The true knowledge is only poured into the new vessel. It is the living soul alone that receives the living knowledge of the living God from Christ the life. The old nature, the old understanding, is for death and destruction. The wisdom of the flesh, though painted ever so like the spiritual wisdom, is not to be spared anywhere; but that wisdom, with all its zeal and growth and progress in religion must perish. All men's knowledge of the Scriptures which they have gathered in that part will profit them nothing, but hinder them. Every building which the leprosy of sin hath overspread, is to be pulled down; therefore he that hath only the old house swept and garnished, never received the true knowledge, from whence the true faith springs, but his life lies in the oldness of the letter, in the conformity of the dead part to that, and he knows not the virtue of the knowledge of God in the newness of the Spirit (the veil being over his heart) which is only given to the new understanding.
The Axe laid to the Root of the corrupt Tree.....cont
That Christ's immediate revelation of the nature of his Father is to his babes. Not to the wise, not to the zealous, not to the studious, not to the devout, not to the rich in the knowledge of the Scriptures without: but to the weak, the foolish, the poor, the lowly in heart. And man receives not these revelations by study, by reading, by willing, by running, but by being formed in the will of life, by being begotten of the will of the Father, and by coming forth in the will, and lying still in the will, and growing up in the will, here the child receives the wisdom which is from above, and daily learns that cross which crucifies the other wisdom, which joins with and pleases the other will, which loves to be feeding on the shadowy and husky part of knowledge, without life. Therefore, if ever thou desire to receive this knowledge from Christ, know that eye in thyself that is to be blinded, which Christ will never reveal the Father to: read at home, know the wise and prudent there, whom Christ excludes from the living knowledge. And if thou canst bear it, that eye that can read the Scriptures with the light of its own understanding; that can consider and debate, and take up senses and meanings of it, without the immediate life and power; that is the eye that may gather what it can from the letter, but shall never see into the life, nor taste of the true knowledge; for Christ, who alone opens and gives the knowledge, hides the pearl from that eye.
In this chapter, the Israelites are camping near an Acacia Grove. Such groves were often used by pagans to worship Baal and Asherah. They were still in the land of Moab east of the Jordan River and Jericho. Balaam had taken leave of Balak at this time. Israel did not know what Balak and Balaam were plotting. Because Balaam knew that God would not go back on His word and curse Israel whom He had blessed, he came up with a new way to bring harm to the nation of Israel. Revelation 2:12-17 speaks of Balaam's involvement in the incidents in this chapter of Numbers, saying that Balaam instructed Balak to have the women invite the Israelite men to their idol feasts and to entice them into sexual and spiritual immorality by participating in sexual immorality associated with the worship of Baal. Soon, the men were also bowing down to Baal.
This incident in Numbers 25 is where Israel was introduced into Baal worship. YHWH was full of anger at this immorality and idolatry from the very people He blessed and set apart for Himself in a covenant relationship. The men so easily broke this covenant. And by breaking it, the curses of this broken covenant came upon Israel from the hand of YHWH. So, Balaam was successful in devising a way for Israel to be cursed, not that God changed His mind or His blessing to a curse, but by the people bringing upon themselves the curses that were a part of the covenantal agreement they made with YHWH at Sinai.
So, Balaam's scheme worked, but he did not get to enjoy his success for long. He was killed in Moab when he abode among the Midianites when Isael came against Midian at God's direction. Israel slew all of the Midianite men in the area and most of the women.
In this era and area of the world, sexual immorality was a part of the way they worshipped Baal and Asherah. Apparently, Moab, descended from Lot, took to Baal worship early on. cont.
We have in Chapters 13 through 17 those teachings and the ministry of Christ to His disciples. It's like the Lord having a one-on-one with you or me, not public, just a one-on-one teaching with us and what it means to be a disciple and to share His message in the Gospel and His love with us. It is a fantastic section!
CHAPTERS 18 AND 19 are The Particulars of the Crucifixion of Christ. Those two chapters tell us of all the events that surround the crucifixion of Christ.
CHAPTER 20 is The Promise of the Resurrection of Christ.
CHAPTER 21 is The Presentation of the Epilogue.
The reason why chapter 21 is called an epilogue is because many scholars, and probably rightly so, they believed that originally the Gospel of John ended at the end of Chapter 20, but that another chapter was added in order to clarify some things from Chapter 20.
But it is, and we can say with certainty that whoever wrote Chapter 21 is the same person that wrote the first 20 chapters. So, we are not looking at John plus somebody else. We are looking at John writing all 21 chapters. But you should know that that last chapter was an addition. It was probably the elders of Ephesus that urged John to clarify some things and he wrote yet a little further in the Gospel.
I will post the introduction to Acts soon. God Bless!!!
CHAPTER 1 VERSES 1-18 is The Prologue. There is a difference between a prologue and a preface. A preface is an introduction. A prologue is a study or message or story within itself. As a matter fact, all of the rest of the Gospel of John will be teachings to support his presentation here in the prologue of the doctrines and theology of Jesus Christ. So, the prologue is the Gospel of John in a nutshell, and the rest is supportive information.
Beginning at Verse 19 of Chapter 1, and going through to the end of the chapter, we have The Preparation for the Lord's Public Ministry, as we study about John the Baptist and about the Lord calling the first five disciples.
CHAPTERS 2 THROUGH 12, it is the only presentation of the Lord's public ministry by John. Chapter 2-12 is The Presentation of the Seven Signs of the Lord's Deity. And this introduces to us that in all of John's writings, if you put them all together and study them, you find that he is heptadic in writing. That is, he uses sevens for learning purposes. John is heptadic in his writing. In Chapter 2 through 12, he presents seven signs, miracles, each one of them different, and each one of them proving that Jesus Christ is indeed God in human form.
CHAPTERS 13 TO 17, we have The Private Teachings for the Disciples. What a great section! The last week of the Lord's life, right before He died, after He made His entrance into Jerusalem, He spent hours and hours with His disciples.
Well, who is the Jesus Christ that John is talking about? In 1 John, he's proving His humanity after he proved His deity. So, you can take the Gospel of John and just shove it off to the side and just use the Lord's name, Jesus Christ. Well, the question is which Jesus Christ are you talking about?
I don't know if you know this or not but in 2 Corinthians Chapter 11, Paul says that there is more than one Jesus. He says you Christians in Corinth, when I came and preached to you, after I left teachers came in and you are following another Jesus, a different one, a different Gospel, and a different spirit.
Now these are Christians who obviously couldn't tell the difference. But Paul says you are following another Jesus. It is very important to realize that even as Christians, not in a perverted way, but a very dangerous way, every believer has their own idea and understanding and realization of who Jesus is. If we were to get in a circle and share about "our" Jesus, we might hear somebody say that is a different Jesus than what I have. But there is only one Jesus Christ, Jesus the Christ.
And if you understand all of John's writings, and you can throw Revelation in with John if you like because John talked about the earthly ministry of God in the flesh, and in the book of Revelation, he presents Jesus Christ as the reigning King of kings and Lord of lords that is going to come and bring judgment.
But 1, 2 and 3 John is all about the humanity of Christ. John says that He is 100% God and 100% man, not 50-50, 100% of each! And anything less than that, as far as early church goes and as far as the scriptures are concerned, anything less than that is not the right Jesus Christ.
VI. ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE OTHER BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT:
TIME:
The Gospel of John was next to the last book written. Of course, the last one written was the book of Revelation. So, this is an older book, but it is at the beginning of the New Testament.
COMPARISON TO JOHN'S OTHER BOOKS:
Now here's a fascinating thing that about the comparison to John's other books, and you have to know this, again the fool proof understanding of scripture, you need to know this about John's writings.
The Gospel of John was written to establish the Deity of Jesus Christ. But remember, John's gospel establishes the deity of Jesus Christ. That is, that He was, and is 100% God.
1, 2, and 3 John were written to establish the Humanity of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of John the deity of Christ. 1, 2, and 3 John the humanity of Christ because the Gnostics came and they believed that all physical was evil and that Jesus didn't have a physical body, so He was not man. And then there are groups that don't believe that he was God, just a prophet, or just one of the gods.
The reason why we need to know this information is because in 1 John Chapter 4 Verse 2, John says hereby know you the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
You might be thinking how is that a trick statement? Except the cults completely ignore the Gospel of John and they say we believe that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, so you are saying we are cults, we are false teachers, but it says right here, that every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: Therefore, we are of God!
It is to the church, the body of Christ. And John wrote based on the encouragement of the elders of Ephesus.
III. ABOUT THE GOSPEL OF JOHN:
About 95% of the information in the Gospel of John is not found in the other Gospels. So, it is new material.
What is interesting about the Gospel of John is that the entire Gospel covers 21 days of the Lord's three-year ministry. Just 21 days! 10 out of 21 chapters cover one week. 237 out of 879 verses cover one 24-hour period. So, these are very selective accounts for us about the things of Christ.
IV. ABOUT THE PURPOSE FOR JOHN WRITING THE GOSPEL OF JOHN:
He wrote in John 20:31, "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."
He wrote so the people would believe. Now I think it is interesting that even though he wrote so that people would surrender their life to Christ, but his presentation isn't so the people would believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, but believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. He is establishing the deity of Christ. That's his ministry.
If you happen to receive Christ based on that, that is all the better. But this is a document that establishes beyond doubt about the deity of Jesus Christ. If somebody has told you in the past that the Lord never called Himself God, well, they are mistaken. All through the Gospel of John He calls Himself God and we see that as we go through.
The apostle John wrote the Gospel of John. He is a different John than John the Baptist who is going to be introduced to us in John 1:6. This is the apostle, John. John the Baptist, and the apostle John are two different people.
So, John, in his gospel, writes about John but he is not writing about himself. In fact, he doesn't mention himself at all. So whatever John you read of, you know he is talking about John the Baptist. He is identified as the disciple whom Jesus loved in John Chapter 21 Verse 20. He never names himself, but he calls himself the disciples whom Jesus loved in John 21:20.
He is the only original apostle not to die a martyr's death. Tradition says that they tried to kill John by putting him in boiling oil and they couldn't kill him, much like Daniel in the lion's den. And so, they exiled him off onto the island of Patmos because they couldn't kill him. They said let's just get rid of him. He is an old man. He has got a lot of wisdom and knowledge. He has got a lot of influence. So, we will just get rid of his influence, and we won't have to mess with him.
It was off on the island of Patmos that he received what we know as the Revelation of Jesus Christ. After he was brought back to the mainland he settled in Ephesus and became part of the church in Ephesus. As a matter fact, the elders of Ephesus are the ones who urged and compelled him to write the gospel of John before he died because there was not a document that contained just one solid teaching to present the deity of Jesus Christ. So, he wrote it.
Eusebius, one of the church historians writing about the things of the church, he writes, "John received Asia as his sphere of work and lived and died in Ephesus." John also wrote 1 John, 2 John, 3 John and the book of Revelation.
John is written to the church, written around 95 A.D., approximately 30 to 35 years after the other Gospels were written. And the Gospel of John was one of the last letters written. In fact, there's a lot of evidence to say that the Gospel of John, 1, 2 and 3 John, and Revelation which were all written by John, but there's evidence that he wrote all those letters one right after another all at the same time.
John wrote to present Jesus Christ as the Son of God, not the Son of Man, but the Son of God. Son of God is a title known to the Jewish people for two things: Number one, the Son of God is the Messiah. And number two, the Son of God is God.
And here's where some of the cult groups get off track and actually lead people in the wrong way. They say how can Jesus be God if He's the Son of God? Well, the word Son in the title "Son of God" doesn't mean son by birth. There are different words used in the Greek New Testament for the word son.
This is a son by inheritance and so it has nothing to do with a father-mother-son relationship like we know here on the earth or in the human. It has to do with inheritance and that the Son of God is God coming to His inheritance.
I agree that Adam and Eve and Abraham were simply people, not Jew or Gentile as there was not yet such a distinction during their life spans. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were not Jewish either, but were considered Hebrews because Eber (Heber) was their ancestor. The nation of Israel began when God gave this name to Jacob in Genesis. He and his sons and daughters were the first Israelites. The Jews descended from Jacob's son Judah. They were not initially called Jews, but Judahites. It was after the Israelites had settled in the land of promise and land was allotted to each tribe, followed by the reigns of David and Solomon, and then the dividing of the Kingdom into Israel (Northern Kingdom) and Judah (Southern Kingdom). It was when Judah was taken to Babylonian captivity that they were referred to as Jews, I believe.
We do not "hard sell" the Gospel to others, but we, by our godly lifestyle and wholesome conversation witness to the change that has occurred in us since conversion. We are to be firm in our stance on the Gospel and at the same time be pleasant and genuine in our approach to others, knowing that we, like them, once walked in error or were unregenerated. We must be humble and sincere, showing care and concern for the one we are witnessing to. If we are harsh, likely the person we are wishing to come to Christ will harden their heart and resist submitting to the Lord because of our behavior towards them.
In regard to prayer; it is good to find one or two people as I have been able to do who focus on other residents as well as desire them to be saved. I have seen staff who are believers and/or are open to the Gospel. Flexibility is needed as well as tolerance for stinky odors and unseemly things. There have been cases where people have cursed or been loud and obnoxious-wisdom is needed in such instances. Finally I have found that there may be more oppenness in places that are run down. One has to be careful not to say anything negative about the facility at risk of being kicked out at least when involving discussion with residents that can be subjective. Also those who want legal help in such cases can be given a phone number but we shouldn't personally take sides or be involved. Obviously if some egregious thing happens we should report it. Usually; we need to be available to help but need to ask if someone can have a drink or snack; but if so we should be willing to help. We should NOT move patients at all without permission unless we are doing other work there and certainly NOT help people move from wheelchair to a bed for instance. Patience helps in such cases.
Prison ministry. The Lord removed that opportunity after training in Feb 2020 and then leaving Pittsburgh in my case. A number of my friends and church members are still doing that ministry which is a good thing. One thing to remember is it is best to work in groups and not easily be intimidated. Also in the case above there were Muslims and all other kinds of religions represented; and there were certain parameters as to where and when we could preach Christ as the only way. That may have been a reason the Lord removed me from that opportunity; it is a word of warning that we need to find out particulars and pray the Lord's will in such instances.
Getting a foot in the door is often the most difficult initial obstacle for such ministries. Usually a place wants to know what church you represent. Sometimes I have found (as with someone in Pittsburgh who started something in 1999) that going into a facility and just asking if there is a need for a study pays off; that is how I am getting a second one started near Philly in August. Previously before I moved here there was a small group in a home church and study that would regularly visit a Rehab facility; the same one I mentioned as being started in 1999. The Lord has seen fit for it to be reestablished once the COVID restrictions ended by one of the brothers who had been in that group previously.
People on the street often enjoy regular conversations; this is accentuated in Nursing Home facilities. Having the boldness to challenge the faith and to confront (lovingly) facts such as mortality need to be addressed. Mercy; service and teaching spiritual gifts are good as a group as well.
It has been hard for me to find consistant attendance from the church members I had in Pittsburgh. Here in Philly a lady from church got me in the door after I inquired about the need; and she has time to sit in on the study and gather people together. The activities director is also saved and apparently recently ministered to a dying man at night. I have found that rather substandard places tend to have better opportunities as there is a less controlling mindset. Usually you have a Jewish service as well as Catholic "rosary" activities. I recently established a second study just doing a walk in and asking in a new facility with the Social Director. Apparently they have a "psychic" hour there and I avoided having my study at the same time so I wouldn't have a spiritual war in the facility at least the first week.
Prayer is key to deal with out of control people; as well as for request for the residents.
As you imply, we are not "salesmen for Christ". The task of the True Believer is to be a witness for the True Gospel in our life and in the Gospel that we proclaim.
But it must be the True Gospel as circumscribed by the Bible Alone and in its Entirety. It must be the Whole Counsel of God. And that starts with the fact that by nature we are sinners under the Judgment of God for every sin that we have or will ever commit as God describes us in
Romans 3:10-18 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.
And so we are under the Wrath of God for our sins, Eternal Death. But God has provided a way of escape by paying the full penalty required for the sins of those whom He has chosen to save. So we can come to God like the Publican in Luke 18:13, striped of any self righteousness, pleading for Mercy with a broken and contrite heart. There is then the very real hope that God might save us.
Joel 2:12-14 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God.
We, by nature, do not want this kind of a Gospel. God saves us by His Grace Alone. We are not in control.
I congratulate you in the name of Jesus and bless you. Keep forward reading the bible and horando that God is eschuchando but ay one thing you have to do give your heart to Christ and baptize but look for a christain pentecostal church ive found what you have to do because God baptize me also with the Holy Spirit and distributes a lot of gifts but you have to do this to receive help read the book of acts with prayer and the holy spirit will illuminate to you, but this Enlightenment is necessary. I have 56 years of being christain and the Lord blessed all my life I am happy because I know that Christ is with me as long as the state in danger of death he has saved me I have 85 years old and God has me alive and has helped me alot since I were born again becoming a daughter of god through Jesus Christ and obeying his word that my good God bless you much to you and your family I would like to know in what state you are to talk to you. God Bless you
I believe we can use common sense logic to conclude that Adam and Eve were "not Jewish" (Gentile). We, all of humanity, are decendants of Adam and Eve, therefore if they were Jewish/Hebrew then we would all be Jewish/Hebrew and there would have been no need for God to proclaim to Abraham that he would become the "Father of the Hebrew Nation" (first of the Nation of Isreal) because everyone would already be Jewish/Hebrew including those who lived (during this time) in the land of Canaan (the "Promised Land". Abraham was born of Gentile parents in the city of Ur (south of Babylon). God converted Abraham to Jewish/Hebrew and he became the "Father of the Hebrew Nation". I understand there are those who prefer to use the term/lable "not Jewish" rather than "Gentile", which is fine with me, but please understand during this ancient Bible period the lables "Gentile" and "not Jewish" were one and the same.
There are different ways to strike up a conversation on the street. I have seen role playing: i.e. discussing among believers
on whether anyone can be good in order to direct attention to bystanders. I prefer genuine discourse on scripture waiting for witnessing opportunities.
Prayer: I stated in another post that a friend of mine spent an hour in prayer for every hour witnessing. Prayer is needed to soften our own hearts as well as working on others; preparing them to hear the Gospel and bringing them into our paths. Spiritual opposition needs to be dealt with proactively as well; much as the O.T. saints prayed before going to battle against the giants.
Tracts: I personally prefer Chapel Library from Pensacola which has what is termed the Grace Gospel; i.e. a strong doctrine of election viewpoint related to scripture. The 5 points of Calvin is strongly followed by the group I hung out with in Pittsburgh although that wasn't used as far as I know as a Gospel tract per se. I have utilized other tracts. I would strongly suggest reading any tract before handing it out; as well as not relying too strongly on that alone to have the most impact. THere are times we only have a second to hand something out; but a conversation is always best especially when in groups.
Group Dynamics: Having men to talk with men; women with women is helpful for encounters on the street. Having someone to focus on prayer as well as someone focusing on discussing scripture isn't mutually exclusive but can be helpful when a group of individuals appears. It helps when someone has a gift card; as well as availability to walk a few blocks when someone is going someplace but open to conversation. Also; of course those who have been out there for a while may be aware of dangerous people to avoid who are not open to the Gospel at the time. Finally someone should be praying as their focus during an outing as situations arise.
In Jeremiah Chapter 35, the Rechabites entered the walled city of Jerusalem fleeing from the invading Babylonian army. This army took the people of Judah into exile to Babylon. Were the Rechabites also taken into exile to Babylon or did they remain in Judah to live out their nomadic lifestyle? Or do we simply not know of what happened to the Rechabites since I am not aware of them being mentioned again in the Bible.
we have been commissioned by Christ to preach the truth. The Bible tells us to be instant in season it out tell the people the truth when they want to hear it and when they don't and be not weary in well doing for if you'd be not weary in well doing if you faint, not the Lord, will bless you. As a Christian, I will never throw a rock and hot my hand. David stood before a giant and threw a rock and he's laid him. He did not hide his hand.
I don't care if it's a Baptist ministry I met this ministry I don't care about the name or who they associate with I said a Bible believing ministering such as a nondenominational I don't care what the name is that they carry if they're not preaching the truth they're going to leave here and stand before God and they're gonna end up in hell a Bible ministry best preaching the gospel from the front to the back people who don't believe in Christmas who don't celebrate Easter just a pure, downright truth, the gospel, the Holy Spirit, leading gardening, directing those that are preaching the truth
I'm not implying anything I'm saying that you are compromising. If you don't tell them the truth and then just leave it up to them to either receive it or deny it but God is going to hold you accountable for not telling them that being in a Catholic ministry, as a Christian is an abomination.
If you stand before someone knowing they're in a Catholic ministry and you don't tell them that they need to leave that ministry. The Lord is going to hold you accountable for not telling them the truth so that's what he left us here for is the tell the people the truth, so you're not gonna tell me, God is gonna move them out and in his own timing because if he's allowed you to preach the truth to them that time would be then right then and now, so you're gonna tell me you're gonna stand before someone to know that they're being indoctrinated falsely but they have a desire for the truth. Are you gonna let them go back to a false gospel,
Catholics Jehovah witness Muslims Mormons. They are all in the same category together you want to separate Catholics from the rest but they all fall in the pot together. You can't justify the wicked you can't. Catholics are just as wrong as Jehovah witness they all preach a false gospel, every single one of them.
If we examine the Old Testament; we see that prayers are often focused on the nation of Israel as a whole and repentance. We see this in Daniel; Jeremiah; Isaiah and Ezekiel. They are also often directed to specific battles that are about to be undertaken.
Personal prayers seem quite limited. We see more petitioning with Abraham over Sodom which was no doubt due to concerns of Lot being there. Lot and his immediate family's deliverance were already in the works although Abraham only would have heard of the investigation to see if the evil was as bad as reported if he heard the conversation. Clearly God knew that indeed there were less than 10 righteous there at that time but perhaps chose to delegate the investigation to others since He cannot look on sin Himself. Lot's son in laws COULD have escaped if they heeded the warnings; and his wife started to escape but was destroyed after looking back; therefore only Lot and his two daughters escaped in the end; 3 people.
In the New Testament we see Christ and the Apostle Paul near their deaths praying for the church to come and for doctrinal purity in the church; respectively. Other than Paul we don't have specific prayers mentioned that I am aware of. The focus on others means that the emphasis was not on reducing sufferings for either individual. This doesn't mean we can't pray for personal needs it just shows the focus should be on the Body of Christ and His will being done. The needs of others are things we often consider; jealousy for the truth may be somewhat lacking. Such prayers represent challenging the status quo; and perhaps asking God to ruffle a few feathers. We need to consider those kind of supplications as part of loving our brothers and sisters in the Lord as well as taking action. Boldly coming to the Throne ( Heb. 4:16) is something we can do; and much of that should be in order to pray for avenues to fulfill the Great Commission.
Since the subject of animals has come up; I thought I would tackle another subject: that of children and the Rapture/Resurrection.
Point One: The Rapture is for the church; therefore it doesn't necessarily prove unbelieving kids are part of that event. Matthew 18:10 makes it clear that children have an angel beholding the Father in heaven continually; that and other verses make it clear that kids all make it to heaven before the age of accountability. They would necessarily rise by the Great White Throne Judgment.
I have noted previously that those who physically survive the Tribulation and die before the end of the Millennium may be among those who are in the Book of Life; rather than assuming all are lost at that Resurrection. Even that is somewhat nebulous as the man who dies at 100 is considered accursed and that may show that only rebels and unbelievers die at that time; the rest living physically the whole Millennium and then standing before God along with the resurrected wicked at that time.
I would tend to think that kids would be Resurrected at the beginning of the Millennium after the Tribulation. Clearly those martyrs in Christ would arise at that time; perhaps a bit sooner actually before the vial judgments after the Trumpet judgments.
I will also say that kids can be prayed for as to being Raptured out and those families already in a Covenant with God may have some sway in regard to that issue with blessings spreading to their offspring. That would NOT go beyond a child's age of accountability however. I would surely expect many youth to come to Christ through the Tribulation who the enemy has not successfully destroyed before that time. Many older folks just won't have the strength to endure very long into that period and energy needed for widespread evangelism. Those kids below the age of accountability will also exist in the Tribulation; most I would expect will die but be saved by God's grace.
The true knowledge is only poured into the new vessel. It is the living soul alone that receives the living knowledge of the living God from Christ the life. The old nature, the old understanding, is for death and destruction. The wisdom of the flesh, though painted ever so like the spiritual wisdom, is not to be spared anywhere; but that wisdom, with all its zeal and growth and progress in religion must perish. All men's knowledge of the Scriptures which they have gathered in that part will profit them nothing, but hinder them. Every building which the leprosy of sin hath overspread, is to be pulled down; therefore he that hath only the old house swept and garnished, never received the true knowledge, from whence the true faith springs, but his life lies in the oldness of the letter, in the conformity of the dead part to that, and he knows not the virtue of the knowledge of God in the newness of the Spirit (the veil being over his heart) which is only given to the new understanding.
Issac Peningtion
That Christ's immediate revelation of the nature of his Father is to his babes. Not to the wise, not to the zealous, not to the studious, not to the devout, not to the rich in the knowledge of the Scriptures without: but to the weak, the foolish, the poor, the lowly in heart. And man receives not these revelations by study, by reading, by willing, by running, but by being formed in the will of life, by being begotten of the will of the Father, and by coming forth in the will, and lying still in the will, and growing up in the will, here the child receives the wisdom which is from above, and daily learns that cross which crucifies the other wisdom, which joins with and pleases the other will, which loves to be feeding on the shadowy and husky part of knowledge, without life. Therefore, if ever thou desire to receive this knowledge from Christ, know that eye in thyself that is to be blinded, which Christ will never reveal the Father to: read at home, know the wise and prudent there, whom Christ excludes from the living knowledge. And if thou canst bear it, that eye that can read the Scriptures with the light of its own understanding; that can consider and debate, and take up senses and meanings of it, without the immediate life and power; that is the eye that may gather what it can from the letter, but shall never see into the life, nor taste of the true knowledge; for Christ, who alone opens and gives the knowledge, hides the pearl from that eye.
Issac Peningtion
In this chapter, the Israelites are camping near an Acacia Grove. Such groves were often used by pagans to worship Baal and Asherah. They were still in the land of Moab east of the Jordan River and Jericho. Balaam had taken leave of Balak at this time. Israel did not know what Balak and Balaam were plotting. Because Balaam knew that God would not go back on His word and curse Israel whom He had blessed, he came up with a new way to bring harm to the nation of Israel. Revelation 2:12-17 speaks of Balaam's involvement in the incidents in this chapter of Numbers, saying that Balaam instructed Balak to have the women invite the Israelite men to their idol feasts and to entice them into sexual and spiritual immorality by participating in sexual immorality associated with the worship of Baal. Soon, the men were also bowing down to Baal.
This incident in Numbers 25 is where Israel was introduced into Baal worship. YHWH was full of anger at this immorality and idolatry from the very people He blessed and set apart for Himself in a covenant relationship. The men so easily broke this covenant. And by breaking it, the curses of this broken covenant came upon Israel from the hand of YHWH. So, Balaam was successful in devising a way for Israel to be cursed, not that God changed His mind or His blessing to a curse, but by the people bringing upon themselves the curses that were a part of the covenantal agreement they made with YHWH at Sinai.
So, Balaam's scheme worked, but he did not get to enjoy his success for long. He was killed in Moab when he abode among the Midianites when Isael came against Midian at God's direction. Israel slew all of the Midianite men in the area and most of the women.
In this era and area of the world, sexual immorality was a part of the way they worshipped Baal and Asherah. Apparently, Moab, descended from Lot, took to Baal worship early on. cont.
We have in Chapters 13 through 17 those teachings and the ministry of Christ to His disciples. It's like the Lord having a one-on-one with you or me, not public, just a one-on-one teaching with us and what it means to be a disciple and to share His message in the Gospel and His love with us. It is a fantastic section!
CHAPTERS 18 AND 19 are The Particulars of the Crucifixion of Christ. Those two chapters tell us of all the events that surround the crucifixion of Christ.
CHAPTER 20 is The Promise of the Resurrection of Christ.
CHAPTER 21 is The Presentation of the Epilogue.
The reason why chapter 21 is called an epilogue is because many scholars, and probably rightly so, they believed that originally the Gospel of John ended at the end of Chapter 20, but that another chapter was added in order to clarify some things from Chapter 20.
But it is, and we can say with certainty that whoever wrote Chapter 21 is the same person that wrote the first 20 chapters. So, we are not looking at John plus somebody else. We are looking at John writing all 21 chapters. But you should know that that last chapter was an addition. It was probably the elders of Ephesus that urged John to clarify some things and he wrote yet a little further in the Gospel.
I will post the introduction to Acts soon. God Bless!!!
VIII. SECTION OUTLINE OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN:
CHAPTER 1 VERSES 1-18 is The Prologue. There is a difference between a prologue and a preface. A preface is an introduction. A prologue is a study or message or story within itself. As a matter fact, all of the rest of the Gospel of John will be teachings to support his presentation here in the prologue of the doctrines and theology of Jesus Christ. So, the prologue is the Gospel of John in a nutshell, and the rest is supportive information.
Beginning at Verse 19 of Chapter 1, and going through to the end of the chapter, we have The Preparation for the Lord's Public Ministry, as we study about John the Baptist and about the Lord calling the first five disciples.
CHAPTERS 2 THROUGH 12, it is the only presentation of the Lord's public ministry by John. Chapter 2-12 is The Presentation of the Seven Signs of the Lord's Deity. And this introduces to us that in all of John's writings, if you put them all together and study them, you find that he is heptadic in writing. That is, he uses sevens for learning purposes. John is heptadic in his writing. In Chapter 2 through 12, he presents seven signs, miracles, each one of them different, and each one of them proving that Jesus Christ is indeed God in human form.
CHAPTERS 13 TO 17, we have The Private Teachings for the Disciples. What a great section! The last week of the Lord's life, right before He died, after He made His entrance into Jerusalem, He spent hours and hours with His disciples.
Well, who is the Jesus Christ that John is talking about? In 1 John, he's proving His humanity after he proved His deity. So, you can take the Gospel of John and just shove it off to the side and just use the Lord's name, Jesus Christ. Well, the question is which Jesus Christ are you talking about?
I don't know if you know this or not but in 2 Corinthians Chapter 11, Paul says that there is more than one Jesus. He says you Christians in Corinth, when I came and preached to you, after I left teachers came in and you are following another Jesus, a different one, a different Gospel, and a different spirit.
Now these are Christians who obviously couldn't tell the difference. But Paul says you are following another Jesus. It is very important to realize that even as Christians, not in a perverted way, but a very dangerous way, every believer has their own idea and understanding and realization of who Jesus is. If we were to get in a circle and share about "our" Jesus, we might hear somebody say that is a different Jesus than what I have. But there is only one Jesus Christ, Jesus the Christ.
And if you understand all of John's writings, and you can throw Revelation in with John if you like because John talked about the earthly ministry of God in the flesh, and in the book of Revelation, he presents Jesus Christ as the reigning King of kings and Lord of lords that is going to come and bring judgment.
But 1, 2 and 3 John is all about the humanity of Christ. John says that He is 100% God and 100% man, not 50-50, 100% of each! And anything less than that, as far as early church goes and as far as the scriptures are concerned, anything less than that is not the right Jesus Christ.
V. ABOUT THE THEME OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN:
Again, it is the deity of Jesus Christ.
VI. ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE OTHER BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT:
TIME:
The Gospel of John was next to the last book written. Of course, the last one written was the book of Revelation. So, this is an older book, but it is at the beginning of the New Testament.
COMPARISON TO JOHN'S OTHER BOOKS:
Now here's a fascinating thing that about the comparison to John's other books, and you have to know this, again the fool proof understanding of scripture, you need to know this about John's writings.
The Gospel of John was written to establish the Deity of Jesus Christ. But remember, John's gospel establishes the deity of Jesus Christ. That is, that He was, and is 100% God.
1, 2, and 3 John were written to establish the Humanity of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of John the deity of Christ. 1, 2, and 3 John the humanity of Christ because the Gnostics came and they believed that all physical was evil and that Jesus didn't have a physical body, so He was not man. And then there are groups that don't believe that he was God, just a prophet, or just one of the gods.
The reason why we need to know this information is because in 1 John Chapter 4 Verse 2, John says hereby know you the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
You might be thinking how is that a trick statement? Except the cults completely ignore the Gospel of John and they say we believe that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, so you are saying we are cults, we are false teachers, but it says right here, that every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: Therefore, we are of God!
II. ABOUT THE RECIPIENTS:
It is to the church, the body of Christ. And John wrote based on the encouragement of the elders of Ephesus.
III. ABOUT THE GOSPEL OF JOHN:
About 95% of the information in the Gospel of John is not found in the other Gospels. So, it is new material.
What is interesting about the Gospel of John is that the entire Gospel covers 21 days of the Lord's three-year ministry. Just 21 days! 10 out of 21 chapters cover one week. 237 out of 879 verses cover one 24-hour period. So, these are very selective accounts for us about the things of Christ.
IV. ABOUT THE PURPOSE FOR JOHN WRITING THE GOSPEL OF JOHN:
He wrote in John 20:31, "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."
He wrote so the people would believe. Now I think it is interesting that even though he wrote so that people would surrender their life to Christ, but his presentation isn't so the people would believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, but believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. He is establishing the deity of Christ. That's his ministry.
If you happen to receive Christ based on that, that is all the better. But this is a document that establishes beyond doubt about the deity of Jesus Christ. If somebody has told you in the past that the Lord never called Himself God, well, they are mistaken. All through the Gospel of John He calls Himself God and we see that as we go through.
I. ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
The apostle John wrote the Gospel of John. He is a different John than John the Baptist who is going to be introduced to us in John 1:6. This is the apostle, John. John the Baptist, and the apostle John are two different people.
So, John, in his gospel, writes about John but he is not writing about himself. In fact, he doesn't mention himself at all. So whatever John you read of, you know he is talking about John the Baptist. He is identified as the disciple whom Jesus loved in John Chapter 21 Verse 20. He never names himself, but he calls himself the disciples whom Jesus loved in John 21:20.
He is the only original apostle not to die a martyr's death. Tradition says that they tried to kill John by putting him in boiling oil and they couldn't kill him, much like Daniel in the lion's den. And so, they exiled him off onto the island of Patmos because they couldn't kill him. They said let's just get rid of him. He is an old man. He has got a lot of wisdom and knowledge. He has got a lot of influence. So, we will just get rid of his influence, and we won't have to mess with him.
It was off on the island of Patmos that he received what we know as the Revelation of Jesus Christ. After he was brought back to the mainland he settled in Ephesus and became part of the church in Ephesus. As a matter fact, the elders of Ephesus are the ones who urged and compelled him to write the gospel of John before he died because there was not a document that contained just one solid teaching to present the deity of Jesus Christ. So, he wrote it.
Eusebius, one of the church historians writing about the things of the church, he writes, "John received Asia as his sphere of work and lived and died in Ephesus." John also wrote 1 John, 2 John, 3 John and the book of Revelation.
John is written to the church, written around 95 A.D., approximately 30 to 35 years after the other Gospels were written. And the Gospel of John was one of the last letters written. In fact, there's a lot of evidence to say that the Gospel of John, 1, 2 and 3 John, and Revelation which were all written by John, but there's evidence that he wrote all those letters one right after another all at the same time.
John wrote to present Jesus Christ as the Son of God, not the Son of Man, but the Son of God. Son of God is a title known to the Jewish people for two things: Number one, the Son of God is the Messiah. And number two, the Son of God is God.
And here's where some of the cult groups get off track and actually lead people in the wrong way. They say how can Jesus be God if He's the Son of God? Well, the word Son in the title "Son of God" doesn't mean son by birth. There are different words used in the Greek New Testament for the word son.
This is a son by inheritance and so it has nothing to do with a father-mother-son relationship like we know here on the earth or in the human. It has to do with inheritance and that the Son of God is God coming to His inheritance.
I agree that Adam and Eve and Abraham were simply people, not Jew or Gentile as there was not yet such a distinction during their life spans. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were not Jewish either, but were considered Hebrews because Eber (Heber) was their ancestor. The nation of Israel began when God gave this name to Jacob in Genesis. He and his sons and daughters were the first Israelites. The Jews descended from Jacob's son Judah. They were not initially called Jews, but Judahites. It was after the Israelites had settled in the land of promise and land was allotted to each tribe, followed by the reigns of David and Solomon, and then the dividing of the Kingdom into Israel (Northern Kingdom) and Judah (Southern Kingdom). It was when Judah was taken to Babylonian captivity that they were referred to as Jews, I believe.
We do not "hard sell" the Gospel to others, but we, by our godly lifestyle and wholesome conversation witness to the change that has occurred in us since conversion. We are to be firm in our stance on the Gospel and at the same time be pleasant and genuine in our approach to others, knowing that we, like them, once walked in error or were unregenerated. We must be humble and sincere, showing care and concern for the one we are witnessing to. If we are harsh, likely the person we are wishing to come to Christ will harden their heart and resist submitting to the Lord because of our behavior towards them.
In regard to prayer; it is good to find one or two people as I have been able to do who focus on other residents as well as desire them to be saved. I have seen staff who are believers and/or are open to the Gospel. Flexibility is needed as well as tolerance for stinky odors and unseemly things. There have been cases where people have cursed or been loud and obnoxious-wisdom is needed in such instances. Finally I have found that there may be more oppenness in places that are run down. One has to be careful not to say anything negative about the facility at risk of being kicked out at least when involving discussion with residents that can be subjective. Also those who want legal help in such cases can be given a phone number but we shouldn't personally take sides or be involved. Obviously if some egregious thing happens we should report it. Usually; we need to be available to help but need to ask if someone can have a drink or snack; but if so we should be willing to help. We should NOT move patients at all without permission unless we are doing other work there and certainly NOT help people move from wheelchair to a bed for instance. Patience helps in such cases.
Prison ministry. The Lord removed that opportunity after training in Feb 2020 and then leaving Pittsburgh in my case. A number of my friends and church members are still doing that ministry which is a good thing. One thing to remember is it is best to work in groups and not easily be intimidated. Also in the case above there were Muslims and all other kinds of religions represented; and there were certain parameters as to where and when we could preach Christ as the only way. That may have been a reason the Lord removed me from that opportunity; it is a word of warning that we need to find out particulars and pray the Lord's will in such instances.
Getting a foot in the door is often the most difficult initial obstacle for such ministries. Usually a place wants to know what church you represent. Sometimes I have found (as with someone in Pittsburgh who started something in 1999) that going into a facility and just asking if there is a need for a study pays off; that is how I am getting a second one started near Philly in August. Previously before I moved here there was a small group in a home church and study that would regularly visit a Rehab facility; the same one I mentioned as being started in 1999. The Lord has seen fit for it to be reestablished once the COVID restrictions ended by one of the brothers who had been in that group previously.
People on the street often enjoy regular conversations; this is accentuated in Nursing Home facilities. Having the boldness to challenge the faith and to confront (lovingly) facts such as mortality need to be addressed. Mercy; service and teaching spiritual gifts are good as a group as well.
It has been hard for me to find consistant attendance from the church members I had in Pittsburgh. Here in Philly a lady from church got me in the door after I inquired about the need; and she has time to sit in on the study and gather people together. The activities director is also saved and apparently recently ministered to a dying man at night. I have found that rather substandard places tend to have better opportunities as there is a less controlling mindset. Usually you have a Jewish service as well as Catholic "rosary" activities. I recently established a second study just doing a walk in and asking in a new facility with the Social Director. Apparently they have a "psychic" hour there and I avoided having my study at the same time so I wouldn't have a spiritual war in the facility at least the first week.
Prayer is key to deal with out of control people; as well as for request for the residents.
As you imply, we are not "salesmen for Christ". The task of the True Believer is to be a witness for the True Gospel in our life and in the Gospel that we proclaim.
But it must be the True Gospel as circumscribed by the Bible Alone and in its Entirety. It must be the Whole Counsel of God. And that starts with the fact that by nature we are sinners under the Judgment of God for every sin that we have or will ever commit as God describes us in
Romans 3:10-18 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.
And so we are under the Wrath of God for our sins, Eternal Death. But God has provided a way of escape by paying the full penalty required for the sins of those whom He has chosen to save. So we can come to God like the Publican in Luke 18:13, striped of any self righteousness, pleading for Mercy with a broken and contrite heart. There is then the very real hope that God might save us.
Joel 2:12-14 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God.
We, by nature, do not want this kind of a Gospel. God saves us by His Grace Alone. We are not in control.
There are different ways to strike up a conversation on the street. I have seen role playing: i.e. discussing among believers
on whether anyone can be good in order to direct attention to bystanders. I prefer genuine discourse on scripture waiting for witnessing opportunities.
Prayer: I stated in another post that a friend of mine spent an hour in prayer for every hour witnessing. Prayer is needed to soften our own hearts as well as working on others; preparing them to hear the Gospel and bringing them into our paths. Spiritual opposition needs to be dealt with proactively as well; much as the O.T. saints prayed before going to battle against the giants.
Tracts: I personally prefer Chapel Library from Pensacola which has what is termed the Grace Gospel; i.e. a strong doctrine of election viewpoint related to scripture. The 5 points of Calvin is strongly followed by the group I hung out with in Pittsburgh although that wasn't used as far as I know as a Gospel tract per se. I have utilized other tracts. I would strongly suggest reading any tract before handing it out; as well as not relying too strongly on that alone to have the most impact. THere are times we only have a second to hand something out; but a conversation is always best especially when in groups.
Group Dynamics: Having men to talk with men; women with women is helpful for encounters on the street. Having someone to focus on prayer as well as someone focusing on discussing scripture isn't mutually exclusive but can be helpful when a group of individuals appears. It helps when someone has a gift card; as well as availability to walk a few blocks when someone is going someplace but open to conversation. Also; of course those who have been out there for a while may be aware of dangerous people to avoid who are not open to the Gospel at the time. Finally someone should be praying as their focus during an outing as situations arise.
If we examine the Old Testament; we see that prayers are often focused on the nation of Israel as a whole and repentance. We see this in Daniel; Jeremiah; Isaiah and Ezekiel. They are also often directed to specific battles that are about to be undertaken.
Personal prayers seem quite limited. We see more petitioning with Abraham over Sodom which was no doubt due to concerns of Lot being there. Lot and his immediate family's deliverance were already in the works although Abraham only would have heard of the investigation to see if the evil was as bad as reported if he heard the conversation. Clearly God knew that indeed there were less than 10 righteous there at that time but perhaps chose to delegate the investigation to others since He cannot look on sin Himself. Lot's son in laws COULD have escaped if they heeded the warnings; and his wife started to escape but was destroyed after looking back; therefore only Lot and his two daughters escaped in the end; 3 people.
In the New Testament we see Christ and the Apostle Paul near their deaths praying for the church to come and for doctrinal purity in the church; respectively. Other than Paul we don't have specific prayers mentioned that I am aware of. The focus on others means that the emphasis was not on reducing sufferings for either individual. This doesn't mean we can't pray for personal needs it just shows the focus should be on the Body of Christ and His will being done. The needs of others are things we often consider; jealousy for the truth may be somewhat lacking. Such prayers represent challenging the status quo; and perhaps asking God to ruffle a few feathers. We need to consider those kind of supplications as part of loving our brothers and sisters in the Lord as well as taking action. Boldly coming to the Throne ( Heb. 4:16) is something we can do; and much of that should be in order to pray for avenues to fulfill the Great Commission.
Since the subject of animals has come up; I thought I would tackle another subject: that of children and the Rapture/Resurrection.
Point One: The Rapture is for the church; therefore it doesn't necessarily prove unbelieving kids are part of that event. Matthew 18:10 makes it clear that children have an angel beholding the Father in heaven continually; that and other verses make it clear that kids all make it to heaven before the age of accountability. They would necessarily rise by the Great White Throne Judgment.
I have noted previously that those who physically survive the Tribulation and die before the end of the Millennium may be among those who are in the Book of Life; rather than assuming all are lost at that Resurrection. Even that is somewhat nebulous as the man who dies at 100 is considered accursed and that may show that only rebels and unbelievers die at that time; the rest living physically the whole Millennium and then standing before God along with the resurrected wicked at that time.
I would tend to think that kids would be Resurrected at the beginning of the Millennium after the Tribulation. Clearly those martyrs in Christ would arise at that time; perhaps a bit sooner actually before the vial judgments after the Trumpet judgments.
I will also say that kids can be prayed for as to being Raptured out and those families already in a Covenant with God may have some sway in regard to that issue with blessings spreading to their offspring. That would NOT go beyond a child's age of accountability however. I would surely expect many youth to come to Christ through the Tribulation who the enemy has not successfully destroyed before that time. Many older folks just won't have the strength to endure very long into that period and energy needed for widespread evangelism. Those kids below the age of accountability will also exist in the Tribulation; most I would expect will die but be saved by God's grace.