told me, "There is one next door and they do Bible study here."

I called the pastor and told him about my mom.  He went to visit her, took her a Bible (which I still have), and got her involved in their Bible study.  The rest, as we often say, is history.  When my mom passed away on February 22, 1994, she was a Child of God and I knew she went directly into His presence.  That is the power of specific prayer.

One last thought on specific intercessory prayer.  One evening at Bible study, the lady who was our hostess that evening, Natty Almeda, came home from work.  She was an Operating Room Nurse.  She told us that Lolita Mueller, the lady who had introduced me to the church where I was saved - had exploratory surgery that day.  She told us that when the surgeons opened Lolita, her body was so full of cancer that all they could do was close her up and send her home.  We asked Natty how long she had and Natty felt that Lolita had only weeks, maybe months, to live.

Our Bible study group, our church fellowship, and all of Lolita's friends and family began to pray for her.  At the end of six months, Lolita began to do church office work at home.  At the end of a year, Lolita was able to resume her ministry as our church choir director - and she did that for another six years.  This woman who should have been dead in a matter of weeks - lived another very productive seven years.  Yes, God does answer prayers.

Okay, this is my final thought.  When I was a twelve year old boy growing up in Alabama in the 1940s, I had a bad experience with a traveling Pentecostal Revival Preacher who manipulated and forced me to come forward at a Revival Meeting to be saved.  That event confused me, for no one explained what it meant to be saved, no one told me anything. They just got all excited with their praying, laying hands on me, and shouting hallelujah.  And I went home a very confused little boy.

That event drove me away from God until I was fifty years old.  Today, even though I believe with all my heart in prayer, today when I seem to pray a hundred times a day (prayer for me is really an ongoing conversation between me and my Lord, sort of a running dialogue) - I still have a problem when someone effectively tells me, "Drop, kneel, and pray" - for that is when that twelve year old boy inside me rebels and runs the other way.

Dory has often told me, "That happened a long time ago.  Just let it go."   And I ask her, "If a woman was raped when she was twelve years old - can she ever just let it go?"  She may put it out of her mind, but it is always there - and that twelve year old girl emerges in times or situations which causes her to reflect upon that long ago incident.

I tell Dory, while that young girl may have been physically raped - I feel that at the age of twelve I was "spiritually raped" - causing me to run from God.  That feeling of being "spiritually raped" when I was young is still lurking down deep.  It is under control, but that twelve year old boy is still in there - and when I feel pressured to "Drop, kneel, and pray!" - that young boy comes out of hiding.  It does not lessen my love of God, my desire and need to pray - but it is always there, lurking in that hidden closet. 

And that is another reason that I feel so strongly about our young people being in Bible studies with us, and in their own Sunday School Classes.  We need to prepare them, teach them what it means to be saved, to walk with Christ - and if they are already saved, we are preparing them to tell their peers about their Jesus Christ, in effective and eternally blessed knowledge.

I have never thought about it before, but I wonder if what happened to me at twelve years old - can be why I could not pray aloud and in public for the first seven years I was a believer.  Food for thought.

I pray that some of my long, rambling thoughts on prayer have been helpful to you, that you possibly found one or two golden nuggets that you can take away from this blog.  If so, praise God.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

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TimesDaily Editorial: "Our View: Border Wall Would Take Decades To Be A Reality"

WHY AM I NOT SURPRISED?  Should any Liberal based views from the relatively new Publisher of the TimesDaily newspaper surprise anyone in the Shoals area of north Alabama?  Certainly not me.

If you have followed my blogs and other writings over the years, you will know that in January 2007 I began posting in the Religion Forum of the TimesDaily, my hometown newspaper.  At that time it was owned by the liberal New York Times - but seemed to maintain its moderate, often conservative, Alabama point of view.  I began posting on that Religion Forum, forgetting my own bias against public forums since I have long viewed them as venues for "spitting contests." 

But I swallowed my own distaste for forums and joined that one for one reason.  The Religion Forum of my hometown newspaper, my Bible Belt, Belt Buckle north Alabama hometown where I grew up - was being dominated by two devout atheists.  I enter the fray to refute and rebut their anti-Christian, anti-God writings. 

And I will admit that I began to enjoy the dialogues-in-writing with Friends I found on that Religion Forum.  Yes, the two atheists stayed for a long time - and a number of other agnostics and vanilla-flavored non-believers filled in for them when they were absent.  Those were joined by a few New Age religionists and some Legalistic Christians who could not swallow my conservative Christian views. 

All in all, from 2007 until 2015, I enjoyed a lot of good discussions, allowed a lot of thrown stones to bounce off, and felt that I was effectively sharing the Word of God among my fellow Alabamians.

Then in 2015 a new Publisher was hired who, if not atheist, most definitely leaned heavily toward that world religion.  Right away he did away with Forum Moderators and took that effort into his own office.  So he became the Publisher/Forum Moderator for the TimesDaily newspaper.

A few months later one of the more antagonistic forum members posted that "Bill Gray should be killed!"   Naturally I reported that post to the new Forum Moderator - who immediately banned both the Threator and the Threatee from the TimesDaily Religion Forum. 

Within a week the man making the threat "to kill Bill Gray" was back posting on the forum.  But Bill Gray was still banned.  I wrote what I viewed as a nice, factual letter to the Publisher/Forum Moderator asking that I be reinstated.  He replied in a caustic message that "Bill Gray would NEVER again be allowed to post on His Forum!"

Not a problem.  I have long known that God will give believers a ministry - and when we have accomplished what He wants - He may remove that ministry and give us another.  So I began to look for new venues and have settled on doing the best I can on my Friends Ministry eNewsletter, our Bill & Dory Gray Christian Ministries blog site, and in Facebook discussions.  I will stay with these until He points me in a new direction.

All of that is to introduce you to the latest Editorial from that Publisher of the TimesDaily.   While I know that a large percentage of my fellow Alabamians in the Shoals area of north Alabama, and most likely all of Alabama, are Conservatives like me, and most are Conservative Christian believers like me - we still have the "Pharaoh of the TimesDaily" publishing his extreme Liberal Left Looney point of view. 

And, to no surprise, he is against President Trump, National Security, Closed Borders, and the Border Wall.   Gee, as Gomer Pyle always said, "Surprise!  Surprise!  Surprise!"

This is Pharaoh's latest Editorial in the TimesDaily:

OUR VIEW: 

BORDER WALL WOULD TAKE DECADES TO BE A REALITY
TimesDaily Editorial Section - Jan 16, 2019

https://www.timesdaily.com/opinion/editorials/border-wall-would-take-decades-to-be-a-reality/article_b410f9cf-28a1-5dcf-bb8a-978da450e03c.html

The Issue:  President Donald Trump has a history of trying to take other people's property for his personal gain, and his proposed border wall is just a new and more extreme example.  President Trump wants to build a wall.  Maybe it will be concrete.  Maybe it will be steel.  Maybe it will have slats you can see through.  Who knows?

The president says something different almost every day.  But, we are assured, it will be big and beautiful and keep America safe from a flood of terrorists the Trump administration has claimed are crossing the U.S. border with Mexico.

A key element in the proposal to build a border wall is eminent domain.  Let’s Google that: “Eminent domain. noun. The right of a government or its agent to expropriate private property for public use, with payment of compensation.”

Trump is talking about declaring a national emergency, bypassing the restrictions even eminent domain law places on property seizures, to take land along the southern border for his wall.  It’s worth noting that the “national emergency” comes even as illegal border crossings are at nearly their lowest level in nearly 20 years, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection statistics.

Bill Gray Note:  The third major "caravan" of ILLEGALS is now on its way from Honduras and is approaching the southern border of Mexico.  This will bring the total of ILLEGALS flooding through Mexico toward America to well over 10,000 people - mostly men of military age - with plans to flood into America.  What else can we call that but an INVASION?  Forget past statistics.  

We are absolutely talking about a National Emergency - for an army of more than 10,000 military age men are continuing their attack on our southern border.

The idea there is a national emergency on the U.S.- Mexico border is political fantasy, not fact.  But by claiming there is a national emergency, Trump hopes to beat back legal challenges to taking the land he needs for his wall.

It may not be that easy.  Legally, declaring a national emergency likely won’t let Trump get around the eminent domain requirement that the government demonstrate a public use for the land and provide landowners with compensation.  Regardless, the Trump administration will face legal challenges, either to the president’s authority to bypass eminent domain requirements or to the eminent domain seizures themselves.

Landowners in Texas aren’t taking Trump’s wall project lying down.  “You could give me a trillion dollars and I wouldn’t take it,” landowner Eloisa Cavazos told the Associated Press.  Cavazos owns land along the Rio Grande, which separates the U.S. and Mexico.  And Cavazos is not alone.  The Catholic Church also owns property needed for the wall, and the local diocese is putting up a fight, denying surveyors access to the land, according to the AP.

Bill Gray Note:  Would anyone care to ask if Eloisa Cavazos (Hmmm? Hispanic name.  Wonder how many relatives are in the caravans from Honduras?) voted for Obama and Hillary in recent elections?  

And not a surprise that that the Roman Catholic church would oppose the Border Wall.  The Pope has come out publicly stating that no country should have border walls to prevent people from entering.  Yet have you seen the massive wall which surrounds the Vatican?

The federal government could be mired in years of legal challenges, and even then it would take “an estimated 10,000 construction workers more than 10 years to build the kind of 1,000-mile wall President Trump has said he wants,” according to The Washington Post.

That means the “national emergency” wouldn’t be solved for maybe 15 or 20 years, roughly 40 years after the peak of illegal border crossings.

Bill Gray Note:  No National Emergency, or any other emergency can be solved - UNTIL that nation or person takes the first step.  For America that first step is the Wall.  President Trump  ~  BUILD THAT WALL!

And that, my Friends, is how a Liberal Left, Atheist leaning Newspaper Publisher writes an Editorial.  But we real Americans know that President Trump has worked diligently to keep ALL of his campaign promises to we Americans. 

And we know that President Trump is not in the White House to increase his wealth - for he entered the White House as a billionaire. 

We know that President Trump did not enter the race to be president to gain publicity - for he was already one of the most publicly recognized Americans of our generation. 

We know that President Trump did not enter politics as a way to attract a beautiful wife - for he brought the most beautiful, elegant, and educated wife into the office of First Lady - that America has seen in the history of our nation.

So, why did Donald Trump enter the political fracas and become President Trump?  He did it for one purpose and one purpose only.  He wants sincerely to Make America Great & Strong Again.  He wants to protect American families.  He wants to give Americans a prosperous economy and American homeland.

It is our duty to help President Trump achieve those goals - for our own benefit.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

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Aneurysm Awareness - Share With A FRAN!

Recently a Christian sister, Merlee Advincula, shared the information below with me via Facebook Messenger.  And it seems so important enough that I must share it with YOU and all my Friends.  As a dear Friend, May Patam, shared with me many years ago at church, "If it will help one person, it is worth all the effort."  May and I were talking about sharing the Word of God through newsletters, notes, in person, etc., at church one Sunday.

But today Merlee's message could help save the life of a FRAN (Friend, Relative, Associate, Neighbor) - so how can we not share this vital information?  I am not sure if Merlee's message is a first person account, or if she is passing on what a Friend gave her.  But, regardless it is worth our continued sharing.

This was Merlee's Message to me:

Aneurysm awareness:

Another victim of aneurysm just passed away today.  I have a co-teacher who suffered an aneurysm late last year and she had to undergo brain surgery. Fortunately through God's miracle she was able to recover.  Prior to my co-teacher's case, my husband's cousin also suffered an aneurysm, was comatose for months in a hospital and also recovered. 

That is the time I begun to read about this sudden attack in our brains' blood vessels.  One time, a parenting seminar was held at my daughter's school.  The guest speaker timely points out that anybody can be a victim of an aneurysm.  But there's a proven technique how to avoid it.

When taking a bath, do not start pouring water on your head.  This is a bad practice.  Blood temperature will shoot up because of the cold water.   Instead wet your feet first or lower extremities -  wait for a few seconds.  Then slowly wet your upper extremities.  It means to say taking bath from feet to head - NOT head down - will save YOU from an aneurysm attack.

A sisterly reminder.  You may share this also to friends!  Life is precious.

And today she shared the photo below which adds to her previous message.  So, for all those you care about - and even those not so close - let's all share this message with our FRANs.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed, and healthy day,

Bill

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Why There Must Be A Pre-Tribulation Rapture Of The Church - Pastor Jack Hibbs

This is a great teaching video on the Rapture of the Church.  And from the Bible we know it must be a PreTribulation Rapture.  In this video Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills (CA) shared a great message yesterday telling us:

"The timing of the Rapture in relation to the Tribulation is one of the most controversial issues in the church today.  The three primary views are Pre-Tribulational (the Rapture occurs before the Tribulation) - Mid-Tribulational (the Rapture occurs at or near the mid-point of the Tribulation), and Post-Tribulational (the Rapture occurs at the end of the Tribulation)." 

So I invite you to experience the teaching of Pastor Jack Hibbs as he examines Scripture and makes a case for the Pre-Tribulation Rapture position of the church in this video.

By the way, this is the same doctrinal teaching you will find in our local church, International Bible Baptist Church of Riverside (IBBC-Riverside).  We believe and teach a PreTribulation Rapture of the church and a PreMillennial Second Coming of Christ. 

If you are seeking a home church or just want to share good fellowship, I invite you to check us out at IBBC-Riverside.  You will find us at:  5932 Challen Avenue, Riverside, California 92503.  And our services are: Morning Service at 10:00 AM, Sunday School at 1:30 PM, and Afternoon Service at 2:30 PM. 

Overall I view this video as a great teaching tool and would strongly suggest to all my Christian Friends that you share it will all your FRANs (Friends, Relatives, Associates, Neighbors) that they, too, might have the sense of eternal security which Christ has promised to all believers.

That said, there are several areas where I will take exception.  First, at about the 5 minute point, he states that all Christian churches agree that there will be a Rapture, yet they debate when it will happen.   That is not true.   If he had said all Dispensational Premillennialism churches and denominations agree there will be a Rapture, I would agree.  However those churches and denominations which teach Historic Premillennialism, Amillennialism, or Postmillenialism do not see a Rapture in our coming future.

And the second exception I will mention happens to be a grammatical boo-boo which I see and hear many otherwise intelligent and educated speakers making.  At the 9:24 minute point, Pastor Jack hit a hot button for me.  He states that "Jesus already delivered you and I from hell."   No, no, Pastor Jack, "Jesus already delivered you and ME from hell."   Jesus has not "delivered I from hell" - but He has "delivered ME from hell." 

Sorry for being side tracked folks, but this is one grammatical error which to me is like pouring salt on a new wound.  If a person is going to be a public speaker, do it right.  You would be surprised at how many very intelligent and educated people, such as Pastor Jack Hibbs, I see making that mistake in public speaking.  Unfortunately, throughout this great video Pastor Jack makes that same mistake over and over.  So he must believe it.

This mistake happens most frequently when a writer or speaker is using a compound sentence.  A compound sentence is one which is composed of two or more main clauses.  When we break Pastor Jack's compound sentence "Jesus already delivered you and I from hell"  down into its two main clauses, we get, "Jesus already delivered you"  and "Jesus already delivered I."    Would you say, "Jesus already delivered I"?  No!  You would say, "Jesus already delivered ME."   So, to prevent an "Arghhhh!" moment for the listening audience, the correct statement should be, "Jesus already delivered you and ME from hell." 

Please do not allow my "side note moment" to distract you from the important message of this video:  Jesus Christ is going to Rapture His church, His bride, from this earth BEFORE the Tribulation begins.  That is just one more layer of Eternal Security for all believers.  Two layers of assurance for all believers:  (1) When you believe, receive Christ, you HAVE Eternal Life and cannot lose your salvation, and (2) You WILL be Raptured before the Tribulation.  Those two you can take to the bank.

Now get a cup of coffee, or tea, sit back and enjoy this great teaching moment.

Why There Must be a Pre-Tribulation Rapture of The Church https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yBfHgx8d88 Real Life with Jack Hibbs  ~  Published on Jan 13, 2019

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

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Science Learns - What God Always Knew!

What a surprise!  I might be pretty smart.  The world famous Theoretical Physicist, Michio Kaku, Henry Semat Chair and Professor in theoretical physics at the City College of New York agrees with me.  And he gives us two very key affirmations:

First, he believes in God:

“I have concluded that we are in a world made by rules created by an intelligence,” Kaku said, as quoted by the Geophilosophical Association of Anthropological and Cultural Studies. “To me it is clear that we exist in a plan which is governed by rules that were created, shaped by a universal intelligence and not by chance.”

Second, he believes that God created the universe, not just as our four dimensional world (height, width, length, time) - but as a 10 or 11 dimension universe:

“The final solution resolution could be that God is a mathematician,” says Kaku.  “The mind of God, we believe, is cosmic music. The music of strings resonating through 11-dimensional hyperspace.”

That is what I wrote in a 2015 blog and revisited in a 2017 blog titled "The Mysteries Of God - Revisited."  The following is taken from that 2017 blog:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Another mystery?  After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples in the locked Upper Room.   "Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, 'Peace be with you.'   When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord"  (John 20:19-20).

The door was locked, so it would seem that He just appeared - one moment He was not there, the next moment He was standing in their midst.   We can almost hear little Arnold of the "Different Strokes" television show (1978-1986) asking, "Whatcha talkin bout, Willis?"   Or, if we had been in the Upper Room, we might have heard, "Howcha do that, Jesus?"

So, can you explain how Jesus just appeared in the Upper Room?   Christian scientists have a theory which seems plausible to me.  Our universe which God created "in the beginning" consists of as many as ten or more dimensions, which we, in our mortal bodies, cannot fully see and understand.

We live in a four dimensional universe created by God: height, width, length, and time.   But, how many other dimensions are there in the whole created universe?  Supposing earth, heaven, and hell all exist in the same physical spatial realm (like three people simultaneously sitting in the same small chair, but each not seeing the other two). 

Earth existing in four dimensions (height, width, length, time), and heaven and hell existing in their separate dimensions - within the same physical spatial realm.  There is no time in heaven nor hell - so neither heaven nor hell require the time dimension.  That leaves only height, width, and length.   That would mean a universe consisting of at least ten dimensions.  Is that possible?   Is anything impossible with God? (Matthew 19:26)

Since Jesus is God, He was in His glorified body after the resurrection.  Could He not be in one set of spatial dimensions which define heaven?  And, the next moment appear in the dimensions which define earth and the Upper Room?  Yes, for Star Trek fans it isreminiscent of, "Beam me up, Scotty!"  But Jesus Christ does not need Scotty - He is the ultimate Engineer.

Through the years, skeptics of the Bible have mocked the teaching of the Scriptures regarding this spiritual world; yet it is fascinating to note that the findings of modern science provide further confirmation of the Bible in many ways regarding this subject. .  .  .

Dinesh D’Souza, in "Life After Death: The Evidence" has written about the discoveries of these multiple dimensions which humanity cannot readily empirically detect, but which science and mathematics are documenting, truly exist:

“Now it is time to see why even our four-dimensional world of space and time may be part of a larger multidimensional world, several of whose dimensions are hidden from us.  This idea of multiple dimensions is part of a powerful new approach to physics called string theory.  Many scientists regard string theory as the best prospect for unifying Einsteinian relativity with quantum mechanics. .  .  . "

The late Chuck Missler in "Beyond Time And Space" provided an excellent illustration of how these matters relate to our spiritual state:

“We have a hard time conceiving of hyperspaces.  Theoretical physicists try to explain them and produce ways to visualize them, but we have very little means to truly comprehend additional dimensions.  There are only two kinds of people that can really deal with hyperspaces:  mathematicians with advanced training - and small children. . . .  We have the same difficulty in conceptualizing greater dimensions than our own.  Still, we can use this illustration to see how beings in higher dimensions might interact with us without our comprehending the full reality of their existence.”

So theoretical physicist Michio Kaku’s conclusion is pretty is clear.

“The final solution resolution could be that God is a mathematician,” says Kaku. “The mind of God, we believe, is cosmic music. The music of strings resonating through 11-dimensional hyperspace.”

Michio Kaku - Are there Extra Dimensions?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUlVFzl_BJs

Welcome to God's universe.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill
 

To Whom Should We Pray?

The graphic below was posted on Facebook today by a Christian brother, Ren Suarez Pana, and it brought a flash-back to many years past.  Ren was raised a Roman Catholic and as an adult converted to the Protestant faith and that is why he posted this graphic.

Ren's graphic reminded me of a conversation I had with a Christian Friend, Daniel, about twenty years ago.  I was an elder in our Fil-Am Church of Corona and Daniel was a member.  At the same time he also attended a local Roman Catholic church where his cousin was a monsignor.

In a conversation one day at the home of our Friend, Maggie, we talked about prayer.  Daniel still clung to his Roman Catholic practice of praying to Mary and  to the saints.  I suggested to Daniel that we should pray directly to God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) - for when Christ died on the cross, He opened the path to the throne room of God for all believers. 

Before Christ's death, only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies, i.e., the throne room of God.  At His death the veil dividing the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom, i.e., from God to man.  Now man could bring his prayers directly to God instead of going through the High Priest as an intercessor.

Matthew 27:50-51 (nasb), "And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.  And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; .  .  ." 

Daniel, to justify praying to Mary and the saints, told me, "But, Bill, you are posting an Intercessory Prayer Chain.  Isn't that going to others with your prayers?"

And I told him, "No, Daniel, what I am doing in my Intercessory Prayer Chain is asking people to pray to God for the healing, spiritual and physical, of others.  However, keep in mind that all of the people whom I ask to pray - are still alive.  Once they die, they can no longer pray or intercede for others.  Mary, Joseph, and all the saints to whom Roman Catholics pray - are all dead, no longer able to pray for us.  They are in their post-death life, no longer able to hear our pleas."  

When we turn to the Bible to learn how to pray, this is what we are told:

Matthew 6:9 (nasb), "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name."

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

Romans 8:26-27 (nasb), "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints (all believers) according to the will of God."

So, when we pray it is directly to God the Father - through God the Son and through the intercession of God the Holy Spirit.

Now, before anyone gets mad at me, let me assure everyone that this is not an attack against my Family and Friends who are Roman Catholic.  I am only saying that we must all accept that the Bible, God's Written Word - His full revelation to man - is the only book of authority authored by God.  All other books, regardless of who presents them - come from man.

You may agree or disagree regarding intercessory prayer - but you must accept that the Bible is the highest authority on all things pertaining to God and man.

Let me briefly share the story of a man who was highly educated in Roman Catholic seminaries, rose to a high position in the Roman Catholic education hierarchy - and then chose to leave that church.  In the last years of his life I was privileged to have known him personally.

I first met Anthony Pezzotta in writing about 25 plus years ago.  A Filipino pastor Friend gave me a floppy disk which contained the unpublished manuscript of a book titled "Far From Rome, Near To God, Testimonies Of Fifty Converted Roman Catholic Priests" edited by Richard Bennett, former Dominican Priest and now Director of Berean Beacon in Portland, Oregon, and Martin Buckingham, Director of The Converted Catholic Mission in Leicester, UK.

That book is available at:   https://www.thebereancall.org/content/far-rome-near-god

When I began to read the manuscript, I was immediately drawn to the very first testimony in the, at that time, unpublished manuscript.  That testimony was written by Anthony Pezzotta and is titled "I Found Everything When I Found Christ."  

The reason I was immediately drawn to his testimony is that Tony was born in Italy into a devoutly Roman Catholic family, educated in Roman Catholic seminaries in England, Germany, Spain, and Rome, and spent a large part of his early ministry in the Philippines.

After being ordained, he went to the Philippines where he taught theology in Roman Catholic seminaries.   He was later appointed and served as Director of Schools and Seminaries in the Philippines, as well as a Rector of Local Salesian Communities, for ten years. 

His association with the Philippines caught my attention because I was saved in a Filipino church in 1987 and have been associated with Filipino-American churches since then.  And my wife, children, and grandchildren are Filipino.

If you would like to read more about Anthony Pezzotta's journey from Roman Catholicism to his life of serving God in the Baptist church family, click on the link below to read my full blog:

Herbert, Jeremiah, And I Discuss Anthony Pezzotta's Book "Truth Encounter"
https://billdory-christian-ministries.blogspot.com/2018/03/herbert-jeremiah-and-i-discuss-anthony.html

As I said earlier, this is not an attack on my many Friends and Family who are in the Roman Catholic Church.  I am only sharing with you what I have learned through studying God's Word for the past thirty plus years since becoming a Christian believer in 1987.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

Essential vs Non-Essential Biblical Doctrines ~ What Does Your Church Teach?

Today on Facebook a Friend, Evangel Memorabilia, quoted fromDr. Keith Sherlin, Adjunct Faculty, Systematic Theology Department, Scofield Biblical Institute & Theological Seminary of Michigan:

Two of my favorite quotes from two theologians on opposite sides of the theology debate on continuity and discontinuity that I shared with some men today in a Bible Teaching session.

First, from Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse: "The Bible teaches spiritual separation from the enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ . . . but there is no line in the New Testament which tells us to separate from someone who does not regard secondary doctrine in the same light that we do.  There is no justification for forming a new denomination in order to emphasize one or another doctrine.  We are not being biblical when we separate from another believer because he differs from us in his interpretation of biblical prophecy, or in the manner of carrying out ordinances or sacraments"  (Romans Commentary, Vol. 4, p. 165).

Second, a quote from Dr. John Frame stated: "The door of the church should not be narrower than the door of heaven.  All who belong to Christ should be admitted to the church and to the sacraments” (The Doctrine of the Christian Life: A Theology of Lordship, p. 754).

Sectarianism and schismatic divisions in the body of Christ have hindered our Gospel witness and ability to harness resources needed to advance the cause of the Gospel.  I, without a doubt or one scintilla of shame for the biblical theology I subscribe too, walk in the heritage of Dr. Barnhouse.  But I wish more in my heritage and in Dr. John Frame's heritage had this type of attitude and perspective.  Maybe the great rift of 1944 (Dispensationalism vs Covenantalism) would have never happened. 

May the Lord raise up more men who understand the points these men made here.  If the Gospel and Class "A" Essentials (direct statement of Scripture and Laws) are not violated, I can fellowship with my brothers in the work of evangelism and edification in the Gospel of Jesus.  The body of Christ, Christicommunity, is wide enough for some diversity - and yet deep enough with the Gospel and "A" Level Essentials that we do not need to add anything else to the theological table.  I am hopeful more and more in the years and decades to come can rekindle the ideology that we read in these two men.

Dr. Keith Sherlin:  Adjunct Faculty, Systematic Theology Department, Scofield Biblical Institute & Theological Seminary of Michigan.  B.A. North Greenville University (Theology/Christian Studies) - M.T.S. Tyndale Theological Seminary - MA (Theology; high Honors) Trinity Theological Seminary - ThD Scofield Theological Seminary - and PhD Trinity Theological Seminary (candidate). 

Affiliation: Calvinistic, Evangelical, Dispensational.  

Christicommunity Communications is a ministry of Dr. Keith Sherlin (ThD; PhD).  It promotes a holistic evangelical theology that honors consistent exegesis by a literal hermeneutic with an emphasis on promoting faith, hope, and most of all love.

And I responded to Evangel Memorabilia's post:

What Dr. Sherlin's comments in your Facebook post define as "the theology debate on continuity and discontinuity" or "primary and secondary doctrines" I believe ties in well with my definition of Essential Christian Doctrines vs Non-Essential Christian Teachings.

Below is a short video I recently prepared for our Sunday School Class.  It is my thoughts, or talking points, on Essential vs Non-Essential Christian Doctrines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12I5SQD5dw4

Why am I now sharing this discussion with you?  I have long believed and shared, in my home church and in my writings, that it is important that every Christian believer should know well what he/she believes and what the church they attend teaches.  This is defined in our personal Statement of Faith and in our church's corporate Statement of Faith - for that is what our church believes and teaches.

Why is this important?  Think about it.  If there are leaders in your local church which hold different Biblical beliefs - that could be a source of confusion, disruption, and division among the people in your fellowship.  If the pastor teaches one theology and one or more of the elders/deacons teaches a different theology - who do you believe?

Let me give you a couple of examples:

About twenty years ago, I was one of three elders in a relatively new church fellowship.  We were chosen by the pastor and approved by the congregation.  Some months later, in a discussion with another elder, I found that he held a strong belief in Amillennialism - while our home church taught, and still teaches, the belief of PreMillennialism.  

Amillennialism teaches that the church is currently going through a combined Millennium/Tribulation period now and there will be no Rapture.  In their belief, the world will continue as it is until Christ one day returns, there will be a final judgment, and then eternity - no Tribulation as defined in Daniel and Revelation, no Millennial Kingdom.  Just keep on keeping on - and, boom, Christ returns, judges us, and some to go hell while others go into the presence of God.  That is not what the Bible teaches.

Then and now that local church believed in and taught a PreTribulation Rapture of the church and a PreMillennial Second Coming of Christ to establish His 1000 year Millennial Kingdom on earth.  Yet that one elder held a different belief.  How did this disparity of beliefs between elders, pastor, and the fellowship happen?  It happened because there was not enough emphasis being placed upon publicly defining our corporate and personal Statement of Faith.  The pastor should have had an indepth interview with each elder before appointing him - to avoid confusion within the fellowship.

A second example:  In the early years of that fellowship a new couple came to our church.  The husband's parents had been missionaries and as a result he was given a level of leadership in our fellowship.  In our new Sunday School Class, I had begun leading a study of the book of Acts, the formation of our Christian church.  In one of our early classes we were discussing salvation and how we are saved.  During the class, this man made a statement alluding to a belief that believers can lose their salvation, i.e., an Arminian theology teaching. 

When he first made this comment, to be sure what he was saying, I asked, "Are you saying that a justified believer in Christ can commit a sin which will cause him to lose his salvation?"   When he replied, "Yes," I suggested he and I talk separately about that point and we continued with the class. 

I could not allow him to confuse the class by raising and emphasizing a belief that what Christ teaches over and over in the Bible - eternal security in Christ for the believer (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30, John 3:16, John 10:28-29, John 20:30-311 John 5:13, etc.)  - is wrong.  Our church fellowship believed and taught eternal security in Christ and to go into an indepth discussion disputing that teaching in our Sunday School Class could have led to confusion. 

Let me close by emphasizing whatDr. Donald Grey Barnhouse said in his quote above:  There are Essential Christian Doctrines (he defines them as primary doctrines) found in the Bible which we as Christians believe define our salvation and which cannot be compromised.  Any person or church which denies any of these Essential Christian Doctrines, to that extent is not Christian.

And there are many Non-Essential Christian Teachings(he defines them as secondary doctrines) which, while important to understand, interesting to discuss, and are helpful in making us more mature believers and witnesses - DO NOT define nor affect our salvation.

In closing, let me offer YOU a challenge.  Can YOU clearly define and put in writing, with Scripture proof, your personal Statement of Faith?  Are you intimately familiar with your home church's Statement of Faith?   If not, why not?   What will you say to the person to whom you are witnessing when he/she asks, "What does your church teach?"   Think about it.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

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Is God In Your DNA? ~ Dr. Harold Sala, Guidelines International Ministries

When I first began reading this new devotional from Dr. Harold Sala of Guidelines International Ministries I was concerned that some brethren from the Calvinist side of the aisle may declare, "That is proof that God chose only the Elect before Creation - for He put that desire to know Him only in the DNA of those Elect." 

And that could answer why some have a strong desire to know and follow Christ, while others reject all evidence of God and all efforts to bring them into His family.

But when I look more deeply into Scripture, I find:

2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but (desires) that all should come to repentance."

Ephesians 1:13, "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of Truth, the Gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,"

John 3:14-16, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

John 20:30-31, "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name."

When I read these Scripture passages I know, beyond all doubt, that God has put a desire to know Him more fully in my heart and in YOUR heart - and, yes, like Dr. Sala, I believe He most likely designed our DNA with that "God desire" built into all of us.

In my personal library I have a great book written by Don Richardson and published in 1981 titled "Eternity In Their Hearts."   The book starts in the year 1795 deep in the jungles of Burma where hundreds of native tribesmen rush out to a clearing to greet a white-skinned stranger. 

"Could he be the one to bring 'the book' their forefathers lost so many years ago - the book that tells the secrets of Y'Wa, the Supreme God?"  Yes!  And later missionaries were astounded at the way in which God had prepared these people for one of the greatest mass conversions in history.

The book covers more than twenty-five incredible-but-true stories which prove the truth of the words found in Ecclesiastes 3:11, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, .  .  ."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Is God in Your DNA?
Guidelines International Ministries
Dr. Harold Sala,January 03, 2019

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."  Jeremiah 29:13

In a tribal area in Northern Luzon in the Philippines, a witch doctor sprinkles chicken blood on the door posts of a new house and chants a prayer asking that the spirits bless the residents.  In Yangon merchants step out of their sandals and walk barefooted up the steps to the great Shedagon Pagoda and sit in contemplation before a golden Buddha. 

Half-way around the world, families fill parking lots, then with Bibles under their arms stream into churches looking more like modern shopping centers than traditional ones (churches) with spires and organs.  While their paths to God may be as divergent as the distance between the three groups I mentioned, all of them, right or wrong, are reaching out to God as they conceive Him to be.

All over the world you find temples, churches, and religious gatherings of one kind or another.  Why?  Anthropologists may respond that humans have a religious nature, but going deeper is the question, “Where did that come from?  Who put it there?”  Christians are quick to respond, “God did!  That’s how He made us!”  And, if you believe the record that God gave through Moses almost 2500 years ago, you can quickly turn to proof texts (in Scripture) that essentially say that.

Scientists have attempted to answer that question, saying, “It’s in your DNA.  It’s in your genes.”  Molecular biologist Dean Hamer published a book entitled "The God Gene: How Faith Is Hardwired into Our Genes."  He not only believes that human spirituality is genetic, but he believes he has located one of the genes responsible for your quest for God.  Okay, are you to assume that your thirst to know God is simply the interaction of certain brain chemicals in your head, something no different from the heart cry of David, who prayed, “My soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1)?

The book of Ecclesiastes says that God “set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  Dr. Hugh Ross, a scientist who is also a Christian apologist, believes that human curiosity, the desire to know which prompts the question, “Why?” is an evidence not only that you were created in the image of God, but is an evidence of God’s existence as well.

Does it matter whether your desire to know God is hard-wired into your DNA or simply born in your heart?  The fact is, you want to know God, to know that you came into the world for a reason, and that you can make peace with Him.

A final thought.  God would have been cruel to make you with a desire to know Him unless He had also made provision for that need to be met, for your questions to be answered, and for your search to end in His embracing you in His great love.  He put that thirst in your heart to fully satisfy it.  He satisfies your deep longing.  The Psalmist put it, “For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things” (Psalm 107:9).

David put it, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him” (Psalm 34:8).  That’s a test which leaves you satisfied or else with an intense thirst which makes your mouth parched and dry.  A refreshing drink at a cold spring after a long, arduous hike through the desert satisfies in ways that can only be experienced.

Do you want to know God?  Bow your heart and knee and tell Him.  Then pick up your Bible and begin reading in the Gospel of John.  It was written to introduce you to this great God who sent His son to earth to show you the way back home.  That’s Good News.

Resource reading: John 1:1-14

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I thought of the book "Eternity In Their Hearts" today when I read Dr. Sala's Daily Devotional in my e-mail.  And I knew that I wanted to share his message with YOU and with all my FRANs (Friends, Relatives, Associates, Neighbors).   Yes, I do believe that God has put that desire in all of our hearts.  Some call it a "hole within our soul" that only God can fill.  Others, like this devotional may suggest God put it into our DNA.  

One thing I do know for sure is that God also put into the hearts of all believers a desire to share His Good News with the world, that we may each have a part to play in the planting, watering, and harvesting of souls.  How's your farm coming?

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill