June 23, 2005

• Tuesday Bible Study Part one (It was an hour and a half study, and long, so I will write up part 2 later today).

  
  

  I got to Tuesday’s Bible study a bit late, but for good reason. My middle son made Life Scout in Boy Scouts last night. Both my sons are Life Scouts and very close to having enough merit badges to seriously think about their eagle projects.

  
  

  I did get to listen to the start of the Bible study thanks to my personal CD minister, my husband who faithfully records the sessions.

  
  

  Pastor Don had some people visiting from Ohio, who used to attend his Bible studies when they were only a few people in Pastor Don’s home.

  
  

  They asked two questions that Pastor Don answered:

  
  

  1. What is the positioning in the millennial reign? What happens after the rapture?

  
  

  2. What is the role of works in salvation? Many people in denominations and groups try to work their way into heaven. And how sin is dealt with is part of the problem. When we understand works and sin we can come into a position of where we are in Christ.

  
  

  The answer to the first question is in Revelation 18 and 19. Revelation 19 Verse 1, occurs in heaven with a great multitude worshipping God, his righteous judgments are praised. And in verse 9 “…Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!…”  We are those called to the Marriage Supper.

  
  

  Revelation Chapter 18 deals with the fall of the great harlot, Babylon the Great.

  
  

  There is a spirit in the Earth, the harlot, a lustful being that is tempting us with various idols and lusts. Not just sexual lust, but lust for anything from money to position. She is alive and well now. Pastor Don pointed out that some spirits are male and some are female. The male type of spirit is aggressive and up front, not subterfuge and the female, like the great harlot is very seductive and there is subterfuge in her dealings with us.

  
  

  The great harlot comes against the first commandment, that thou shall have no other gods before God.

  
  

  Pastor Don then spoke of how some of the spirits are trying to disrupt Christians all over the world. On a personal note, one of the Pastors that we sponsor in India, Pastor Abraham, called and asked for prayer because 9 of the members of a church that he sponsors were brought to prison. Lawyers were found and the members were released from prison, but they had been beaten and abused. After they were released the powers that be found two pastors and killed them. Pastor Don asked for prayer for God’s justice in this situation.

  
  

  We are lucky here in the states that we do not have to face the kind of persecution that they have to face in other countries.

  
  

  In Chapter 19 of Revelation, God is saying that the Bride of Christ is ready, separates the bride from the world. What separates the Bride of Christ from the world is righteous acts. What are righteous acts? Acts done with a proper motive to give glory to God are righteous. If an act is improper, for self gratification, it is not righteous.

  
  

  When we are doing something that is not with a proper motive we often scheme in our heads, and we should not fool ourselves into believing that God isn’t privy to our schemes.

  
  

  Most people get in trouble because they do things with expectations, but what they are doing is not in the will of God.

  
  

  If you are unhappy in your present, you will be unhappy in your future. Satan has forces in the world to try to get everyone unsatisfied with their life, self-condemnation, and to stop them from feeling the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. To pull them down into their circumstances.

  
  

  When we get to heaven God will show us what we have done, not to condemn us because we are covered with the blood of Christ, but to point out the righteous acts that we have done.

  
  

  What righteous acts can we do:

  
  

  Pastor Don said that often pastors tend to try to lead their church by manipulation. Many pastors feel that God has called them to be Holy Ghost Police. They want their people to do right and get to Heaven and they feel that to do that they have to police them, to bully them. We cannot parent or police people to Heaven. We only have the right to police our own households.

  
  

  In Church, Jesus is the Head Shepherd, and a pastor is to follow the Head Shepherd’s directions. God foreknows all whom he calls, and God doesn’t make mistakes.

  
  

  Some pastors have a parenting style in the pulpit. They preach on holiness, and then identify a sin, and battering ram it into the congregation, and sometimes point out a person who is “guilty” of that sin. It is a negative parenting style, and truth be told, if you look at that style in a family it doesn’t work, so why should we think it will work in a church?

  
  

  When Jesus pointed out a sin in a person he never beat the person over the head with the sin. Look at how he dealt with his disciples, like Peter who was forever putting his foot in his mouth. Jesus would point out the error and move on, but it was done with love. He built up the disciples, not tear them down.

  
  

  The door to heaven is not closed because of our fleshliness. The Head Shepherd teaches that God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish.

  
  

  John 6:28-29 “Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

  
  

  John 6:40 “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

  
  

  Pastor Don pointed out that a person called a call-in radio show and mentioned that they were homosexual, and the pastor who was answering questions on the radio prayed for the person and directed them to a local church. This pastor got in hot water for not reaming the person about their lifestyle and clearly stating that it was not Biblical.

  
  

  The pastor stated that he knew he would get flack (he lost his radio job), but he felt that if the person got to church and started hearing the Word of God, it would begin to convict the person and they would change because of the Hearing of the Word of God.

  
  

  Pastor Don said that the more Jesus you can get into people, the more they will not be able to stand the sin. (I can attest to that one myself – Heather note).

  
  

  Sinners already know that they are sinning. Sometimes it is better not to put your emphasis on the sin, but to bring their focus to Jesus. To trust that Jesus will be able to help the person to change.

  
  

  When you come to believe the Gospel of Jesus, any sin you have will begin to change and drop away.

  
  

  Luke 23:39-43 deals with Christ on the cross between the two sinners. One blasphemed Jesus, and the other one started out blaspheming, but then began to realize that Jesus was not guilty of any sin. Pastor Don said that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. The second criminal was not smart enough to not do the crime, but he was smart enough to recognize who Jesus was.  Luke 23:42 “Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you come into Your kingdom.”

  
  

  Pastor Don asked what saved the criminal? It was when he said the word LORD.

  
  

  A lot of legalistic people cannot stand the fact that salvation can be attained by nothing more than recognizing the Lord.

  
  

  Satan tells people that unless you lead a perfect life, you have no chance. But that is a bold-faced lie. Some keep sinning because they feel that they have no chance. Pastor Don pointed out that one man confessed to him that he stayed away from church, although he was glad that his wife attended, because when he was a kid he committed bestiality. And some pastor had talked about how that would prevent someone from entering heaven. The pastor did not preach the total forgiveness that confessing to Christ can give us. After talking with Pastor Don and realizing that Jesus would forgive any sin, if a person repented and and asked for forgiveness, the man was saved, and died saved at the age of 70. We can do so much damage to God’s kingdom by condemning words.

  
  

  (Personal note, I can attest to that. When I was sinning, I knew that what I did was wrong. When people preached at me, I pretty much tuned them out. It took love to break through the cracks of my armor, and then I was able to hear the Word of God, and wanted God in my life. But it was the abba kind of Love that Pastor Don exhibited to me, and his patience and acceptance of me (not my sin) that finally made me realize that I stood a chance with God. Others had preached at me until they were blue in the face, and instead of reaching me, they just made it seem impossible to be good enough for God. God is doing a mighty work in me, and now things that I used to love I cannot abide because God has changed much in me. I think sometimes when we feel we have to corner a person and drum scripture into them, condemn their lifestyles and actions, what we are really saying is that God can’t do anything without our help. Believe me, if God could reach through to me, He can reach the worst sinner. God lets us help Him reach out to others, but He doesn’t need us to do so. God can reach a person on a desert island. I pray every day that when I share God with someone that I do not drive them away with over zeal, but rather just show them that relationship with God is possible. A church on Long Island has a sign out that says, “We catch them, God cleans them.”

  
  

  We will continue the study with Galatians 3 later on, but my husband needs the computer for work right now.

  
  

  Have a blessed day.

  
  

  Heather

  • 6:55 am
  • 7 Comments