Post by Les Brewer on Jun 25, 2012 8:42:54 GMT
John Wolf
Preaching Christ Crucified
From the Pastor's desk....
Good morning to all,I hope and pray all is well with you!
Continuing our study of the Watchtower and Bible Tract Society,we discussed briefly three extremely important points made from there own publication The Watchtower September 15,1922,p.279.Quote:"God gave brother Russell to be as a mouthpiece for him:and those who claim to have learned the true apart from brother Russell and his writings have been manifested by the Lord as deceivers,ready to lead the flock of God in their way." End quote.
Three points I'd like to expound on are these:
1.) It is stated clearly that God gave the church brother Russell.This statement on it's own should not be taken to be such an odd statement.God is known for giving anointed ministers to different congregations throughout history to bring about needed truth and changes to His people.However,the manner in which the Lord gives those individuals to His people is never intended to draw people away from the Lord.William Tyndale,William Coverdale,John Knox,John Calvin,Martin Luther,John and Charles Wesley,D.L.Moody,and many,many more who throughout the life of their ministries impacted the world for Jesus Christ in tremendous ways.Millions have been won to to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through these men.
2.) This point is where the problem comes in.By direct statement,the WT claims that Mr.Russell was given to be as a mouthpiece for God.Ever since the dawn of time,there have been individuals who have arisen who claim to be speaking the word of God,who have claimed they were in fact God.We have many Hollywood movie stars and T.V. talk show hosts who claim this very thing today.And the numbers continue to grow as we draw closer to the Rapture/Resurrection.When a person places himself in the position of God's sole mouthpiece,he places himself into a very sticky predicament.He must,and I can't stress the word Must,enough,speak the truth.Without error of any kind,at any time.Why is this? The obvious answer is,God does not make mistakes nor does He lie!
3.) This third point is where the ax is laid to the root of the tree.By direct statement the WT claims that apart from Mr.Russell and his writings,truth can not be understood.The authority of God and the distribution of His truths have been shifted from His sole responsibility to teach,to a mere man.The question begs to be asked:Is it necessary for God to find someone who could do a better job of teaching His (God's) truth than His Only Begotten Son and the Spirit of Truth,the Holy Spirit? I think the answer should be obvious.However,I will point out that,there are times when it is necessary for an individual,who may be having difficulty understanding certain passages from the bible.There is absolutely nothing wrong with going to your Pastor or someone else who can be trusted to give you the straight scoop on something.But the bulk of responsibility rests squarely upon the shoulders of each believer to study and know the word of God for themselves.This is one of the reasons Jesus said you will not need man to teach you,but the Holy Spirit will lead you and guide you into all truth.We will all be taught by God,the Scriptures say.
One closing thought for this post will be,and it is very important that we understand this point:Any teacher,preacher,evangelist,apostle,pastor or anyone else who claims to be the only spokesmen for God and is above questioning,is a false witness for God.Another thing we must always keep in mind is this:If anyone has a distorted View of Jesus Christ and what He came from heaven to accomplish,will also have a distorted view of the entirety of Scripture.Jesus Christ and Him crucified for the redemption of the world,was and is the number one focus of His ministry.All teachings and blessings flow from the Cross of Christ,anyone who deviates from this principle,has begun a slippery slide downward.This is why you MUST be very careful to whom you listen too.Until tomorrow,may the Lord Jesus Christ be yours always.......Love ya in Christ.....J.W.
Preaching Christ Crucified
From the Pastor's desk....
Good morning to all,I hope and pray all is well with you!
Continuing our study of the Watchtower and Bible Tract Society,we discussed briefly three extremely important points made from there own publication The Watchtower September 15,1922,p.279.Quote:"God gave brother Russell to be as a mouthpiece for him:and those who claim to have learned the true apart from brother Russell and his writings have been manifested by the Lord as deceivers,ready to lead the flock of God in their way." End quote.
Three points I'd like to expound on are these:
1.) It is stated clearly that God gave the church brother Russell.This statement on it's own should not be taken to be such an odd statement.God is known for giving anointed ministers to different congregations throughout history to bring about needed truth and changes to His people.However,the manner in which the Lord gives those individuals to His people is never intended to draw people away from the Lord.William Tyndale,William Coverdale,John Knox,John Calvin,Martin Luther,John and Charles Wesley,D.L.Moody,and many,many more who throughout the life of their ministries impacted the world for Jesus Christ in tremendous ways.Millions have been won to to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through these men.
2.) This point is where the problem comes in.By direct statement,the WT claims that Mr.Russell was given to be as a mouthpiece for God.Ever since the dawn of time,there have been individuals who have arisen who claim to be speaking the word of God,who have claimed they were in fact God.We have many Hollywood movie stars and T.V. talk show hosts who claim this very thing today.And the numbers continue to grow as we draw closer to the Rapture/Resurrection.When a person places himself in the position of God's sole mouthpiece,he places himself into a very sticky predicament.He must,and I can't stress the word Must,enough,speak the truth.Without error of any kind,at any time.Why is this? The obvious answer is,God does not make mistakes nor does He lie!
3.) This third point is where the ax is laid to the root of the tree.By direct statement the WT claims that apart from Mr.Russell and his writings,truth can not be understood.The authority of God and the distribution of His truths have been shifted from His sole responsibility to teach,to a mere man.The question begs to be asked:Is it necessary for God to find someone who could do a better job of teaching His (God's) truth than His Only Begotten Son and the Spirit of Truth,the Holy Spirit? I think the answer should be obvious.However,I will point out that,there are times when it is necessary for an individual,who may be having difficulty understanding certain passages from the bible.There is absolutely nothing wrong with going to your Pastor or someone else who can be trusted to give you the straight scoop on something.But the bulk of responsibility rests squarely upon the shoulders of each believer to study and know the word of God for themselves.This is one of the reasons Jesus said you will not need man to teach you,but the Holy Spirit will lead you and guide you into all truth.We will all be taught by God,the Scriptures say.
One closing thought for this post will be,and it is very important that we understand this point:Any teacher,preacher,evangelist,apostle,pastor or anyone else who claims to be the only spokesmen for God and is above questioning,is a false witness for God.Another thing we must always keep in mind is this:If anyone has a distorted View of Jesus Christ and what He came from heaven to accomplish,will also have a distorted view of the entirety of Scripture.Jesus Christ and Him crucified for the redemption of the world,was and is the number one focus of His ministry.All teachings and blessings flow from the Cross of Christ,anyone who deviates from this principle,has begun a slippery slide downward.This is why you MUST be very careful to whom you listen too.Until tomorrow,may the Lord Jesus Christ be yours always.......Love ya in Christ.....J.W.