Thursday, February 28, 2013

Speak the Same Thing, Pt. 5


Paul is the apostle and spokesman of God to every person on earth.  Everyone is a gentile today (Rom. 10:12; 11:32). That is important.  So where do denominations come from?  People are often  proud of their denomination, but [should they be??] where are they found in the Bible? 

1 Corinthians 1:10
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing,
(Every pulpit should be speaking the same thing.)
and that there be…
(...what? ...that there be: "a little division?" No!)
no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
(You can’t do that unless you all have one final authority.  “Divisions” is Paul’s word for denominations.  The verse could also say ‘no denominations.’  How do they cause division?)

Romans 16:17-18
Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions
(There are people who will cause divisions.)
and offences
(They will be offending God with these divisions.)
contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

“The doctrine” has to do with the teaching that God gave the apostle Paul.  He is the one writing this book.

To be continued…

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Speak the Same Thing, Pt. 4


Paul has a God-given office of authority in your life and my life.  When did that happen?  It’s in your Bible.  It’s not something that I am saying; it is written in your Bible that you open up for devotions every morning—the same Bible that the preachers on TV claim to be opening up and reading from.  Funny, they don’t read these verses.  God wants us to go verse by verse through the scriptures and do expository teaching like we here at Norcal Grace do so that you can’t skip verses and pick and choose what you like and pretend that the ones you don’t like are not there.  You can’t avoid verses like this:

Acts 9:15
But the Lord said unto him [Ananias], Go thy way: for he [Saul/Paul] is a chosen vessel unto me,
(Who chose him?  God did.  What is a vessel?  It is an instrument used to accomplish something.  Paul is God’s chosen vessel.  He is not here today, but his letters are God’s word to us.  That is what he is doing today.  That is why we need to rightly divide the scriptures.  When we talk about right division it is not because we want to be special or different.  I could misuse scripture and not rightly divide and confuse people like the TV preachers who make many millions do and I’d be rich (and popular) too.  But I would rather speak the truth and get my reward at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10).)
to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

In other words, everyone on planet Earth.  Paul is the apostle and the spokesman of God to every person on earth.  Everyone is a gentile today.

Romans 11:32
For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek [gentile], there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

To be continued….

Monday, February 25, 2013

Heirs of God or Joint-Heirs with Christ?

Click here to view PDF or download to your PC 


AUDIO VERSION
Heirs of God or Joint-Heirs with Christ Pt 1

Heirs of God or Joint-Heirs with Christ Pt 2

Heirs of God or Joint-Heirs with Christ Pt 3

Heirs of God or Joint-Heirs with Christ Pt 4   


Comments from those who have read this paper:


Thank you for this! :)
***

“I thought the Heirs of God article was dead-on.

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 3:14 KJB]

If the view that there is no difference between the inheritance and the reward is correct, then statements like these of Paul become nonsensical. Why strive if there's no reward to gain or suffer loss of?

If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.  [1 Corinthians 3:15 KJB]

In its context, this is not presented as a hypothetical situation. as in "if you could suffer loss of reward, this is what would happen.""Suffer loss" is clearly presented as a reality that some will face.”

***

“Thank you so much for writing this paper! I understood what I had been save FROM; now I more clearly understand what I have been save FOR. May God richly bless you for your insight and clarity of writing. Hope we will hear more from you Matt W Stutzman!”

***

“Approving things that are excellent...well done! The body of Christ needs to understand this doctrine, for sure, and I'll be printing it and sharing it as I'm able (looking for open doors). For any brethren that are interested in more "sonship" doctrine, Bro. Mike McDaniel in TX has a series of studies on the web: http://www.graceage.org/teaching.html

***

“This is an outstanding paper...extremely well written and researched on all points. The author develops each theme with "rightly divided" scriptural references which guide the reader to some very obvious and compelling conclusions.

I would highly encourage all Grace Believers to invest the time to read this paper. The fact that our ongoing sanctification process by properly understanding and "suffering" for the doctrine which applies to The body of Christ is what will show us "approved" and qualified to "rule and reign" with Christ is undeniable. This in my opinion is a teaching that is unfortunately, not stressed enough from the pulpits of most Grace believing churches.”
***

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Speak the Same Thing, Pt. 3


As a pastor, people call and share their problems with me.  That is what I am here for; and I can tell you that 99% of the problems that people have boil down to one thing – they haven’t listened to the Apostle Paul.  When you listen to the wisdom of God in a mystery as it is written in Paul’s 13 books you will be sowing to the Spirit (Gal. 6:8) and you will have that everlasting life, that abundant life, that joy and peace that God intended the grace believer to have.  But you have to listen to your spokesman.

But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.

1 Corinthians 4:15-17
For though ye have ten thousand instructers in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel

Paul’s gospel of grace (Acts 20:24; 1 Cor. 15:1-4).

Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of

Peter?  James? John?  Jesus?  No!  Why didn’t he say Jesus?  Paul is going to magnify something that Jesus gave him.

me.  For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus [he was a preacher], who is my beloved son [spiritually speaking], and faithful in the Lord [in other words: “here is a man you can trust in the Lord”], who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.

Every church on earth that claims to be Christian—i.e., that names the name of Christ—is supposed to be a Pauline, dispensational bible fellowship.  Every last one of them!  The reason there are denominations is because they do not listen to the Apostle Paul.  There is no other reason.  God uses spokesmen, and today he is still speaking through a spokesman.

Romans 11:13
For I speak to you Gentiles [you and I today], inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify…

               ...himself?  No, he magnifies what?

mine [his] office [!]:

To be continued...


Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Speak the Same Thing, Pt. 2


People have their own opinions, but those don’t matter.  What matters is what God has to say through the Apostle Paul.  When Paul talks about one mind and one spirit it has to do with what God has to say through him.  God gave 13 epistles to explain to us what he is doing today.  How does God speak today?  We will see that it is through those 13 letters of the Apostle Paul.

God spoke in time past through Moses, the prophets, the Lord Jesus and the Hebrew apostles to Israel.  He speaks in the future through the Jewish apostles.  But today, in the but now, he speaks through the Apostle Paul.  That is how we can be of one mind.

1 Timothy 3:14-15
These things write I unto thee [the body of Christ], hoping to come unto thee shortly: But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself

(Your behavior is the same thing as your conversation.)

in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Paul says that is where the truth is found.  Local grace assemblies are to stand for the word of truth of God rightly divided. 

1 Thessalonians 2:13
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

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.

If you claim to believe God’s word, then you have to believe the verses just as they’re written.  I have shown the next verse to people for years and I have never had anyone explain to me how this could not be saying what it is saying.  They just make excuses even though it is clear.

1 Corinthians 14:37-38
If any man think himself to be a prophet [speak for God], or spiritual [know something about the word of God], let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

To be continued…


Thursday, February 14, 2013

Speak the Same Thing, Pt. 1

How do you do that?

1 Corinthians 1:10
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, (Paul is invoking his authority as the apostle.) that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

How can many speak the same thing?  Answer: You come to an agreement that there is one authority and everything is directed to it.  You can believe one thing and I can believe another; but we should ask, “What authority are we going to trust?”  We will see that authority is the apostle Paul and what he has to say about God.

The same” is what our apostle Paul tells us.  He is talking about Godly wisdom.  Paul inserts himself into the equation.

Philippians 1:27
Only let your conversation [everything you do] be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent [still in prison or somewhere else], I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

It is when saints strive and work together for the faith of the gospel—the dispensation of grace message, Pauline truth—that we speak the same thing.  We are of one mind and one spirit.  Paul is going to give a practical example of this:

Philippians 4:2
I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.

There was a little tension between two ladies in the assembly.

Philippians 4:1-2
Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.

This is not you trying to stand fast on your own.  Standing fast in the Lord has to do with having some understanding about the mind of Christ, his will, where he wants you.  It is understanding the grace message given to Paul and not being under the law (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, James) and being confused; but it is being in the Lord where God has you today in Paul’s epistles.  Watch what he says to these two women.

I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.

They had two different personalities.  One was a little harder; the other was softer.  There was a personality conflict and, truthfully, some cattiness.  Paul hears about it and tells them that is not who they are in Christ.  So when Paul says to be of the same mind in the Lord, he is saying that one may believe one thing and the other may believe something else, but here is what God believes.  He is telling them, “Here is the truth.”  When there is a disagreement we need to sit down and ask what Paul has to say about the situation.  That is how we should handle it.


To be continued…


Tuesday, February 12, 2013

First Corinthians

A dispensational study of the book of 
First Corinthians















































Conversation without words



Psalm 37:14
The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.

Galatians 1:13
For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:

1 Timothy 4:12
Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

1 Peter 1:15
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

Philippians 1:27a
Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ

That old King James word conversation doesn’t necessarily mean conversing with each other through words.  You can also do that without words; you can do it with your lifestyle.  Peter tells the women in Israel, particularly those in the future and in time past, not to try to get their unbelieving husbands to become believers through words. 

1 Peter 3:1
Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;

God didn’t put women in the position to speak to their husbands about spiritual things.  He put the husband in charge.  Men view themselves as problem-solvers; God made them that way.  We want to rescue and save and fix things.  So I tell ladies that the best way to get an unbelieving husband to become a believer is to, in the quietness of their heart, study the word; then call their husband over and point out to him a passage like Ephesians 5 and say, “Honey, I know you don’t believe the word of God, but I have a verse I need help with, can you look at it please?”  Then show him this verse:

Ephesians 5:22

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

You got him right there.  He is going to read that and say “you need to submit to me your husband as unto the Lord.”  Try that out on a lost guy.  He’ll love it because God made a man to be reverenced.  That’s how you gradually get to them.  He will accept that as wisdom from God.  And you tell him that you will do it the best you can. 

You will get him, but it takes time through prayer.  You won’t have to reach him through words, but your godly conversation – your living the faith (i.e., allowing Christ to live in your life: "not I, but Christ"); not trying to lord it over him and to be God the Spirit in his life; but by just submitting to the word of God for Christ’s sake – even to your lost husband, not in sin, but within the will of God.  Peter says he can be won.  I think that the same principle can be applied in our dispensation.


Transcribed from an audio message by Ron Knight 

Thursday, February 7, 2013

If you die today….


Has anyone ever loved you enough to ask that if you were to die today, would you know for sure you were going to heaven?

If you don’t know for sure that you have eternal life as a present possession then you need to have that question settled--and the good news is that you can!  

If you want to know for sure, believe what the word of God has to say…

Romans 5:8
God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

You don’t have to…
 …move a muscle,
…pray a prayer,
…go to church,
…get baptized,
…give a tithe,
…join a church,
…give your heart to Jesus,
…repent of your sins,
…be sorry for your sins,
…give your life to Jesus, or
…make Jesus the Lord of your life.

Salvation is by faith alone and no works. 

Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

It is by a heart and mind faith that Christ died for your sins, was buried and rose again.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

When you believe that, God will give you eternal life as a present possession…

Romans 4:4-5
Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

…because he has forgiven all your sins, past, present and future—they were all future from the cross.

Colossians 2:13-14
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

He will give you an eternal inheritance in heavenly places. 

Ephesians 1:11a; 2:6
In whom also we have obtained an inheritance
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

The earth belongs to Israel.  The heavenly places belong to the body of Christ.  He will give you that by faith alone.


Transcribed excerpt from various messages by Ron Knight

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Tithe was Then; This is Now



Romans 15:26
For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.

The only thing that I can find ‘wrong’ in the book of Philippians (as far as the conduct of the saints goes) is that they had slacked in their contributions. 

Philippians 4:10
But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.

We don’t take tithes and offerings today in this dispensation.  Tithing was a system of giving for the nation of Israel under the law.  And, by the way, it was not money.

Deuteronomy 12:6
And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:

I throw that out to preachers and they are shocked.  But when you study tithing in the scriptures, you will find that it was never money.  It was fruits and grains; lambs, bulls and goats – the fruit of the ground.  In fact if you were an Israelite and you were outside of the land and you were supposed to bring your tithe to the Levitical priests in the temple, and the journey was too long for the animals to make, you could sell an animal, pocket the money, and then buy another animal to offer when you got to Jerusalem. 

Deuteronomy 14:23-25
And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the Lord thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the Lord thy God hath blessed thee: Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose:

That is why they had moneychangers there.

John 2:14
And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:

Mark 11:15
And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;

The Lord rebukes the Pharisees regarding their tithe:

Matthew 23:23
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Their tithes were mint, anise and cumin – not money.  In Malachi 3 God is speaking to the priests and the people of Israel about tithes and offerings which were food for the priests…

Nehemiah 13:5
And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the corn, the new wine, and the oil, which was commanded to be given to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the offerings of the priests

Ezekiel 42:13
Then said he unto me, The north chambers and the south chambers, which are before the separate place, they be holy chambers, where the priests that approach unto the Lord shall eat the most holy things: there shall they lay the most holy things, and the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; for the place is holy.

…so there would be meat in his house.

Malachi 3:8-10
Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.  Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

The Lord blessed Israel based on that covenant.  If they were good he would bless them; if they were bad he would curse them.

Deuteronomy 11:26-28
Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.

Tithing is not for you and me today.  We are not under the law, we’re under grace.

Romans 6:14b
…for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

For denominations to take people back to the law of Moses (legalism) and call them cursed of God and accuse them of robbing God because they don’t give 10% of their gross income, even to the point that they are requiring them to show their paystubs, is an abomination in the eyes of God.

Today we give under grace.  What you give is between you and God (not you and your pastor); you give as God has prospered you.

1 Corinthians 16:2
Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

It is regular; it is a faithful thing between you and God or you and your family and God, and you give as God has prospered you according to the riches of his grace.  You look at what Christ did for you on the cross, and you say, “This is how thankful I am, Father, and I want this word to get out.”  It is not a tithing system.  You can give 1% or you can give 100%.  It is up to you.  It is between you and God.  So don’t let anyone put you under a performance-based acceptance system.

So the Philippians had been helping Paul by giving…

Philippians 4:15, 18
Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.

 …but then they slacked off.

Philippians 4:10
But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.

It was a weariness in well doing.

2 Thessalonians 3:13
But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.

So Paul sent word to them to support the ministry.  By the way, there was one man who worked with his hands to help the apostle Paul.

Philippians 2:25
Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.

Here is what our apostle Paul tells us about giving today:

2 Corinthians 9:7
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.




Transcribed from a Message by Ron Knight at TCGF on 1 Cor. 1

Monday, February 4, 2013

Justified, sanctified...now glorified!!



Woman receives the free gift of salvation by trusting Jesus and can never lose eternal life!!!

June 2012







Bro Ron recently did the memorial service of the lady on this video.  How precious to know and have recorded a testimony of her salvation; and to know she is now rejoicing in the presence of Christ, her Saviour!

2 Corinthians 5:6, 8 KJB
Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: …  We are confident [knowing], I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Do you know (and are confident) of where you will be the moment after you take your last breath on earth?  If not, take a few minutes to hear clear teaching from the word of God on how you can be sure you too will be present with the Lord at that day.