Building on the Foundation

  The world bulges at the seams with liars, con-artists, and crooks, and the religious world is no exception. In fact, the religious can be some of the worst offenders. So when it comes to pastors and preachers, how do we avoid getting swindled and deceived? How do we determine which ones are Godly, and which are not? 1 John 4:1 cautions us, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 Thes. 5:21 adds, “Test [prove, scrutinize, examine] all things; hold fast what is good.” Our Savior Jesus Christ warned: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit” (Mat. 7:15-18). “You will know them by...

Now that we know by whose authority the Ten Statements were given, let us now look at how to revere His authority and worship Him in spirit and in truth. This brings us to the second law/statement found in Exodus 20:3-6. NKJV “You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. Literal Translation Another Mighty One will not exist for you before My face. You will not make for yourself a sculpture or any resemblance which is in the heavens above or which is in the land below, or which is in the water below the land. You will not bow yourself down to ...

  This post forms a sequel to my earlier post, The Flabbergasting Reason Women Should Be Deacons and Ministers . Both that article and this one lay out some things that I learned only a few months ago, when I began to deep-dive into what God’s Word really says about church government. As we saw in that first post, deacons, ministers, and servants are one and the same thing. There is no office or position of “deacon.” They hold no position of authority within the congregations, but are simply those who serve the congregation in some capacity. Both men and women may fill this role if they meet the qualifications and represent the congregation honorably. For example, women who help out with the sound system or filming, or who bring snacks for everyone to enjoy, or who serve the brethren in any other capacity, may be considered “deacons,” “ministers,” or servants to the congregation. In fact, all of God’s people are to be servants, that is, “deacons,” to one another. However, deacons, ...

  Guest post by Richard Gray. This is a sequel to the previous post on the Day of Trumpets . Those who will be in the first resurrection on the Day of Trumpets will be priests of God. The priests were to be consecrated for seven days, “And ye shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation…until the days of your consecration [4394, inauguration into the priestly office ] be at an end: for seven days shall He consecrate you” (Lev. 8:33). The consecration is the marriage ceremony where they will be instructed in their duties as the bride of the high priest Jesus Christ. The marriage ceremony ends, “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunder, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come [2064, come to pass ], and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be ...