11 Aug Should You Study the Bible to Show Yourself Approved? (Church, Aug 11, 2019)
Church on Sunday, August 11, 2019, streamed live video on YouTube, Facebook, Periscope, DLive, Mixer, and Twitch. (NOTE: DLive, Mixer, and Twitch do not preserve past video streams long, but are great platforms for watching live.) Look for our audio recordings of the service afterward on Apple, TuneIn, Spreaker, Stitcher, and SoundCloud, also findable via rebuildingtheman.com/church
Study the Bible to Show Yourself Approved…?
Should you “study” the Bible “to show yourself approved”? Jesse does not recommend people get into their intellect in that way. Yes, read the Bible if you want, but put it down; do not hold onto knowledge. But a young man who brought up this disagreement at the end of Church service last week — he wished to speak further on it. He insists that the Bible is the “Word of God,” and you should study it. He’s baffled that Jesse quotes from the Bible but recommends people not “study” it. He thinks that’s playing God.
Pretty quickly, he admits to being annoyed at others in church asking what it meant to “study.” He said that if you want to study Shakespeare, you read Shakespeare; so if you want to study God, you read the Bible. One man points out that since our thoughts are lies, our thoughts about what the Bible is saying are also lies.
This young man Reggie says it’s “absurd” that Jesse says that every thought is a lie, and that it’s nowhere in the Bible. Off the top of his head, Reggie was not familiar with the Bible verse that urges us to “take every thought into captivity.” Another man points it out in 2 Corinthians. What does that mean to take every thought captive — why does it say that? Reggie believes there are true thoughts and false thoughts. (Later Jesse points out that “captivity” means prison, meaning your thoughts no longer have control over you.)
Reggie also has researched into the history of the Bible, and said that the King James Version is the only perfect Bible. There is some disagreement between Reggie and others as to whether the wine Jesus made was alcoholic or just grape juice.
Should You Study the Bible?
A number of people weigh in on whether you should study the Bible. One man admits that when he studied it, it drove him crazy; he would “cut off people’s heads,” figuratively speaking. One lady studied the Bible at Pepperdine University, and believes that Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus went to heaven after he hanged himself. Another man said that the language has changed and that phrases do not always mean what they think it means. He brought up the phrase “turn the other cheek” and “the meek shall inherit the earth” as examples of misunderstood principles.
(Interrupting the conversation, Jesse asks a black woman about being told to “shut up” by a man after our Men’s History Month Free Speech Forum. She had been taken aback, and was tempted to lash out at him. She thought that he was trying to get her to go “angry black woman” on him. Jesse suggested that it was an opportunity to “turn the other cheek.”)
What Does It Mean to Fear God?
Jesse asks the man Reggie if to “fear God” means to obey Him. He also asks Reggie: Is God love? Is there fear in love?
(Interrupting the conversation again, Jesse talks with a black young men, and asks him: Do you love the white supremacists? He has trouble answering this, because he knows he’s supposed to love all people. Then he speaks on a personal level, saying it’s hard to forgive himself sometimes, because he’s tempted to compare himself with others. He makes enough money, but has more “well established” friends who make a lot of money, and thinks he should be in their position. Jesse urges him not to compare himself with anyone, but stay on the right path.)
Studying Builds the Intellect
Going back to Reggie, Jesse also asks about God saying, “My children will know me by my voice.” Do you recognize God’s voice? God reveals to you; Satan talks to you, and interprets things for you — with lies. Satan knows the Bible too, and can use it to give lies.
Studying builds the intellect, which is very deceptive, the nature of Satan. When you’re in prison, you lose all control; so when thoughts are taken captive, they no longer control you. Look at people who are into the Bible: They have no love, no patience, their lives and children are messed up. Adam once had that relationship with God, and could hear His voiceless voice, but fell away from it.
Every thought is a lie. Thoughts make you think about the past or tomorrow as though they exist right now! They make you compare yourself to others. But outside thoughts, you can be grateful. To fear God is simply to appreciate Him; it’s not a feeling of emotional fear. But intellectual knowledge must die — it’s of Satan. Wisdom is what you want. There is no love in knowledge.
But don’t change just because Jesse said it. Go through what you have to go through to know for yourself!
(One man tells Jesse that his life has changed for the better since waking up. He now has two jobs and is moving out!)
Is Jesus God?
Reggie then asks to test Jesse: Is Jesus God? Like many Christians, Reggie believes that the Bible says that Jesus is God. He mentions that the Bible calls Jesus our Lord and Savior. What does that mean? Christ took on all of our sins. Reggie says that it’s “false doctrine” to say that Jesus is our Brother and the Son of God, and not actually God Himself. But the Bible calls Jesus the Son of God, and Jesus calls Himself our brother! However, Reggie is insistent, and Jesse will not argue with him — particularly not so late in the service.
What Is a White Supremacist?
Watch 4-minute Short Cut: What Is a White Supremacist? (Biblical Question)
Jesse finally briefly answers his Biblical Question of the week: What is a white supremacist? Jesse explains that anybody who judges his fellow man is a “supremacist.” But by calling people “white supremacists,” the children of the lie are trying to get you to hate white people. (We also talked briefly about the Men’s History Month Free Speech Forum from this past Thursday.)
Jesse then asks his new Biblical Question of the week: What is the difference between a non-Christian and a Christian?
Thanks, everyone!
Announcements
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Jeffrey M
Posted at 09:00h, 17 AugustWhat’s the difference between a non-Christian and a Christian?
I can give other answers for this question but the only one that lays heavily upon my heart/spirit right now is this example here:
Exodus 2:22 International Children’s Bible (ICB)
22 Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom.[a] Moses named him this because Moses was a “STRANGER” in a land that was not his own.
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Acts 7:6 International Children’s Bible (ICB)
6 This is what God said to him: ‘Your descendants will be “STRANGERS” in a land they don’t own. The people there will make them slaves. And they will do cruel things to them for 400 years.
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Hebrews 11:13 International Children’s Bible (ICB)
13 All these great men died in faith. They did not get the things that God promised his people. But they saw them coming far in the future and were glad. “THEY SAID THEY WERE LIKE VISITORS AND STRANGERS ON EARTH.”
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1 Peter 2:11-12 International Children’s Bible (ICB)
Live for God
11 Dear friends, you are “LIKE VISITORS” and “STRANGERS” in this world. So I beg you to stay away from the evil things your bodies want to do. These things fight against your soul. 12 People who do not believe are living all around you. They might say that you are doing wrong. So live good lives. Then they will see the good things you do, and they will give glory to God on the day when Christ comes again.
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Now let me ask you this 1 question here:
If I were to come to your house and knock on your front door and you were to look out the peep hole on your door, now, keep this mind here:
You have NEVER seen me before, NEVER!
You have NO IDEA who is at your door right this very second.
You don’t know ANYTHING about me, apart from my physical appearance at that very moment.
You know NOTHING at all about me other than 2 things, what are those 2 things??
I am a “STRANGER” and I am a “VISITOR” in your world of existence at that very moment, but the VERY IMPORTANT thing here is what are your “IMMEDIATE” emotions, reactions, thoughts and feelings (Think on these for a moment) at that very “SECOND” of this “STRANGER and VISITOR that has just instantly entered your world of existence??
What are your “IMMEDIATE” emotions, reactions, thoughts and feelings (Think on these for a moment) at that very “SECOND”??
Now the question is:
What’s the difference between a non-Christian and a Christian?
Today, when a non-Christian sees or meets a Christian are we REALLY living like “Strangers”, “Visitors” or “Foreigners” here on earth, are we really just passing through??
Do we get “the same emotions, reactions, thoughts and feelings at that very “SECOND” as a Christian” today from non-Christians?
Do we just blend in, look/act/live no different than a non-Christian?
Are we “STRANGERS” to them?
Are we “VISITORS” or “FOREIGNERS” who are just passing through in their world that their apart of but we’re not?
Or are we no different?
Are our lifestyles the same or different?
How do we congregate with them versus our brothers and sisters in Christ, does it stand out due to our different lifestyles that we’re supposed to have?
What’s the difference between a non-Christian and a Christian?
I go to church and they don’t, the responsibility lies in GOING to church rather than BEING His church today.
It’s my church, you’re church, our church!!
Would you go up to another man’s bride and say she’s yours too???
Why not?! We do it to God, with His bride, HIS CHURCH!
Will you be able to one day look God right in His face and tell Him about YOUR church?
I always say, “There are two gospels in the world today.
There’s the American gospel and then there’s the real Gospel of being a True follower of God.
One way is VERY broad and MANY (the majority) enter through it, the other way is VERY narrow and a few enter through it.
In America allow successful ME! to tell you the MEGA 1,000’s of followers “I!” have and then we’ll laugh together at just the measly 12 that Jesus only had.
What’s the difference between a non-Christian and a Christian?
In America where I live today, I can’t really tell much of a difference.
I never forgot this story after I had heard it.
There’s a man who dies and goes to heaven, and he’s standing before the Throne of God.
God leans down and say’s to the man, “Come a little closer, let me see how much of my son I see in you, how much of a resemblance do I see.” How much do you look like him.
Who is shining through when people notice what you do, and what you say? Are you a “Strange(er)” to them, are you definitely like a “Visitor” or “Foreigner” not of their world their living in?