Abraham - the father of our Faith
Volume 4, Number 12Vol 4 - No 12, September 20, 2016Abraham’s DNA - Or - Abraham, the Father of Our Faith:I’m trying something new with this Faith Study because I put a lot of time into this presentation at the West Valley Grace Fellowship (WVGF) in Sun City West, Arizona on Sunday, September 18, 2016 and didn’t have time to study anything else.By clicking on one of the following two links or copying and pasting them to your browser should provide access to this study.I have another study to present orally this coming Sunday but after that I will return to the regular... Continue reading →
Barnabas - the transition from Law to Grace
Volume 4, Number 11Faith in Acts - Barnabas in the Transition:Today we come to the 6th occasion of the word faith in Acts where Barnabas is referred to as “... a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith ...,” Acts 11:24a. As far as I can determine, only Stephen (Acts 6:5) and Barnabas are described as being “full of the Holy Spirit and faith.” They were Jews and along with the rest of the Pentecostal church in Jerusalem, believed Jesus Christ was Israel’s Messiah; had received the gift of the Holy Spirit; sold all their possessions and lived from... Continue reading →
Acts - The book of Transition
Volume 4, Number 10Faith in Acts - The Book of Transition:A great deal of anxiety exists today because of uncertainty and violence throughout the world. Many ask what happened to the manifestations of great power working though men such as Moses, Gideon, Samson, David and others on behalf of God’s People Israel, and, what happened to the miracles in the Pentecostal church described in the first part of Acts; communicating with each other regardless of language, healings, opening the doors of prisons, etc. (see Vol 4, No 2) Sir Robert Anderson published a book in the early 1900’s titled “The Silence of God”... Continue reading →
Abraham's Faith - Works required under the Law of Moses
Volume 4, Number 9Abraham’s Faith:Comments and feedback including divergent opinions are appreciated and today’s study is based on an observation from a reader regarding the last Faith Study (Vol. 4, No. 8). He wrote in part: “... Paul states in Romans 4 that justification is by faith - as evidenced in how God dealt with Abraham, the father of faith. I don't think salvation from the penalty of sin was ever by faith and works. Salvation from the unbelieving nation's condemnation required baptism and repentance.” I wrote back asking where in the study he is referring and he answered: “In the... Continue reading →
Stephen & The Son of Man in Heaven
Volume 4, Number 8Faith: Communications with Heaven - The Apostle Paul - Part 3:We’ve been studying instances in the New Testament when individuals received direct communications from the Lord Jesus Christ and today we consider the Apostle Paul’s experience. He was formerly a Pharisee named Saul and it’s clear it was not on his own initiative that he came to believe in The Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior. That is, he was not convicted of his sin and saw his need for a Savior on his own or by attending a church service or because another person shared the gospel with him.... Continue reading →
The Lord's communications to Paul - the Gospel of Grace
Volume 4, Number 7Faith: Communications with Heaven re. “The Son of Man” - Part 2: Our last Study listed 23 instances in the New Testament (NT) where people had communication, either directly or by vision or dream with either angels or The Lord Jesus Christ in heaven. All were Jews, confirming what Paul wrote in Romans 3:1 & 2 that Jews have many advantages but most importantly because they were entrusted with the utterances of God. This is noteworthy when we note that many false prophets since NT times have been Gentiles. Our last study covered Jesus Christ’s heavenly persona revealed to 3... Continue reading →
Man's communication with Heaven - real and phony
Volume 4, Number 6Faith: Communicating with Heaven - Part 1: The ancients who had no faith in God built a Tower called Babel to reach the heavens to show their independence from God and make themselves a name. They were united in effort because everyone spoke the same language, so to end their folly God gave them different languages, thus they scattered throughout the earth, Genesis 11:1 - 19. It’s taken a long time to overcome the language-communication problem but finally, over the last 100 years or so, mankind has been able to communicate instantly around the globe. And in the last 50... Continue reading →
Stephen - the point of change from Kingdom to Grace Gospel
Volume 4, Number 5Faith in the Book of Acts - Stephen - Acts 6 & 7:Many only think of Stephen as one of seven deacons who distributed aid to poorer members in the “early church,” and who happened to be the first martyr. However, he was much more. His martyrdom actually changed the course of history in regards to God’s dealing with mankind. First, the “church” of which Stephen was a part needs to be identified for what it was, because it was not the same as The Church, The Body of Christ that exists today. The Greek word “ekklesia” (G1577) is found... Continue reading →
The Holy Spirit's work - Kingdom vs Grace
Volume 4, Number 4Faith in the Book of Acts - The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Wisdom, Faith & Power:The word “faith” is found 3 times in the sixth chapter of Acts. In two verses, Acts 6:5 & 8, we learn that Stephen was full of faith, power and the Holy Ghost. (Note: in the King James Version, the Greek word “pneuma,” is found 385 times in the New Testament [NT] and is usually translated “Spirit.” However, it is translated “Ghost” 89 times when used with the word “Holy,” as in “Holy Ghost.”) Acts 6:7 reports a great number of priests were obedient... Continue reading →
The Holy Spirit's Work in Stephen & others
Volume 4, Number 3Faith in the Book of Acts:Our last study compared the Jewish Pentecostal Church in Jerusalem that came into existence shortly after Jesus ascended into heaven (approx. 29 AD) to the church, the Body of Christ as revealed to the Apostle Paul in about 37 AD and thereafter. Today, we’ll consider the history of the Holy Spirit’s work and gifts leading up to and bestowed upon the Pentecostal church. Our study of faith brings us to this subject found in the sixth chapter of Acts where one of the Holy Spirit’s gifts is faith, the other two being wisdom and power.... Continue reading →