I recently visited your website and what your point of view is far different from mainline Christianity. Do you have a name that describes what you teach? Are there other preachers that hold to your theology? Any well-known ministries? Where did you get your biblical training?
Hi, thanks for writing, and thanks for checking out our website. As far as my point of view, it is less "my" point of view, but it is the point of view of scriptures. God never calls us to have our own point of view (that being, wise in our own conceits.)
Proverbs 26:12
Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
All I do is believe what God wrote in His Word! And today, we are told by God to be wise in what He calls the Mystery of Christ!
1 Corinthians 2:6-7
Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of god in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
So my point of view is the same as God's, that is, I seek the wisdom of God called the Mystery. It is this Mystery that most Christians both reject and are willfully ignorant. It is these Christians that God says are wise in their own conceits!
Romans 11:25
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
So it is not my point of view, but that which God says in His Word. And that point of view is that He is doing something different today with us gentiles than what He did in time past [and will again in the future] with the Nation of Israel. In this verse, God says that Israel has been blinded until God is done with us gentiles. And it is this same Mystery that the majority of Christendom is ignorant of....which leads to your next question.
I don't feel like those who grew up in "mainline" churches have a hard time "grasping my theology." I am not a theologian (although technically I do study out the ways of God from His word). Nor do I use any theological jargon, etc. I am simply a bible-believing person who has trusted the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ for my sins!
What I see people having a problem grasping is that the scriptures are clearly laying out about what God is doing today, in contrast to what He has done, and will do with Israel. I find in my experience as both a bible student and bible teacher that most in "mainline" churches have a hard time believing what the scriptures teach plainly. And it is being ignorant (sometimes willfully) of this Mystery of what God is doing in this present age of Grace in which we live. So the problem is not that people cannot grasp it, God wants them to understand it. The real problem is that people don't believe it!
Ephesians 1:17-18
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Therefore, just like the religious leaders of Christ's day, who rejected Him and His teachings, although they were right out of God's Word to Israel,…
Matthew 21:42
Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, …
Matthew 4: 4,6-7
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Matthew 21:13
And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Matthew 26:24, 31
The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.
The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.
Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.
Mark through John “...it is written...”
…the majority today also reject this truth that I see from scripture. And also, just like our Lord could not care less about what people thought about Him telling the truth in spite of the religious trend of His day, neither do I.
As far as it being a "name" for my understanding of scripture, yes, it's called the "Mystery of Christ" and here are all the verses in the bible about it!
By now you may have observed that I both quote and include a lot of verses in my answers. I do that so that you and others may know that the doctrine that I believe and teach is not my own, but is, and has been in God's Word for thousands of years! I base my beliefs on the verses whether anybody else does or not!
Romans 11:25
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Romans 16:25
Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
1 Corinthians 2:7
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
Ephesians 1:9
Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Ephesians 3:1-10
For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Ephesians 6:19
And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
Colossians :1:26-27
Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Colossians 2:2; 4:3
That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;
Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:
1 Timothy 3:9
Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience
So the funny thing to me is why mainline Christianity is not making this Mystery of Christ the issue in their teachings because it surely seems from the verses that God Himself is!
So hopefully by you studying out the above verses, you can get a handle on it.
Yes, there are plenty of others who teach this Mystery of Christ as well. I will give you a website that can send you to all the different ministries so that you may research them yourself. Just know, as you may have experienced in your own beliefs, not everything other people see from God's Word, even concerning the Mystery will be 100% in agreement with what I see. But none of us ever agree 100% with another (not even our spouses), so that's normal. But these ministries at least acknowledge that God is operating this Mystery of Christ in this present dispensation of Grace given to our Apostle Paul!
1 Corinthians 9:17
For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.
Ephesians 1:10; 3:2
That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
Colossians 1:25
Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
No there are no "well-known" ministries that teach the bible in truth. Because to believe and teach this truth, you will never be well know. In fact, you will be rejected by "mainline" Christianity just like our Lord, His 12 Apostles to Israel, and our Apostle Paul were rejected by the "mainline" religiosity of their day.
My biblical training came just as most of the men used of God in the scriptures...from studying God's Word diligently for hours and day almost everyday over the past 14 years. My duties as a minister began 12 and 1/2 years ago as a youth pastor and then an adult Sunday School and Mid-Week bible teacher.
2 Timothy 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Yes, I know some Greek words from the bible gained by my study of the N.T. scriptures over the years, but no, I do not read the N.T. in Greek because that is unnecessary as God put His Word in my language English in the KJV! Neither I or ANY man living today or since King James commissioned the men who translated it, know more about the Greek language than those many Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic scholars and bible believers who did all the leg work to get the bible in our native tongue. It has been my experience that although there are times when the Greek can help enhance my enjoyment of the bible, it is not needed to help my understanding. I can understand the bible by believing what the English verses say clearly. The majority of men who go to the Greek usually do it in order to get out of and to deny what the verses are clearly saying in order to change the Word of God to fit their denomination's doctrinal statement by saying such things as "a better translation is,” or this should "really say,” etc.
Hopefully this helps...Maranatha!
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