Post by Les Brewer on Jul 24, 2012 9:33:38 GMT
John Wolf
Calvary's Cross Ministries
Preaching Christ Crucified
From the Pastor's desk....
Good morning to all.I pray that today you will be blessed of the Lord.Should the Rapture take place today,I will not be posting anything tomorrow! Are you ready,He's coming soon??!!
APOLOGETICS-The branch of theology that deals with the defense and proof of Christianity.
APOLOGIST-A person who argues in defense or justification of another person or cause.
THEOLOGY-1.)The study of the nature of God and religious truth;rational inquiry into religious questions,especially those posed by Christianity.2.)An organized,often formalized body of opinions concerning God and man's relationship to God.
THEOLOGIAN-One versed in theology,especially Christian theology.
(All definitions taken from:The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language)
O.K.,so why the word study?
Simple! It is the duty of every Christian to be, to some extent,an apologist.To be an apologist,you must be, to some extent,a theologian.If each Christian does not avail themselves of at least a basic knowledge of the Word of God,they leave the door wide open for deception to stroll in and possibly take root in their lives.
Common sense tells me that not everyone has the call of God on their life to spend years in a university somewhere studying all the ramifications of theology,but then,it really isn't necessary.If you have been Born Again and baptized in the Holy Spirit,then you have the Greatest of all Theologians residing within you already,the Holy Spirit! He is God (Acts 5:3-4) and He inspired the Words of Scripture (II Tim.3:16-17).
As Christians living in a pluralistic,post modern world,we are confronted almost on a daily basis,with the opinions and beliefs of individuals who do not hold to the thoughts or beliefs that Christians hold to.We are bombarded with many opinions and philosophies that are at odds with Scripture.So,what is the child of God to do? Well,the obvious answer is to become acquainted not only with the Bible but the One who inspired it's writing,God.The way this is done,is through being Born Again,which simply means to realize you are guilty of sin before a holy God,confess that you have broken all of His Commandments,either in thought,word or deed.Confess to Him that you are a sinner,and accept by faith the sacrifice His Son made at the Cross for your salvation,and commit your will and life to Him on a daily basis.Salvation is a very simple act,so simple in fact,that a child can understand it and accomplish it.
Sanctification is:How we live for God in an ungodly world.If we have recently been saved (Born Again),we should begin to study God's word for our lives.How can a new born babe in Christ know the right way to do this.
1.) Realize that you are accepted by God the Father,and you are greatly loved by Him because you have accepted His Son (John 3:16-21)
2.)Obtain a good,word for word,English translation of the the Bible.You must know that there are well over 50 English Bibles on the market today,some are very good versions,and some are very bad versions.If you stick to a word for word translation,you will be assured that you are actually getting the Scriptures.Paraphrased versions are not,in my opinion,a good way to decide on a version,mostly because they will at times have the editors own interpretations woven into it.This is not good.These are just some suggestions on good reliable English Bibles: King James Version or the Authorized Version,New King James Version,New American Standard Version,Revised Standard Version and the New International Version to name a few.A couple of versions you should stay clear of would be The Message Bible,New Living Translation,the Amplified Bible and most definitely The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures,this version alone has more than three hundred translation errors in it and is a heavily biased version that was created to support the heretical doctrines of the Watchtower and Bible Tract Society a.k.a. Jehovah's Witnesses.If you have been reading from this Bible,you need to know that you will be led deeper into darkness and away from the truth of Jesus Christ.
3.)Do not attempt to make the Bible support any pre-conceived ideas of what you think the Bible says,or what someone else told you the Bible says.This can lead to more error.God wants you to know what He has to say to you,He does not want to hide anything from His children.Yes,there are some passages that will give some difficulty,but overall,you should read and understand it no differently than you would any other book.
4.) The Bible is not a book that can be read one time and put away.It is not meant for us to do this.The word of God is Living and Powerful,it holds something new for it's readers every day (Hebrews 4:12).You must learn to conform your thoughts to what God has to say,and allow it to transform you into that which God would have you to be (Romans 12:1-2).
5.) Jesus promised those who want to know and receive from God,that if they would simply ask God the Father to show them the truth,and expect Him to do so,just as any earthly child would ask his parents for truth,that He would do exactly that.You need not fear that God will lead you astray.If you ask for understanding with a true desire to know,He is more than willing to show you what you want to know (Luke 11:9-13).Asking,Seeking and Knocking is the key to God giving you His understanding.The first letter of each of those words spells ASK;I don't think that is there by accident!
6.) If you are honest and sincere in wanting to know God's word,He will not lead you astray.Once you have received the truth (light) on any subject,be willing to conform your life to that truth."Walk in the Light as He is in the Light,and the Blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse you from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:7)
May we all commit to studying His infallible Word,and grow together in the Lord Jesus Christ.......Until next time........God bless you,is my prayer.......J.W.
Calvary's Cross Ministries
Preaching Christ Crucified
From the Pastor's desk....
Good morning to all.I pray that today you will be blessed of the Lord.Should the Rapture take place today,I will not be posting anything tomorrow! Are you ready,He's coming soon??!!
APOLOGETICS-The branch of theology that deals with the defense and proof of Christianity.
APOLOGIST-A person who argues in defense or justification of another person or cause.
THEOLOGY-1.)The study of the nature of God and religious truth;rational inquiry into religious questions,especially those posed by Christianity.2.)An organized,often formalized body of opinions concerning God and man's relationship to God.
THEOLOGIAN-One versed in theology,especially Christian theology.
(All definitions taken from:The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language)
O.K.,so why the word study?
Simple! It is the duty of every Christian to be, to some extent,an apologist.To be an apologist,you must be, to some extent,a theologian.If each Christian does not avail themselves of at least a basic knowledge of the Word of God,they leave the door wide open for deception to stroll in and possibly take root in their lives.
Common sense tells me that not everyone has the call of God on their life to spend years in a university somewhere studying all the ramifications of theology,but then,it really isn't necessary.If you have been Born Again and baptized in the Holy Spirit,then you have the Greatest of all Theologians residing within you already,the Holy Spirit! He is God (Acts 5:3-4) and He inspired the Words of Scripture (II Tim.3:16-17).
As Christians living in a pluralistic,post modern world,we are confronted almost on a daily basis,with the opinions and beliefs of individuals who do not hold to the thoughts or beliefs that Christians hold to.We are bombarded with many opinions and philosophies that are at odds with Scripture.So,what is the child of God to do? Well,the obvious answer is to become acquainted not only with the Bible but the One who inspired it's writing,God.The way this is done,is through being Born Again,which simply means to realize you are guilty of sin before a holy God,confess that you have broken all of His Commandments,either in thought,word or deed.Confess to Him that you are a sinner,and accept by faith the sacrifice His Son made at the Cross for your salvation,and commit your will and life to Him on a daily basis.Salvation is a very simple act,so simple in fact,that a child can understand it and accomplish it.
Sanctification is:How we live for God in an ungodly world.If we have recently been saved (Born Again),we should begin to study God's word for our lives.How can a new born babe in Christ know the right way to do this.
1.) Realize that you are accepted by God the Father,and you are greatly loved by Him because you have accepted His Son (John 3:16-21)
2.)Obtain a good,word for word,English translation of the the Bible.You must know that there are well over 50 English Bibles on the market today,some are very good versions,and some are very bad versions.If you stick to a word for word translation,you will be assured that you are actually getting the Scriptures.Paraphrased versions are not,in my opinion,a good way to decide on a version,mostly because they will at times have the editors own interpretations woven into it.This is not good.These are just some suggestions on good reliable English Bibles: King James Version or the Authorized Version,New King James Version,New American Standard Version,Revised Standard Version and the New International Version to name a few.A couple of versions you should stay clear of would be The Message Bible,New Living Translation,the Amplified Bible and most definitely The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures,this version alone has more than three hundred translation errors in it and is a heavily biased version that was created to support the heretical doctrines of the Watchtower and Bible Tract Society a.k.a. Jehovah's Witnesses.If you have been reading from this Bible,you need to know that you will be led deeper into darkness and away from the truth of Jesus Christ.
3.)Do not attempt to make the Bible support any pre-conceived ideas of what you think the Bible says,or what someone else told you the Bible says.This can lead to more error.God wants you to know what He has to say to you,He does not want to hide anything from His children.Yes,there are some passages that will give some difficulty,but overall,you should read and understand it no differently than you would any other book.
4.) The Bible is not a book that can be read one time and put away.It is not meant for us to do this.The word of God is Living and Powerful,it holds something new for it's readers every day (Hebrews 4:12).You must learn to conform your thoughts to what God has to say,and allow it to transform you into that which God would have you to be (Romans 12:1-2).
5.) Jesus promised those who want to know and receive from God,that if they would simply ask God the Father to show them the truth,and expect Him to do so,just as any earthly child would ask his parents for truth,that He would do exactly that.You need not fear that God will lead you astray.If you ask for understanding with a true desire to know,He is more than willing to show you what you want to know (Luke 11:9-13).Asking,Seeking and Knocking is the key to God giving you His understanding.The first letter of each of those words spells ASK;I don't think that is there by accident!
6.) If you are honest and sincere in wanting to know God's word,He will not lead you astray.Once you have received the truth (light) on any subject,be willing to conform your life to that truth."Walk in the Light as He is in the Light,and the Blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse you from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:7)
May we all commit to studying His infallible Word,and grow together in the Lord Jesus Christ.......Until next time........God bless you,is my prayer.......J.W.
