I recently received a letter from a brother (who, BTW, "enjoys the website") that brought up another point about the ‘noble Bereans’ in response to my thought of the day about the ‘mid-Acts’ preacher who prayed for "that Berean spirit". Let’s revisit Acts 17:11, from where the conference speaker based his prayer request for "that Berean spirit".
In the CONTEXT, when you read on into verse 12,
you realize that the ‘noble Bereans’ in verse 11 were not yet saved!
They were NOT believers having a Bible study .... as ‘mid-Acts-ers’ imply!
They were JEWS,
of the synagogue,
who BECAME believers,
AFTER they VERIFIED what Paul was preaching in the OLD testament record.
Acts 17:10-13 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11 These (Jews in Berea) were more noble than those (Jews) in Thessalonica,
in that they received the word with all readiness of mind,
and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
12 Therefore many of them (Berean Jews) believed;
also of honourable women which were Greeks (honourable Greek women), and of men, not a few (many Greek men).
13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people.
The Berean Jews (vs. 11)
were more noble than those Thessalonian Jews (vs. 11a, 13)
because every day they checked out Paul’s messages IN THE SCRIPTURES
to make sure that what he was preaching WAS IN ONE ACCORD
with what God’s word already said.
Luke recorded that by Paul’s own mouth, he declared that everything he said was in the Bible:
Acts 26:22 Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:
‘Mid-Acts-ers’ ought to be CAREFUL with the holy writ (for English speaking people -- the KJV), instead of picking out certain phrases and spinning them to make their own paradigm. (This only applies to those 'mid-Acts-ers' who claim to be KJV .... not those 'mid-Acts-ers' who do not claim to be KJV, nor to mainstream denominations who accept the verses that they are a flock of sheep with pastors, even though I do not agree with them. I am KJV, and I can see when someone AVOIDS the KJV words.)
This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Anger Management Through Paul?
A teaching elder made a few comments in a message earlier this week about how he regretted making friends with an angry man (Prov 22:24). Wonder why a ‘mid-Acts-er’ would be applying a proverb not written by Paul? They tell YOU not to go 'outside of Paul' for instruction, but THEY do when THEY want to.
Paul did not instruct believers not to BE angry .... but not to sin with it, and not to mull in it:
Eph 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
A bishop was not told not to BE angry .... but not to be hasty in anger nor quick-tempered:
Titus 1:7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
We are not to hold on to anger or nurse it .... quite the contrary:
Eph 4:31-32 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
We should make the choice to lay aside anger and not clothe ourselves with it:
Col 3:8-11 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
The same Greek word translated ‘anger’ 3 times, is also translated ‘wrath’ 31 times, and ‘vengeance’ 1 time, and ‘indignation’ 1 time. James wrote about anger like Paul. He did not teach that it is wrong to be angry .... but that anger ought not be thoughtless or speedy:
James 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
The same anger management principle shows throughout the scripture:
Ecc 5:2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
Jesus spoke of God’s judgment toward one who is angry with his brother ‘without a cause’ (Matt 5:22).
The teaching elder said, "If a brother is a railer -- someone that speaks harshly" .... that you should not eat with him .... then he admitted that he was guilty of not obeying that. Let’s compare what HE said with what THE VERSE actually says. He said, "If a brother IS a railer," .... but the scripture reads .... "if any man that is called a brother":
1 Cor 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
Well, I will also make a confession. I was guilty of putting ‘confidence in an unfaithful man’ (Prov 25:19).
Of himself, or Apollos, or Cephas (Peter), Paul wrote:
1 Cor 4:1-2 Let a man so account of us,
as of the ministers of Christ,
and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
For preachers to make a big issue of being KJV .... and even further, ‘Pauline’ .... and then DENY the KJV word of the office they hold, which God through Paul said was ‘a good work’ .... I speak this to their shame:
1 Tim 3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
Earlier we read to, ‘Be angry, and sin not,’ .... here we should ‘Awake to righteousness, and sin not.’ God spoke to the shame of saints:
1 Cor 15:34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
God has reason and direction for His holy anger:
Psa 7:11 God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
.
Paul did not instruct believers not to BE angry .... but not to sin with it, and not to mull in it:
Eph 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
A bishop was not told not to BE angry .... but not to be hasty in anger nor quick-tempered:
Titus 1:7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
We are not to hold on to anger or nurse it .... quite the contrary:
Eph 4:31-32 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
We should make the choice to lay aside anger and not clothe ourselves with it:
Col 3:8-11 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
The same Greek word translated ‘anger’ 3 times, is also translated ‘wrath’ 31 times, and ‘vengeance’ 1 time, and ‘indignation’ 1 time. James wrote about anger like Paul. He did not teach that it is wrong to be angry .... but that anger ought not be thoughtless or speedy:
James 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
The same anger management principle shows throughout the scripture:
Ecc 5:2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
Jesus spoke of God’s judgment toward one who is angry with his brother ‘without a cause’ (Matt 5:22).
The teaching elder said, "If a brother is a railer -- someone that speaks harshly" .... that you should not eat with him .... then he admitted that he was guilty of not obeying that. Let’s compare what HE said with what THE VERSE actually says. He said, "If a brother IS a railer," .... but the scripture reads .... "if any man that is called a brother":
1 Cor 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
Well, I will also make a confession. I was guilty of putting ‘confidence in an unfaithful man’ (Prov 25:19).
Of himself, or Apollos, or Cephas (Peter), Paul wrote:
1 Cor 4:1-2 Let a man so account of us,
as of the ministers of Christ,
and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
For preachers to make a big issue of being KJV .... and even further, ‘Pauline’ .... and then DENY the KJV word of the office they hold, which God through Paul said was ‘a good work’ .... I speak this to their shame:
1 Tim 3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
Earlier we read to, ‘Be angry, and sin not,’ .... here we should ‘Awake to righteousness, and sin not.’ God spoke to the shame of saints:
1 Cor 15:34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
God has reason and direction for His holy anger:
Psa 7:11 God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Moses Led a BODY?
‘Moses’ seems to be the buzz of some ‘mid-Acts-ers’ lately. Wonder why all the Moses commotion? Could it be because of the various scriptures posted on this website that show how Moses wrote of Christ (John 5:46)? I heard several ‘Moses’ comments during the past week’s conference, such as, "I’m not in that church in the wilderness (Acts 7:38). To be in that church you had to be baptized unto Moses." Last night a teaching elder referenced that they were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and the sea: (I show the verse below, and, my note: the baptism is dry --- no wet water involved!)
1 Cor 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
.... and he said that ‘Moses led a BODY of people out of Egypt’. Now, how about that? .... using what-they-have-always-called PAUL’s ‘unique’ reference to a ‘BODY’ and applying it to MOSES’ followers!
That’s not all! He also stated that the voice of the archangel was recorded in scripture when he stood up for the ‘BODY’ of Moses in Jude 1:9: (I show the verse below.)
Jude 1:9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
Then the teaching elder asked the question, "What is the BODY of Moses?" He gave his personal opinion that he thinks his contending is with the nation of Israel. He also made reference to ‘the end of Deutronomy’ (I show the verse below.)
Deut 34:4-6 And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.
5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.
6 And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.
So now we have on tape/record, a ‘mid-Acts’ teaching elder stating that ‘Moses led a BODY of people out of Egypt’. Hummmm, wonder what will be admitted next?
This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
.
1 Cor 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
.... and he said that ‘Moses led a BODY of people out of Egypt’. Now, how about that? .... using what-they-have-always-called PAUL’s ‘unique’ reference to a ‘BODY’ and applying it to MOSES’ followers!
That’s not all! He also stated that the voice of the archangel was recorded in scripture when he stood up for the ‘BODY’ of Moses in Jude 1:9: (I show the verse below.)
Jude 1:9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
Then the teaching elder asked the question, "What is the BODY of Moses?" He gave his personal opinion that he thinks his contending is with the nation of Israel. He also made reference to ‘the end of Deutronomy’ (I show the verse below.)
Deut 34:4-6 And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.
5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.
6 And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.
So now we have on tape/record, a ‘mid-Acts’ teaching elder stating that ‘Moses led a BODY of people out of Egypt’. Hummmm, wonder what will be admitted next?
This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
.
Is It Just My Imagination?
In his message tonight on 1 Thess 4:16, a teaching elder (who converted from being a pastor) just preached that "thinking ‘the last trump’ of 1 Cor 15:52 is the last trump of the 7 trumpets to blow in Revelation" is "a hallucination .... when the WISH is father to the THOUGHT." The dictionary defines hallucination as ‘the apparent perception of sights, sounds, etc. that are not actually present: it may occur in certain mental disorders.’ WHO would ever WISH to go through a world-wide day of slaughter for refusing to worship the beast? Not me! The THOUGHT of ‘the last trump’ really BEING ‘the last trump’ was certainly not my WISH! But I would rather believe the VERSES and be prepared, instead of turn a blind eye:
Jeremiah wrote:
Jer 12:3 But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter,
and prepare them for the day of slaughter.
Paul wrote:
Rom 8:36 As it is written, (see Psa 44:22) For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
James wrote:
James 5:5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
John wrote:
Rev 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
Better to be ready for the day of slaughter .... than to be ashamed for not rightly dividing, thinking that the ‘rapture’ (?), actually, the RESURRECTION, had past already, and have one’s faith overthrown:
2 Tim 2:15-18 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
The phrase in question here is ‘the last trump’:
1 Cor 15:51-52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
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 fabricated 3 toots (which has been the ‘mid-Acts-ers’ previous stand) must have been a real embarrassment, because the presentation has just changed, and now their teaching elder has instructed them that there are only 2 toots .... but they both come from the same trump! "One instrument that sounds twice! Why? Because there are 2 groups of people. The dead come up at the 1st trump, and the alive are changed at the 2nd (or last) trump."
The teaching elder’s explanation was to "first look in the CONTEXT of 1 Corinthians chapter 15 to find out what ‘last’ means." What a great idea! Watch how he did it.
He went to:
1 Cor 15:45 And so it is written (Paul referring to ‘prophecy’ in Gen 2:7),
The first man Adam was made a living soul;
the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
.... and he used it with:
1 Cor 15:47 The first man is of the earth, earthy:
the second man is the Lord from heaven.
.... to say that the ‘last’ Adam is equivalent to the ‘second’ man .... which, to him, established that ‘last’ meant ‘second’. Therefore, he made 2 trumps .... which he said was "one instrument that sounds twice"!
He referenced the CHAPTER of 1 Corinthians 15, but he only backed up a few verses. What if we started at the beginning of the chapter "to find out what ‘last’ means"? What would happen then .... using HIS method?
1 Cor 15:1-8 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (Note: We will have to start counting in the next verse, because in verse 8, we get to the ‘last’ .... so count with me):
5 And that he was seen of Cephas, (Peter is the first 1)
then of the twelve: (1 + 12 = 13 so far)
6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; (13 + over 500 = over 513)
of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
7 After that, he was seen of James; (over 513 + 1 = over 514)
then of all the apostles. (We don’t know how many apostles there were, and we know ‘the twelve’ were already counted in vs. 5b .... so we will just have to say that there were ‘more’ than 514.)
(Here comes the word ‘last’ in the count of all the people that SAW Jesus Christ, beginning in vs. 5a. FYI, it is the SAME Greek word as used in 1 Cor 15:52 and 45 .... so, get ready):
8 And last of all he was seen of me (Paul) also, as of one born out of due time.
So, using the teaching elder’s formula for finding out the correct number of the word ‘last’ by using the context, still in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 .... ‘last’ would be ‘some number’ that is MORE THAN 514!
Oh, but there’s yet another ‘last’ in the chapter! If we allowed the teaching elder to have his way .... to say that the ‘last’ means the ‘second’ .... then DEATH would only be the SECOND, but the 'last' of ALL His enemies?
1 Cor 15:22-26 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
The teaching elder’s recipe for counting the last ‘whatever’ would not even work in 1 Cor 15:25-26, because the verse does not say HOW MANY ENEMIES Christ has, so that we could know WHICH NUMBER of His enemies that ‘death’ is, and thereby assign the number of 'the last enemy'.
The point is, ‘the last trump’ is not talking about ‘the last MAN’ .... nor about ‘the last ENEMY’ .... it is ‘the last TRUMP’ .... so rather than wresting what the verse actually says .... let’s just let ‘the last trump’ be ‘the last TRUMP’. I thought ‘mid-Acts-ers’ preached to always allow the natural meaning of the verse! Evidently, they just SAY that and only DO it when they WISH to, for their paradigm!
Is it just my imagination or is the teaching elder WISHING? It seems to me that the people who are hallucinating .... when the WISH is father to the THOUGHT ... are those who WISH to escape from Planet Earth 7 + years before Daniel’s 70th week (which-they-call TRIBULATION) ever begins?!
Stay tuned to the daily thoughts for continued examinations of the teaching elder's messages in 1 Thessalonians 3-4.
This is David Dowell, (speaking Greek) saying, "Maranatha!" (1 Cor 16:22)
This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
.
Jeremiah wrote:
Jer 12:3 But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter,
and prepare them for the day of slaughter.
Paul wrote:
Rom 8:36 As it is written, (see Psa 44:22) For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
James wrote:
James 5:5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
John wrote:
Rev 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
Better to be ready for the day of slaughter .... than to be ashamed for not rightly dividing, thinking that the ‘rapture’ (?), actually, the RESURRECTION, had past already, and have one’s faith overthrown:
2 Tim 2:15-18 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
The phrase in question here is ‘the last trump’:
1 Cor 15:51-52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
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 fabricated 3 toots (which has been the ‘mid-Acts-ers’ previous stand) must have been a real embarrassment, because the presentation has just changed, and now their teaching elder has instructed them that there are only 2 toots .... but they both come from the same trump! "One instrument that sounds twice! Why? Because there are 2 groups of people. The dead come up at the 1st trump, and the alive are changed at the 2nd (or last) trump."
The teaching elder’s explanation was to "first look in the CONTEXT of 1 Corinthians chapter 15 to find out what ‘last’ means." What a great idea! Watch how he did it.
He went to:
1 Cor 15:45 And so it is written (Paul referring to ‘prophecy’ in Gen 2:7),
The first man Adam was made a living soul;
the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
.... and he used it with:
1 Cor 15:47 The first man is of the earth, earthy:
the second man is the Lord from heaven.
.... to say that the ‘last’ Adam is equivalent to the ‘second’ man .... which, to him, established that ‘last’ meant ‘second’. Therefore, he made 2 trumps .... which he said was "one instrument that sounds twice"!
He referenced the CHAPTER of 1 Corinthians 15, but he only backed up a few verses. What if we started at the beginning of the chapter "to find out what ‘last’ means"? What would happen then .... using HIS method?
1 Cor 15:1-8 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (Note: We will have to start counting in the next verse, because in verse 8, we get to the ‘last’ .... so count with me):
5 And that he was seen of Cephas, (Peter is the first 1)
then of the twelve: (1 + 12 = 13 so far)
6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; (13 + over 500 = over 513)
of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
7 After that, he was seen of James; (over 513 + 1 = over 514)
then of all the apostles. (We don’t know how many apostles there were, and we know ‘the twelve’ were already counted in vs. 5b .... so we will just have to say that there were ‘more’ than 514.)
(Here comes the word ‘last’ in the count of all the people that SAW Jesus Christ, beginning in vs. 5a. FYI, it is the SAME Greek word as used in 1 Cor 15:52 and 45 .... so, get ready):
8 And last of all he was seen of me (Paul) also, as of one born out of due time.
So, using the teaching elder’s formula for finding out the correct number of the word ‘last’ by using the context, still in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 .... ‘last’ would be ‘some number’ that is MORE THAN 514!
Oh, but there’s yet another ‘last’ in the chapter! If we allowed the teaching elder to have his way .... to say that the ‘last’ means the ‘second’ .... then DEATH would only be the SECOND, but the 'last' of ALL His enemies?
1 Cor 15:22-26 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
The teaching elder’s recipe for counting the last ‘whatever’ would not even work in 1 Cor 15:25-26, because the verse does not say HOW MANY ENEMIES Christ has, so that we could know WHICH NUMBER of His enemies that ‘death’ is, and thereby assign the number of 'the last enemy'.
The point is, ‘the last trump’ is not talking about ‘the last MAN’ .... nor about ‘the last ENEMY’ .... it is ‘the last TRUMP’ .... so rather than wresting what the verse actually says .... let’s just let ‘the last trump’ be ‘the last TRUMP’. I thought ‘mid-Acts-ers’ preached to always allow the natural meaning of the verse! Evidently, they just SAY that and only DO it when they WISH to, for their paradigm!
Is it just my imagination or is the teaching elder WISHING? It seems to me that the people who are hallucinating .... when the WISH is father to the THOUGHT ... are those who WISH to escape from Planet Earth 7 + years before Daniel’s 70th week (which-they-call TRIBULATION) ever begins?!
Stay tuned to the daily thoughts for continued examinations of the teaching elder's messages in 1 Thessalonians 3-4.
This is David Dowell, (speaking Greek) saying, "Maranatha!" (1 Cor 16:22)
This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
I, Me, and My
‘Mid-Acts-ers’ often focus on ‘who I am in Christ’ .... ‘what being in Christ did for ME’ .... and ‘MY identity in Christ’. Though we certainly need to understand these things, it seems that ‘mid-Acts-ers’ are concentrating their attention selfishly on themselves (or on PAUL, the least of the apostles, as 1 Cor 15:9), instead of giving Christ the first place. Our emphasis ought to be on HIM:
Col 1:16-18 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers:
all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he (CHRIST .... not I, not Paul) might have the preeminence.
Even John the Baptist testified to the same:
John 3:30-31 He must increase, but I must decrease.
31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.
Have you ever noticed how many times a person says, "I, me, or my" in public speaking?
This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
‘Mid-Acts-ers’ recently had a conference with 3 seminars about "Why I am Not a ...." (this, that, or the other, of different doctrinal sects). It gave me the idea to make a presentation for next Sunday’s message about why ‘Mid-Acts-Hyper-Dispensationalists’ are wrong.
Col 1:16-18 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers:
all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he (CHRIST .... not I, not Paul) might have the preeminence.
Even John the Baptist testified to the same:
John 3:30-31 He must increase, but I must decrease.
31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.
Have you ever noticed how many times a person says, "I, me, or my" in public speaking?
This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
‘Mid-Acts-ers’ recently had a conference with 3 seminars about "Why I am Not a ...." (this, that, or the other, of different doctrinal sects). It gave me the idea to make a presentation for next Sunday’s message about why ‘Mid-Acts-Hyper-Dispensationalists’ are wrong.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Conf. Thurs. Message # 5 on 7-22-10 Final
This was the final message of the conference. I had no internet reception for 3/4 of it, and therefore have no comments about it.
However, I will share a disappointment about the speaker’s unfaithfulness to the KJV he claims is the final authority. A few years ago, I talked to him about the over-sight among ‘mid-Acts-ers’ who called the leaders / main preachers in their churches by The Living Bible’s term ‘pastors’ .... rather than following PAUL’s word in the KJV of the office of a ‘bishop’. After I brought up the verses to his attention, he told me that he did not like titles of any kind, and that the scripture never referred to Paul as ‘the apostle Paul’ but as ‘Paul the apostle’. That afternoon, when he was called to the podium to give an updated report on the television ministry, I began counting after I heard him several times refer to the preacher as "Pastor ___". I counted over a dozen times in the few minutes of his presentation. Not only did he use ‘Pastor’ for a title repeatedly, but he also created several verb forms of pastor, like, "He pastors .... He was pastoring .... He pastored," etc. Are there no men among the ‘mid-Acts-ers’ that desire a GOOD WORK? They are ashamed of the word ‘bishop’ and they boycott it .... rather than defend it with rigor the way they do with the word ‘dispensation’!
I did not see the afternoon seminars, but their theme gave me an idea for a message entitled, "Why I am not a Mid-Acts-er."
The piano playing and the band were the good parts of the conference.
Since I was corrected for my incorrect spelling of the word ‘paradigm’ .... I felt obliged to return the favor. When you form a contraction from two words, the apostrophe goes in the place where the letters are left out. So the Southern slang for "you all" is y’all .... not ya’ll.
This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
However, I will share a disappointment about the speaker’s unfaithfulness to the KJV he claims is the final authority. A few years ago, I talked to him about the over-sight among ‘mid-Acts-ers’ who called the leaders / main preachers in their churches by The Living Bible’s term ‘pastors’ .... rather than following PAUL’s word in the KJV of the office of a ‘bishop’. After I brought up the verses to his attention, he told me that he did not like titles of any kind, and that the scripture never referred to Paul as ‘the apostle Paul’ but as ‘Paul the apostle’. That afternoon, when he was called to the podium to give an updated report on the television ministry, I began counting after I heard him several times refer to the preacher as "Pastor ___". I counted over a dozen times in the few minutes of his presentation. Not only did he use ‘Pastor’ for a title repeatedly, but he also created several verb forms of pastor, like, "He pastors .... He was pastoring .... He pastored," etc. Are there no men among the ‘mid-Acts-ers’ that desire a GOOD WORK? They are ashamed of the word ‘bishop’ and they boycott it .... rather than defend it with rigor the way they do with the word ‘dispensation’!
I did not see the afternoon seminars, but their theme gave me an idea for a message entitled, "Why I am not a Mid-Acts-er."
The piano playing and the band were the good parts of the conference.
Since I was corrected for my incorrect spelling of the word ‘paradigm’ .... I felt obliged to return the favor. When you form a contraction from two words, the apostrophe goes in the place where the letters are left out. So the Southern slang for "you all" is y’all .... not ya’ll.
This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
Conf. Thurs. Message # 4 on 7-22-10
The message title made me think the speaker would discuss ‘mid-Acts’ doctrine about what-they-believe will be the activities of ‘the body of Christ’ (who they limit to be only Paul’s converts) for eternity in the heavens. He even began by stating that he was putting 20 years of study into one hour, about "what’s going to happen, the eternal glory we will have in the future." (Boy, were we in for a surprise!) Then he said something like, ".... and how John wrote his epistle about ‘that which was in the beginning’ and then John wrote about ‘the beginning’ again at the end." I have no idea what he meant by that. Next he told us that some of the verses he would be using would make us think that he was going down the wrong way, but his conclusion would clear it all up. During his message, he ran so many rabbit trails, it caused me to remember his warning.
The speaker made this statement, "If you disagree with me -- bring me a verse -- or don’t tell me I’m wrong." The longer I listened to his sermon, the more I thought he set us up. HE is the one who needed verses to make his points .... which MANY times, he did not have. Thus, when the scripture said nothing of the sort, there are no verses to prove him wrong, and he evidently thinks he is right. That is not a good way to ‘come up’ with doctrine.
He read
Gen 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
.... and said, "If you have an open firmament, then you have to have a closed firmament of heaven." What?!
He read
Rom 1:19-20 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
.... and said, "Can you see the government? It is a piece of paper. The government is a person, it’s people. There are governments in His creation." What?!
He referenced Job 38:1-7, and said, "Job knew these 3 men as his friends, so he would be in the center. If Job is the one we think he is, Moses would have been 55 years of age - he’s in the land of promise." What?!
The speaker read Ezek 1:27 and said, "God told Ezekiel what heaven looked like.
He saw someone seated on a throne in heaven surrounded by a rainbow, like the glory of God. That made Lucifer, in his original state, like a rainbow. He wanted to overthrow God." What?!
The speaker asked this question about Lucifer, "What did he cover?" Then he answered, "He covered all of creation. He covered the heavens and the earth." Here are the verses that tell that he covered, but they do not say WHAT he covered:
Ezek 28:14-16 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
So the speaker was wrong, because HE had NO verses to make his claim in the first place.
He had a whopper of a story about 1/3 of the stars in the sky being cast out (Rev 12:4) and when Moses came, the heavens could not be ‘read’ anymore .... like if you took every third word out of the Bible, you can’t read it. They could not read the word of God because it was gone. Angels didn’t take care of it. 1/3 left and it couldn’t be read anymore. What?!
He read Romans 16:25-26, and said that prophecy was fulfilled in those stars and they could see how it was going to work out from Adam to the cross. But what was "kept secret" meant that nothing was written in the stars about that. What?!
When he said, "I’ve taken out all the verses that I can," I just shook my head.
The internet connection was later lost and I did not hear his entire message. But by then, I had already heard way too much.
This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
The speaker made this statement, "If you disagree with me -- bring me a verse -- or don’t tell me I’m wrong." The longer I listened to his sermon, the more I thought he set us up. HE is the one who needed verses to make his points .... which MANY times, he did not have. Thus, when the scripture said nothing of the sort, there are no verses to prove him wrong, and he evidently thinks he is right. That is not a good way to ‘come up’ with doctrine.
He read
Gen 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
.... and said, "If you have an open firmament, then you have to have a closed firmament of heaven." What?!
He read
Rom 1:19-20 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
.... and said, "Can you see the government? It is a piece of paper. The government is a person, it’s people. There are governments in His creation." What?!
He referenced Job 38:1-7, and said, "Job knew these 3 men as his friends, so he would be in the center. If Job is the one we think he is, Moses would have been 55 years of age - he’s in the land of promise." What?!
The speaker read Ezek 1:27 and said, "God told Ezekiel what heaven looked like.
He saw someone seated on a throne in heaven surrounded by a rainbow, like the glory of God. That made Lucifer, in his original state, like a rainbow. He wanted to overthrow God." What?!
The speaker asked this question about Lucifer, "What did he cover?" Then he answered, "He covered all of creation. He covered the heavens and the earth." Here are the verses that tell that he covered, but they do not say WHAT he covered:
Ezek 28:14-16 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
So the speaker was wrong, because HE had NO verses to make his claim in the first place.
He had a whopper of a story about 1/3 of the stars in the sky being cast out (Rev 12:4) and when Moses came, the heavens could not be ‘read’ anymore .... like if you took every third word out of the Bible, you can’t read it. They could not read the word of God because it was gone. Angels didn’t take care of it. 1/3 left and it couldn’t be read anymore. What?!
He read Romans 16:25-26, and said that prophecy was fulfilled in those stars and they could see how it was going to work out from Adam to the cross. But what was "kept secret" meant that nothing was written in the stars about that. What?!
When he said, "I’ve taken out all the verses that I can," I just shook my head.
The internet connection was later lost and I did not hear his entire message. But by then, I had already heard way too much.
This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
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