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HOW A BAPTIST BRIDER EVADES THE ISSUE

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By Ken Blue

Some months ago I came across a Baptist Bride webpage. As I read some of the comments, I read the following. “Good point Brother, But even the hyper-dispensationalists reject that as support for Old Testament salvation by grace thru faith. Those Ruckmanites believe that people have been saved by different means in different dispensations. You have to have more than child like faith to believe that mess.”

Below is my response and question for the blogger. Dear Brother, I am not a Ruckmanite, but I am a dispensationalist. To be obedient to the Scriptures, one must rightly divide them. You stated, “Those Ruckmanites believe that people have been saved by different means in different dispensations. You have to have more than child like faith to believe that mess.”

I am confident that you also believe that people were saved in different dispensations by believing different truths. Perhaps you could define the gospel message we preach today and then find where it was preached in Matthew through John’s gospel.
No one expected Jesus to die, or be resurrected. How do you explain the following? “ Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.” Luke 18:31-34. Surly you aren’t going to tell me they preached His death, burial, and resurrection and then got a brain freeze.

If I am in error on this subject, I am willing to be corrected with Scripture. I believe it is important to your readers that you respond and explain from Scripture what was required in each dispensation for salvation. What were they required to believe? What did the Twelve Disciples believe, if they were saved?

Thank you for your time. I look forward to you “mature” answer.
Ken Blue

The reader should notice how straight forward and clear my requests were. My next blog will reveal that briders are ignorant of their Bible, or they are purposefully evasive when pressed for a clear answer. If the reader would like to answer the question, please feel free to do so,

A CONSERVATIVE CHURCH IN A LIBERAL WORLD

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HOW TO HAVE A CONSERVATIVE CHURCH TODAY

churchBy Ken Blue

Societies and cultures are not static. Some countries continue to live in the Stone Age; others are still living in the culture of the Old Testament, while much of the world continues to move into the space age of satellite technology. Is progress really good? If it is bad or good, how do we choose between the two?

It is relatively easy to find a Bible verse to defend, or defy any position we take concerning the church. Each person believes his views are biblically based, and yet each may be light years from each other. For example, there are pastors who use Old Testament Scripture to prove that women should only wear dresses. “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.” Deuteronomy 22:5. To them, all women who wear pants are an abomination to God!

A good friend of mine teaches that women must keep silent in the church, thus no testimonies or special music by women. Women are not allowed to cut their hair. Pre-recorded background music is not permitted.

Some churches believe Sunday has replaced the Sabbath. It is the Lord’s Day and must be kept holy. They honor Sunday by not washing their car on Sunday, playing sports, or watching television. I have also met Christians who believe it is a sin to serve meals in the church anytime.

Some pastors will not allow guest speakers to sell their books after a service, while others allow t-shirts, CD’s, and jelly beans to be sold.

I know a godly pastor who is opposed to cowboy boots, wire-rimmed glasses, and jewelry. I know an evangelist who rails on PowerPoint but continues to use the overhead projector. (?)

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]We are under grace, and we should never allow others to bring us under their bondage.[/perfectpullquote]

Some pastors are petrified of the brethren. It is their fear that controls them. They will only use musical instruments they believe their cronies will approve. Everyone pretends that everything else is too progressive. They do not realize the absurdity of their view.

It is not the form or formality believers should be fighting over. These differ and change. No one should be rejected because his or her service differs from yours. It is biblical truth for this dispensation we should be conserving and defending. There’s not one church in a thousand that adheres to the conservative views held a hundred years ago. Paul never made an issue over days, diets, dress, facial hair, or sideburns. We are under grace, and we should never allow others to bring us under their bondage. Grace is not a license to sin. However, it is not a sin for others to differ from you. Neither is it wise to carry money through a neighborhood of thieves just because you have traveled that path for years.

We must adjust our convictions to those of the dispensation of grace as taught by Paul, the Apostle to the church. If we fail to adjust to this dispensation, we can make the Bible teach anything we choose. You can have a conservative church in a liberal world if you know what to conserve, and what to change.

CAN YOU FIND ISRAEL ON THIS MAP?

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When we consider the millions surrounding the little nation of Israel, we realize that they do not have the chance of a snowball in h____ to defeat their enemies. They must have the intervention of Almighty God to bring about their own conversion, the destruction of their enemies and a message to the whole world that the God of creation is the God of the Bible.

Read the verses below and understand what is happening in the world. Will the United States stand with Israel? For their own sake, I pray they do.

“Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.” Jeremiah 31:10.
“I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.” Joel 3:2.

“Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.” Zephaniah 3:8.

“12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet .For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” Revelation 16:12-16.

AUSTRALIA’S OPEN DOOR BAPTIST CHURCH

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By Ken Blue

 

Brother Ryan Connellan grew up in Open Door Baptist Church, Lynnwood, WA. He moved with his family to Australia several years ago, and is now pastoring a new church there. He sent me the following information.

“Our church website is www.odbc.com.au. We actually just posted it the other week so it is still quite basic. I’ve attached a photo of my family. My wife’s name is Janelle and my daughter is Savannah. Our church is located in the suburb of Menai which is about 35 minutes south of the CBD of Sydney.”

We praise the Lord for the young men and women whose lives have been touched by the Lord through the ministry of Open Door. God bless you Ryan.

THE PARENTHESIS

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The parenthesis mystery

parenthesisBy Ken Blue

(The Mystery)

Of the many rules or principles of Bible interpretation, one must not overlook the principle called the parenthesis. “A parenthesis is used to mark off explanatory or qualifying remarks in writing or printing or enclose a sum, product… A comment departing from the theme of discourse; a digression.” American Heritage Dictionary-

The difference in the Bible is that the parenthesis is not filled by the writer, and it remained a mystery until revealed to and by Paul. Peter spoke of this when he said, “Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, (gap here) and the glory that should follow.” 1 Peter 1:11.

The parenthesis was always between the suffering of Christ and the glory to follow. None of the Old Testament saints or the followers of Christ understood the mystery that was hid from the foundation of the world.

The parables of Matthew 13 were primary in preaching the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven during the parenthesis that would exist from the crucifixion to the Revelation at the Second Advent. The secondary mystery was the preaching of the church, the body of Christ in this dispensation.

Let us observe this principle throughout Scripture. It is the key that unlocks Scripture.

Luke 4:18-22 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. (gap here)  And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.  And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?” See Isa. 61:1-2.

Another example is Psalm 22:21-22 “Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns. (gap here) I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.” This text speaks of Christ’s death and resurrection.

We see the same principle in Psalm 118:22 “The stone which the builders refused (gap here) is become the head stone of the corner.” Note Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: (gap here) and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Because we have the writings of Paul, we can clearly see the mystery that fits in the parentheses.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Because we have the writings of Paul, we can clearly see the mystery that fits in the parentheses.[/perfectpullquote]

One more example should be sufficient to establish this principle of Bible interpretation. “And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?  And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?  And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:  And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.  But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.  Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;  And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:  Ought not Christ to have suffered these things,( the parenthesis goes here) and to enter into his glory?  And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.  And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.  And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.  And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.  And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” Luke 24:17-32.