A Lesson on Waiting for God’s Go Signal This Pentecost Sunday

Today is Pentecost Sunday which commemorates the 50th day after Easter Sunday. Pentecost is derived from the Greek word Pentekoste which means 50th. It would typically mark the 50 days after Jesus was resurrected. Luke 24:36-49 is about the Lord Jesus dining with His disciples. The disciples gave Jesus some broiled fish. The disciples were frightened at the vision of the risen Lord. Jesus allowed the disciples to feel Him to see He was in His resurrected body. After that, we read in Luke 24:34-49 about the disciples would have to wait before the great commission can begin.

Being Kind to Others is Kindness to One’s Self, Cruelty to Others is Cruelty to One’s Self

I may have put my studies with Elisha at a halt (for now). As I was reading the Tecarta Bible verse of the day, a good study would be Proverbs 11:17. I’m posting the KJV from above though I’d like to share the ESV translation. The ESV says, “A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself.” This is pretty much the law of action and reaction. How one treats others determines how one treats themselves.

Does 2 Thessalonians 2:15 Defeat Sola Scriptura?

There’s always a misunderstanding and a misrepresentation of what Sola Scriptura is. I don’t blame them because they’re blinded. The things of God are spiritually discerned. I remembered one of the many verses misquoted by opponents of Sola Scriptura (such as Roman Catholics) is 2 Thessalonians 2:15. Some Catholic translations would use traditions. The Good News Translation (GNT) uses the word truths instead. I decided to do a bit of a study since 2 Thessalonians 2:15 tends to be taken out of context to justify rejecting Sola Scriptura.

Understanding More About What It Means to Be Chosen for Salvation (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14)

Years ago, I thought about how Calvinism has been labeled as a heresy by KJV Only Fundamentalist Baptists. Dr. Max D. Younce of the Heritage Baptist Bible Church had written a book Not Chosen for Salvation. I used to be in the KJV Only Fundamentalist. The moment I learned that Charles H. Spurgeon was also a Calvinist, I decided to take the neither Calvinist nor Arminian position that some have taken. Unfortunately, Younce has been endorsing that pervert David J. Stewart who I supported for years. I even had no idea that the pulpit of the late Jack F. Hyles has been marred with so many scandals that I thought were just “Jesuit propaganda”. I may have gotten out of the KJV Only movement. However, I still read through a KJV with concordance to get the Hebrew and the Greek words.

The Command of Christian Youth to Stand Out

1 Timothy 4:1-5 begins discussing the doctrines of demons. Now, it was time for Paul to write to Timothy whom he called a son in the faith (1 Timothy 1:2). I believe that Paul must’ve been much older than Timothy. Oftentimes, we say that we ought to listen to the elders because they have lived longer than us. Now, Paul was also emphasizing the importance of the Christian youth towards Timothy. A verse I want to focus on right now is 1 Timothy 4:12. Paul gives Timothy the command to let no man despite his youth but be an example to all believers in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.

It Took Me Several Years to Accept the Doctrine of Election

I would remember a rather strange journey I had with Calvinism. I remembered hearing the Gospel in a non-KJV-only Baptist school, I soon got saved after many times I heard an Anabaptist (KJV Only) TV program, and I’d say that the Gospel is indeed hard to believe. After that, I got into the KJV Only Movement after a comparison was done between the KJV and the other translations. I got into Chick Publications and its crazy conspiracy theories. There was also Jesus-is-Savior which I’m glad I stopped reading. I did also read Way of Life Literature by Pastor David W. Cloud. Back then, I wanted to take the neither position. Arminianism actually teaches salvation can be lost like Dan Corner of Evangelical Outreach does. Calvinism (which was a term given because of what John Calvin emphasized) emphasizes that a person can never be saved without God choosing the person first. The non-Arminian yet non-Calvinist position (a position taken by many Christians today) says that a person has a limited capacity to believe and that the elect is the man who selects.

The Miraculous Healing of Naaman’s Leprosy

Naaman’s story also happens during the reign of King Jehoram, all before the Omride Dynasty died at the hands of Jehu. The message of salvation wasn’t just for the Jewish race. It was also meant for the Gentiles. We would have the story of a proud Syrian commander who had leprosy. We can read that Naaman was a mighty man of valor but he was a leper. I could just imagine how dangerous it was to be around Naaman.