Been Thinking About! ~ Grace vs Law

BEEN THINKING ABOUT!  ~  Reading This Morning In The Book:  "Bible Answers For Almost All Your Questions" By:  Elmer L. Towns  ~  the two sections below really made me think.  I have long known that the Law was just a foreshadowing of the Grace to come in Jesus Christ, but it often shines a light of clarity on our understanding when we put it in writing.

That is also one reason that I have long suggested in my writings that every believer, as well as every local church fellowship, should make the effort to put their Statement of Faith, what we believe from the Bible and what we share from the Bible - in writing.  When you put your SOF in writing, it is like a light from God has added clarity to your faith.  It also makes sharing the Gospel with others much easier and more productive.

Believe it or not, a few years ago in my research, I came across the web site of a church in the Midwest, and when I could not find their Statement of Faith, aka Statement of Beliefs, on their web site, I sent an e-mail asking why I could not find this vital bit of information about their church on their web site.  Right away I had a response telling me, "We do not post our Statement of Beliefs because we do not want to offend anyone."

Whoa!  You are afraid that what you believe and teach about God - will offend someone?  Really?

I replied, "Well, you most certainly have offended me.  And I have no doubt that you also have offended God."

Yes, I realize that I may sometimes sound like a broken record.  But if we, as Christian believers, do not understand what we believe about God, salvation, and our Christian faith well enough to put it in writing - how can we say, or be sure of, what we believe?  When witnessing to a non-believer and they ask, "What does your church teach?"  What will you tell that person?

These are the two bright illuminations I found this morning in Mr. Towns' book "Bible Answers For Almost All Your Questions":

1.  WHAT DOES THIS PHRASE MEAN: “The Law Was Given By Moses, But Grace And Truth Came By Jesus Christ” (John 1:17)?

~ ~  THE LAW demonstrates that man is evil  ~  GRACE demonstrates God’s desire to save man.

~ ~  THE LAW shows how far man has fallen into wickedness  ~  GRACE saves the lost.

~ ~  THE LAW demonstrates blessings that can be earned  ~  GRACE is a free gift.

GRACE Is God’s Love Demonstrated In JESUS CHRIST! (John 3:16).

2.  WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EVERLASTING LIFE AND ETERNAL LIFE?

Those who believe in Jesus Christ will have “everlasting life” (John 5:24).  However, “he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life” (John 5:24, NASB). 

Technically, the words everlasting and eternal come from the same Greek word, i.e., ainois.  Both everlasting and eternal mean life without end. 

However, when the King James Version was being translated, the translators chose to use two English words based on the context of their translation.

When God saves you, from that moment on you have EVERLASTING LIFE.  The word everlasting means life begins and never ends.

However, ETERNAL LIFE means life that never began and life that will never end. Only God has eternal life.

Technically, when you get the life of God, i.e., ETERNAL LIFE - you get the life of God that has always been in existence. 

When you are saved, you have both EVERLASTING LIFE and ETERNAL LIFE.

I pray that these thoughts bring some clarity to your faith and that it encourages you to set aside time to think about and put in writing your personal Statement of Faith.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

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While Waiting For The Right Moment To Share

WHILE WAITING FOR THE RIGHT MOMENT TO SHARE my doctor's office experience from earlier this week, the video below with Mike Huckabee and Dr. Phil McGraw pops up in YouTube.  Wow, what timing!

Dr. Phil speaks about being willing to stand up and be heard, about what our children are being exposed to in our schools, and about standing up for our faith.

That rang a bell!  Last Tuesday I was in the Dermatologist's office to have what looked like a Big Beauty Mark removed.  I don't know what else to call it, for she said it was not a mole, nor was it a growth which might be malignant, but she did not tell me what to call it. 

And, hey, I don't need a beauty mark, I am already beautiful to the One who counts, Jesus Christ.  So she chose to use Cryotheraphy, a procedure using an extremely cold liquid spray to freeze and destroy abnormal tissue. 

While we were discussing this procedure, she asked if I ever had a similar tissue problem before, and I told her no.  Then for some reason I chose to share with this lady, whom I had no idea what her faith is, or if she has any faith, my experience with divine healing.

About 20 years ago, Pastor Ed from our CICF church, with Dory and me, led a Wednesday Bible Study at the Vintage Terrace seniors community in Corona, CA.  Pastor Ed and I would alternate leading the studies.  One week Frank, a senior living there, told us the moles on his face were malignant. 

About a week later, as I was combing my hair, there was a snag and blood on my right temple.  Dory and I were concerned, especially so soon after Frank's diagnosis, and my growth looked very much like those on Frank's face.  We agreed that I should see a doctor.

That night, as Dory was asleep and I lay in bed, I held my right index finger on the growth and prayed a simple prayer, "Lord, please heal or remove this growth."  That was my whole prayer.  Yet immediately I felt a warmth come over me and I felt such peace, somehow I knew He had said, "Yes."  So I rolled over and immediately fell asleep.

The next day, the growth was visibly smaller, the next even smaller - and on the fourth day, that growth, whatever it was ~ was gone!  How do I know it was really there, not my imagination, and gone in four days?  Because to this day, maybe 20 years later - the white discoloration from its removal is still there on my right temple for all to see.

Fast forward a few years and I had joined the Religion Forum on my hometown newspaper, the TimesDaily, to refute several atheists who had taken residency there and were flooding that forum community with their atheistic views.

During a discussion I shared on the Religion Forum about what I knew was my divine healing.  And our two resident atheists along with a few legalistic Christians, and a gathering of agnostics and vanilla-flavored non-believers - all were up in arms, several referring to Bill's Magic Finger.  As you can imagine, they all had a field day over Bill's Magic Finger and Bill's Divine Healing.  One Agnostic/Atheist Wannabe asked me, "Bill, do you have a Magic Finger?"  And I told him, "No, I have a mighty God!"

But laugh as they did - I still knew it was true.

Do I believe that God always heals when we pray?  I remember hearing Pastor Chuck Smith commenting about folks who asked him to pray for their healing.  His would tell them, "I will pray for you, but even then you have a 50/50 chance of healing, if that." 

What Pastor Chuck was saying was that no man can heal us, only God can heal us.  He may choose some man through whom He gives His healing, but it is still God and not man.  Nor is it those Prosperity Preachers with their "Slain In The Spirit" sideshows who are defaming the beautiful divine healing which comes only from God.

Do I believe that God always heals when we pray?  No, we most often cannot know why He heals one person and not another.  But in His divine wisdom, He does.  I do not now why He chose to heal me that one time, but I will proclaim it.

Back to my Dermatologist last Tuesday, when I shared about my healing of the growth on my temple - she made no comment and gave no visible reaction.  But still, for her and the nurse present - both heard and the rest I will leave up to God. 

Why did I choose that moment, that time, to share this with the Dermatologist and her nurse?  I have never shared with a doctor before, although I probably should have.  Maybe God wanted one, or both, of them to hear it at this specific time, for His own reason.

While living in Orange County, in our family doctor's office many years ago, - I was in her x-ray room waiting for the med tech to call me.  Sitting there I noticed a full body chart on the wall showing all the muscles, organs, and bone structure in the human body.  Looking at that chart, I thought to myself, "How can any doctor, with that knowledge, not believe in the God who created such a complex, beautiful life form?"  Yet I never overtly shared with her.

So now, let's hear what Mike Huckabee and Dr. Phil have to say about standing up for America, our children, our families, and our faith. 

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

EXCLUSIVE:  Dr. Phil on The HIJACKING of America
Mike Huckabee Show  -  May 8, 2023

Dr. Phil McGraw talks (about) what we need to do to get America back on track and he says it starts with the family unit.  Has our country been hijacked?  Don't miss his insightful interview, here on Huckabee!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOc903o_n4o

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

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

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Last Evening My Wife, Dory, And I Had A Discussion About Bible Studies

LAST EVENING MY WIFE, DORY, AND I HAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT BIBLE STUDIES  ~  And while we both agreed on the necessity for, and importance of, weekly Bible studies, we disagreed on how they should be, or could be, led.  She suggested that most Bible studies today use Pre-Written Bible Study Guides and I am strongly opposed to the use of Pre-Written Study Guides for leading an effective Bible study.

The funny thing is that we both agree that the most effective and most enjoyable Bible studies we have attended in past years have been Expository Bible Studies, where we take a book of the Bible and study through it verse by verse. Whereas most Pre-Written Study Guides are Topical studies. 

Typically the way our past studies have been led is that the Bible Study Leader will open in a short prayer, then give a very brief description of the book to be studied.  Then starting with the study leader, we each read a verse, or possibly a short passage when appropriate, and the that person will share what he/she believes God is telling us in that verse/passage.

At that point others may offer an expansion of the readers comment, or may have a different understanding of that verse/passage.  Others may offer agreement, expansion, or even another view.  The beauty of this style of reading, then discussing verse by verse is that everyone, from Youth to Senior, may participate in open discussion with no criticism of any participants views. 

Then the Bible Study Leader should bring the discussion back into focus, i.e., look again at what is written in the Bible.  That is why this person is called a Bible Study Leader and not a Bible Study Teacher.  He/she "leads" the discussion, but does not take the role of teacher, as in a sermon style study.

That is how a Conversational Bible Study is conducted.  True, if a group has been accustomed to having a Bible Study Sermon for a long time - it may take a few sessions for everyone to become comfortable with a study where we each participate and not just listen, while trying not to fall asleep.  Once the transition has been undertaken, your group will become a truly dynamic Bible Study Group.

Now let's discuss some of the pros and cons Dory and I discussed, or was suggested, last evening:

1.  Using a Pre-Written Bible Study Guide:  My main objection with this style of Bible study is that ALL Pre-Written Bible Study Guides are written to be a "one size fits all" guide.  That is rather like schools which "grades on a curve" - so that no one is left behind, and everyone gets a good grade.

That does not work in real life, nor does it work in effectively studying God's Word.  In such study guides the questions are dumbed down to the simplest form to include everyone, instead of causing everyone to dig deeper into the meaning of a verse or passage.

Do some, at times, get left behind in a discussion style Bible study?  Possibly, for a moment.  That has happened to me.  In 1991 I was a relatively new believer who had not delved into prophecy, especially End Times Prophecy.  In 1991 Iraq invaded Kuwait during the Gulf War and in their retreat, Iraq set the Kuwait oil fields on fire - causing the skies to be black with smoke. 

Those darkened skies caused Bible study leaders around the globe to jump into the study of End Times.  And our study did just that.  Our study leader, Tom Fletcher, began our study talking about the Rapture, the Tribulation, etc., taking us knee deep into End Times Prophecy, while I was still wading in an ankle deep understanding of prophecy.

That evening I was totally lost, having no idea what Tom meant by the Rapture, Tribulation, and other such teachings.  I kept my mouth shut all evening, rather than show my level of Biblical illiteracy.  BUT, I went home that night determined to understand End Time Prophecy.  And for the past 30 years I have been studying, and at times leading Bible studies, on End Times Prophecy.

That style of Conversational / Discussion style Bible study worked for me, causing me to dig deeper into Scripture.  And it can work for everyone the same, if given a chance.  Using a Pre-Written Bible Study Guide seldom, if ever, gives such an effective result.  One size does not fit all.  And a sermon style Bible study only helps cure Insomnia.

2.  Bible Study Guides help those Leaders with limited time to prepare:  Then they should step aside and let someone else who has more time lead the study.  I had a similar situation at our IBBC-Riverside church.  Danny Garcia and I were asked to lead the Seniors Sunday School Class which I was happy to do, not realizing I faced one big obstacle:  Filipino Seniors, even though they speak English, are more comfortable studying the Bible in their Tagalog language. 

We found that Danny leading in Tagalog was much more effective and had better participation than me leading in English.  I stepped aside and not to be a distraction in the Seniors Class, I went to sit, as a participant, in the Adult Sunday School Class led by Ben Gallardo. 

But that makes me wonder, are Seniors not considered Adults?  Just curious why Seniors, Adults, and Youth have to be segregated instead of studying together.  And many church fellowships break the study of God's Word into many more distinctive groupings.  I have seen some churches with as many as 20 different Bible Study / Sunday School Class groups. 

Dory get aggravated when I ask if God has authored a Men's Bible, a Women's Bible, a Youth Bible, etc.  But I feel that is a valid question.  Has God authored 20 different Bibles - or has man written those distinctions into God's Word?  Think about it!

3.  A Bible Study Leader Does Not Have To Be A Bible Scholar, only a person who will take the time to prepare for the upcoming study.  I am reminded of a seminar I attended in the early 1970s, presented by a large brokerage firm, I believe Merrill Lynch, to recruit new sales persons, aka, financial planners.  Several guys in blue suits were presenting the seminar, while a local vice president stood on the sidelines.

During the Q&A session I raised the question:  "Is it illegal for a Merrill Lynch sales agent, financial planner, to invest in the same investment properties he/she is recommending?" 

The vice president fielded my question, and with a laugh said, "You are suggesting that we have inside information.  If we did, we would be out on our yacht instead of in this seminar.  Right?  We do not have any more information than you do."   And of course, my first thought then was, "If that is true, why should I trust you to invest my money?"  Investing your money is one thing, investing in your eternal salvation is very much another.

4.  You Want A Bible Study Leader Who Has The Time To Prepare - using the only "One Size Fits All" book, the Bible - and does not depend upon a Pre-Written Study Guide as a crutch for not being prepared.  Would you take your car to an auto mechanic who is using an "Auto Repair For Dummies" book?  Studying God's Word is very important, for both the leader and the participants, meaning that both should prepare ahead of time.

No, Dory and I did not go into this level of discussion last evening.  But our discussion led me into deeper thoughts on the subject of Bible Study.  Your Bible study evenings should cause you to have deeper thoughts on the meaning of God's Word also.

In a Bible study, it is okay to disagree if we are discussing Non-Essential Christian Doctrines.  But we should never disagree on the Essential Christian Doctrines.  And prayerfully, at the end of a good Bible study, most disagreements will have been worked out. 

But if not, as long as the Essentials are correct - the Non-Essentials will not affect one's eternal salvation. They merely give good points for discussion - and they are important in digging more deeply into God's Word, which will make YOU a more effective Christian witness. 

Usually when a person holds a different view of Eschatology, i.e., End Times Prophecy, than me - I do not argue, I merely tell that person, "On the way UP, we both will know the Truth" - and leave it at that. That leaves us good Christian brethren, both looking toward that final promotion into eternity.

If you are not sure which Christian Doctrines are Essential to your eternal salvation - and which are Non-Essential, i.e., do not determine your eternal salvation, these two short videos will help.  Over the years I have created and refined them to be useful in personal studies and possibly in small group studies.  Each frame can be halted for discussion:

New Bible Study Intro Videos - Essential and Non-Essential Christian Doctrines
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_YT3Rttutri61xd6wmbOD7y0uibrt8KD

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

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