What Started the Ball Rolling?

I have thought back about the last few years, about what ‘got me thinking’ that ‘mid-Acts-ers’ (of which I was then a part) might be wrong in their doctrines. We were such strict defenders of the KJV word ‘dispensation’ and even used it to identify ourselves as ‘mid-Acts-dispensationalists’ preaching the unique ministry of the apostle Paul!

Eph 3:1-2 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

We were preaching to the congregation that they were not sheep, that God’s sheep was always Israel, and that we were ‘the body of Christ’ - not Israel. I realized that we preachers were being contradictory by calling ourselves (and each other) ‘pastor’ .... which means ‘shepherd’ .... when I read:

1 Tim 3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop,
he desireth a good work. (Were there no 'mid-Acts-ers' who desired a good work?)

There it was .... very plain. The apostle Paul, who we ‘mid-Acts-ers’ claimed to follow, as the apostle of the Gentiles (Rom 11:13) in the dispensation of grace (Eph 3:2) .... named the title of the office that we preachers called ‘pastor’ .... a ‘bishop’ instead. The verse was so simple that it made changing an easy decision for me. I just admitted I had been wrongly identifying myself and my fellow-preachers, and I exposed my own error. It was naturally embarrassing, but I took my father-in-law’s advice, "It is always right to do the right thing right away!"

When I told my fellow-preachers that we had failed to notice the correct title of our office for many years, I expected they would be thankful that I pointed out the oversight, especially since we were careful to defend the KJV (thinking about the word ‘dispensation’). But instead of confessing their blunder, most of them made excuses .... like, they wouldn’t use the word ‘bishop’ because of demographics, or because other religious groups, with whom they disagree, used it .... to stay with The Living Bible term ‘pastor’.

"Demographics? God’s word does not apply or fit or ‘work well’ in certain areas of the country, or city, or what?" "Do we have more in common with men AND women who describe themselves as ‘pastors’ that we choose to side with them instead of the clergy known as ‘bishops’?" Can you imagine my disgust at such cowardice? I knew that if they could be so stiffnecked (Exo 32:9), stubborn and rebellious (Psa 78:8) on such an apparent issue as 'bishop', where else could they be wrong? Then I was willing to even consider that they were wrong about other doctrines.

The more I thought about their unfaithfulness to the KJV, the more conscious I became of paying close attention to exactly what the scriptures said. It is important not to alter God’s word to fit our paradigm. As I studied, I became aware of other places where ‘we’ ‘mid-Acts-ers’ denied the Bible .... all the while, preaching, "God said what He meant, and He meant what He said!" Here is one example, where clearly, the day of Christ will NOT come until after the man of sin is revealed .... so, rather than change the verse, we must change our doctrine to match the verse:

2 Thess 2:1-3 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, (There is no reason to divide this verse into separate events that happen in reverse order from the way the words read .... plus .... to force 7+ years between them, which is what ‘mid-Acts-ers’ do.)
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (What day? the day of Christ!) shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; (Whoa! We ‘mid-Acts-ers’ didn’t like that .... so we adjusted it to match our ‘pre-tribulation rapture’ belief!)

Here is another disgrace to the self-called ‘grace believers’. We didn’t like ‘the last trump’ in the scriptures because it occurs AFTER the 70th week of Daniel comes to a close .... so we replaced the 7 trumpets in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, with 3 trumpets that are no where in the Bible:

1 Cor 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

The bottom line is this: When we read a verse that says something that we don’t say it says .... then WE are who is wrong .... NOT the verse! Therefore, WE are who must change! We must not change the verse!

I considered the issue of the coming of the Lord .... His appearing .... as recorded all over the Bible. ‘Mid-Acts-ers’ make 2 comings: 1 being a ‘mystery-secret’ coming just to the air, and another coming to the earth. I read and re-read many verses. I thought about them. I compared them with each other, and I accepted the fact that this SAME Jesus Who was taken up will so come in like manner as He went into heaven (Acts 1:11) .... the 2nd time (Heb 9:28). That also knocks out the ‘2 Jesus’ teaching of ‘mid-Acts-ers’ (earthly Jesus, and ‘risen, glorified Lord’ Jesus in heaven). Once I stopped wresting the verses, it was like pulling a string on a sweater and the whole garment unravelled. Thus, I am no longer (after nearly 30 years of wasted time and money) a ‘mid-Acts-er’. That’s how the ball started rolling. Now I am trying to prevent others from falling into the 'mid-Acts' absurdity or help them to get out.

I follow no man, and can be persuaded by God’s word alone.

2 Peter 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

So .... "show me the verse!"

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

P.S. I will be occupied this weekend, so the next daily thought will be posted on Monday evening. Thank you for your interest.
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