JUST TO INFORM

I have a great passion for teaching God’s word. I often say that there is absolutely no reason for anyone to listen to or hear anything I, as a person has to say. Actually that makes me just like every other person on the face of this planet. The reality is; we all need to be taught, especially spiritually speaking.

The power that is needed to teach spiritual things comes from the very spirit of God. Just like any other person or teacher that has a platform to stand on I, have to prove myself worthy of your attention. I have to prove that I can allow the very Spirit of God to speak through me and to truthfully teach what he would have you to learn. A good teacher will stir something within you that causes you to dig deeper that even what the teacher; teaches. You leave the classroom with a true hunger to know more about the subject that is being studied.

Be fore we get started in the series of weekly lessons that can be used as Sunday School material, I’d like for you to know my sources. I teach only from the ( King James Bible ). That is my source. The sixty six books in that one book is my study material. The Holy Spirit is my teacher. Over the years as a Bible student I truly appreciate the people that God has used to teach me. Most of those people will readily admit that they are only a mouthpiece of the Spirit of God. Their desire is, if they are still living and, was if they have gone on to glory, to bring glory to God and to help people to have a basic understanding of God’s word.

Just by way of teaching. I said I only use the ( King James Bible ). I often tell people that they have the liberty, freedom to use whatsoever they choose as a Bible. However, it still takes the Spirit of God to teach what God desires for each of use to know. We must be willing to hear him and allow him to speak and teach. People often say they can’t understand ( King James ). They say other versions are easier to read. Well, My question would be; do you understand even the version that you read? To be able to read something and to be able to understand something is two completely different things.

The desire of my heart is to enhance your understanding of God’s word, to help develop the Spirit of God within you, to help you come to the knowledge of the truth. God would have all men to be saved, and come unto the knowledge of the truth. ( 1 Timothy 2:4 ).

WHERE TO START

I often tell young Biblical students that are just getting into scripture to read; only read, the gospel of John through five times before they even began to seek to study. My reasoning behind that idea is that the four gospels reveal Jesus Christ in four different ways: ( Matthew ) reveals Jesus as the King of the Jews. ( Mark ) reveals Jesus as the servant of man. ( Luke ) reveals Jesus as the son of man and, ( John ) reveals Jesus as the son Of God. Just reading John will help us to get to know Jesus as ( God in flesh ), to know him in all his power and glory.

Just to define this a little better; this is something to notice. We see in ( Matthew ) a linage of that takes us back to King David, even to Abraham. This being the ( King linage of Israel. In ( Mark ) we see no linage because, as a servant, we are not concerned about where a servant comes from. In ( Luke ) we see another linage. This linage is found in ( Luke 3 ). It takes us all the way back to Adam show Jesus as a member of mankind. Again, in ( John ) there is no linage because God had no beginning or end.

Each time, if you are patient enough to read through ( John ) these five times you will get to know Jesus as God a little better see him in his ability to show grace to a sinful world to which each of us is a part of.

After you have read through this book five times; my suggestion is that you seek to study the book of ( Romans ). Here we learn of God’s amazing grace. One of my favorite verses in Romans is this one: ( Romans 4:8 ) Blessed is the man to whom God will not impute sin.

When we consider how powerful that statement is, toward us, each person that has ask Jesus to be their savior , God will not impute sin to you. He only sees you through the blood of Jesus, his only begotten son and cannot see your sin. Making statements, such as this often opens some people to the opinion that we can live as we please once we are saved however, it is actually saying just the opposite if you understand the reasoning behind what is actually happens when we are born again. We’ll teach about this subject more as time unfolds.

Studying the book will help you to began to see the little hidden things that God loves to reveal to only his children.

HIDDEN THINGS AND MYSTERIES

We see this statement made in ( 1 Corinthians 2:7-8 ) But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto his glory: ( 8 ) Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory.

I want you to notice a word there ( princes ). Now, look at this verse; ( Ephesians 2:2 ) Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

You can read more there if you wish but, I wanted you to see the word ( prince ) there. The Apostle Paul is saying in Corinthians that the princes of this world are actually, for the most part governed by the Prince of the power of the air. Satan could not see what the crucifixion of Jesus Christ would bring about, neither could the princes, the world leaders at that time. If we think that the same prince is not around today we are deceived. He infiltrates our homes, our schools our universities and yes, even our Churches. There is no place that is safe from his influence, that is , other than the realm of security we, in our individual relationship with God. That being through and by his Holy Spirit that lives within the heart of the believer. He alone is our teacher. I often say it this way ( even as I write or speak ) it’s not me you need to hear.

God’s true desire for every person that speaks or writes is to allow his Spirit to use their flesh. My opinions, even my thoughts are no good to you the reader. It must be God’s Spirit that works through the flesh of men to bring about his truth and his will in your life.

( I believe ) that there are many pastors, teachers and Church leaders that are following the prince of the power of the air and not yielding to the King of Glory. ( I believe ) that, in most case, they don’t even realize where the influence is coming from and, they truly believe the spirit they are following is God’s will, but they are deceived.

You don’t have to believe what I do but, at least allow God’s Spirit to direct your heart. We are not being taught the hidden wisdom, the mysteries that is spoken of here. My desire is to do just that. I show you this verse but we will be teaching from the book of ( Acts ) in a while, we must lay the ground work first.

I want you to know about me, your teacher. I’m uneducated, simply finished High School and became an electrician by trade, no formal religious or Biblical training. I simply, if you can put it that way, allowed the Holy Spirit of God to teach me through patience and time. They say that the word of God is written on a fourth grade reading level. That being the case then why would I need to have a college degree to understand it?

Why? I might know the reason. It’s because the princes of this world desire to be the teachers and not allow the Spirit of God to have his say or will done by his people.

This one point made by Jesus Christ himself speaks volumes to what it truly takes to know God, his will, his truth and to be able to go far beyond what men might say. ( John 12:24 ) Verily, Verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

The problem with most people, the reason they can’t see the hidden wisdom, the mysteries in God’s word is because they have never sought to have life anew. God didn’t ask us to die a physical death for him but a spiritual one. His will is for me to allow him to live within me and not me myself. He ask me to die of myself and allow him, his spirit to teach me and allow him to speak and not me.

The Apostle Paul was an educated man but, when he became born again he had to forget all that and, allow another spirit to teach him. ( Philippians 3:7-8 ) For what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. ( 8 ) Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, an do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.

Basically speaking, all the education that the Apostle gained of men was a waste of time, it’s just what is taught us by the Spirit of God that matters. Now. the Apostle Paul was a teacher. He understood how to allow God to use his mouth and writings to glorify God by his spirit. We put far too much stock in the knowledge of men, Sunday School quarterlies and higher education, even what men write. Even what I write; if the Spirit of God is not in it; leave it alone but, if what I, or any person says can be proven by scripture and used by God’s spirit then; to God be the glory.

The whole concept of the Church, the body of Christ is one of those mysteries. The Apostle Paul unfolded that mystery unto us. we will see.

THE END OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

We see that the last book in the Old Testament is the book of Malachi. After that book begins what we call, the books of the New Testament. But where or when did the Old testament actually come to an end? And, since we are teaching about the ( mystery of the Church ) when did it actually begin?

In all that will be said and taught, we are attempting to teach the book of Acts as I stated. The book of Acts is a transitional book. It changes this world from the Age of law into the age of grace. What I’m calling an age is a period of time that God deals with people a certain way. I say there are eight different ages that can be found in scripture as it unfolds in time. For instance; God dealt with Adam and Eve with one commandment, we see where that ended and then a new way of dealing with mankind came about. Each of these age had its time and it had an end. The age of law began with Moses and ended with Jesus Christ which brought about the birth of the age of grace.

Jesus Christ lived his whole life under the law that God passed down to Moses. Jesus said: ( Matthew 5:17 ) Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets, I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Jesus Christ, in the four gospels became the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. Just as the High Priest would examine the sheep the people of Israel would bring to be offered to make sure it met the specifications required by God the Father; God the Father examined Jesus Christ to make sure he met the qualifications to fulfil the law that he might become the perfect sacrifice for our sins. I want you to notice in this picture, the High Priest never looked at the person that offered the lamb, only the lamb. God didn’t look at the people of the world; but only Jesus Christ. The lamb had to meet the qualification, not the people.

Without going to deep into a study of this. Israel went up once a year to offer the sacrificial lamb before God for their sins for that year. As soon as they left that ceremony the next year began and they were obligated once again to go back the next year. At that time, under the age of law, only the High Priest could go behind the veil in the temple and meet with God to offer the blood sacrifice.

On the very day that Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary, the very moment he gave up the ghost; let’s take scripture and see what happened.

( Matthew 27:51 )

And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

You can read this whole account here but the point I’m making is that; at that very moment the Old Testament came to and end. The age of law had ended and the grace age had begun. The book of Acts tells us the events about the period of tIme between the end of one age and the beginning of another. It also shows events surrounding the development of the ( Age of Grace ) that we call the Church Age.

I can see the importance of understanding the basic difference in the Old Testament and the New Testament. We will look at this on another page.