1 Thessalonians Lesson 8 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

1 Thessalonians Lesson 7 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

1 Thessalonians Lesson 6 1 Thessalonians 3:1-13

There is a Hope

There is a hope that burns within my heart,
That gives me strength for every passing day;
A glimpse of glory now revealed in meager part,
Yet drives all doubt away:
I stand in Christ, with sins forgiven;
And Christ in me, the hope of heaven!
My highest calling and my deepest joy,
To make His will my home.

There is a hope that lifts my weary head,
A consolation strong against despair,
That when the world has plunged me in its deepest pit,
I find the Saviour there!
Through present sufferings, future's fear,
He whispers 'courage' in my ear.
For I am safe in everlasting arms,
And they will lead me home.

There is a hope that stands the test of time,
That lifts my eyes beyond the beckoning grave,
To see the matchless beauty of a day divine
When I behold His face!
When sufferings cease and sorrows die,
And every longing satisfied.
Then joy unspeakable will flood my soul,
For I am truly home

Stuart Townend & Mark Edwards Copyright © 2007 Thankyou Music (Adm. by CapitolCMGPublishing.com excl. UK & Europe, adm. by Integrity Music, part of the David C Cook family, songs@integritymusic.com)

https://www.stuarttownend.co.uk/song/there-is-a-hope/

1 Thessalonians Lesson 5 1 Thessalonians 2:14-20

1 Thessalonians Lesson 4 1 Thessalonians 2:13

1 Thessalonians Lesson 3 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

1 Thessalonians Lesson 2 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Are You a Good Person?

Charles Haddon Spurgeon Quote

“Whatever you may know, you you cannot be truly efficient ministers if you are not "apt to teach." You know ministers who have mistaken their calling, and evidently have no gifts for it: make sure that none think the same of you. There are brethren in the ministry whose speech is intolerable; either they rouse you to wrath, or else they send you to sleep. No chloral can ever equal some discourses in sleep-giving properties; no human being, unless gifted with infinite patience, could long endure to listen to them, and nature does well to give the victim deliverance through sleep. I heard one say the other day that a certain preacher had no more gifts for the ministry than an oyster, and in my own judgment this was a slander on the oyster, for that worthy bivalve shows great discretion in his openings, and knows when to close. If some men were sentenced to hear their own sermons, it would be a righteous judgement upon them, and they would soon cry out with Cain, "My punishment is greater than I can bear." Let us not fall under the same condemnation.”

1 Thessalonians Lesson 1 Acts 17:1-15, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

"Love" Lesson 4- 1 Corinthians 13

"Love" Lesson 3- 1 Corinthians 13

"Love" Lesson 2- 1 Corinthians 13

TascForce Picnic July 28, 2013 "How To Be a Defeated Christian"

https://soundcloud.com/raymond-wilfong/tf-picnic-july-28-2013-how-to-be-a-defeated-christian

Spurgeon Quote

“She is a traitor to the Master who sent her if she is so beguiled by the beauties of taste and art as to forget that to ‘preach Christ… and Him crucified’ is the only object for which she exists among the sons of men. The business of the Church is salvation of souls.” – CHARLES SPURGEON

Faith is For Weak People

1. RELIGION CAUSES MOST WARS. 
Comedian George Carlin once said, "More people have been killed in the name of God than for any other reason." But according to Encyclopedia of Wars, in the 1,763 wars up until 2004, only 7 percent were religious. In other words, 93 percent of all wars were not caused by religion. They were secular in nature-like the First and Second World Wars, and the Korean and Vietnam Wars. 

2. SUFFERING PROVES THERE'S NO GOD. 
Imagine you're flying on a state-of-the-art plane and you're thinking that its manufacturer did a wonderful job. Suddenly it drops a thousand feet, injuring or killing several of the passengers. As you look at the wounded, see the blood, and hear the groans, do you conclude that no one made the plane? Of course not. The logical conclusion is that something went terribly wrong on the plane. To those who believe the Bible, every incident of human suffering and death is the tragic result of living in the fallen creation detailed in the first book of the Bible. Suffering instead stands as testimony that God's Word is true. 

3. THERE'S NO EVIDENCE FOR GOD. 
Every building is evidence of a builder. Even if he has been dead for 100 years and there is no docu­mentation, you know there was a builder because it's impossible for a building to have built itself. Creation (nature) is evidence of the Creator. It is impossible for nature to have made itself or be eternal. Those who don't believe in God default to believing that nothing created everything, which is scientifically ludicrous. 

4. THE CHURCH IS FILLED WITH HYPOCRITES. 
That's true; they are pretenders, not genuine Christians. The Bible speaks often of false converts sitting alongside those who are genuine in their faith (goats among the sheep, tares among the wheat, bad fish among the good fish, etc.), and assures us that God will sort them out on Judgment Day. Why let the pretenders keep you out of Heaven? 

5. FAITH IS FOR WEAK PEOPLE. 
We have faith when we trust pilots to fly us, doctors to treat us, and surgeons to operate on us. We trust elevators when we step into them, as well as history books, scientists, bankers, and traffic lights. When the Bible speaks of "faith" in God, it's not speaking of a blind belief that He exists-we know that as a fact because of creation. It's speaking rather of trusting His integrity, and especially His promise of ever­lasting life. 

6. GOD WOULDN'T CREATE HELL. 
Should He punish a mass murderer like Adolf Hitler? Of course He should. If He's good He must see that justice is done. Hell is God's prison, where those who have done evil will get exactly what they deserve. 

7. GOD WON'T SEND ME TO HELL FOR FAILING TO BELIEVE SOMETHING. 
Beliefs are important, as they govern our actions in life. If you believe there's a landmine in front of you, you will go around it. If you don't believe, you will step on it. If we believe the warning of the Bible-that we have sinned against a holy God-then we will see our need to trust in the Savior. If we don't believe the testimony of Scripture, we will ignore His offer of mercy and have to face His wrath, whether we believe in it or not. And the Bible warns, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." 

8. THERE'S NO PROOF THAT JESUS EVEN EXISTED. 
Detailed historical evidence of Jesus' earthly life (from birth to death) is given in biographical accounts by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, as well as the apostles Peter and Paul. These accounts, by those who knew Him, were written within a few years of His death. Aside from the Bible, there is documentation by secular histori­ans Josephus (AD 37-100) and Tacitus (AD c. 56-120), the Babylonian Talmud, and other sources. With over two dozen Christian and secular sources to rely on, no reputable historian claims Jesus of Nazareth was not a real historical person. 

9. THERE ARE ATROCITIES IN THE BIBLE. 
The Bible does read like a violent adult movie-with incidents of genocide, rape, fornication, adultery, incest, murder, kidnap­ping, beheadings, hatred, lying, blasphemy, pride, greed, and many other atrocities and vices. The Scriptures don't hide the wicked­ness of humanity. They expose it and warn that the Day is coming when God will judge the world in righteousness. 

10. I'M HAPPY AS I AM AND HAVE NO NEED OF GOD. 
This is perhaps the real reason you're not wanting to trust in Jesus. The issue has little to do with the above questions, and everything to do with the fact that you are happy going your own way-which means you can enjoy pornography, fornication, and other pleasurable sins. It would be easier to get a hungry dog to let go of a tender steak than for you to let go of your beloved sins...unless you could be convinced you are in terrible danger. Let me try to convince you of that danger. Did you know that the Bible calls death "wages "? It says, "The wages of sin is death." A good judge will sentence a heinous murderer to death if he thinks that's what he earned. Death is the wage the criminal deserved. Let's see if you've earned your wages. How many lies have you told in your life? Have you ever stolen anything or used God's name in vain? Jesus said, "Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." If you've done these things, God sees you as a lying, thieving, blasphemous adulterer at heart, and the Bible warns that Hell awaits. But God is not willing that any should perish. Sinners broke God's Law and Jesus paid their fine by dying on the cross: "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Then Jesus rose from the dead and was seen by hundreds; it's no fairy tale. Jesus fulfilled all the Bible's numerous prophecies of a coming Savior, written centuries before His birth. Today, repent and trust Jesus, and God will freely forgive you. Then show your gratitude: read the Bible daily, join a Christian church, and be baptized. Questions? NeedGod.com. 

taken from http://store.livingwaters.com/faith-is-for-weak-people-tract.html

What is Dispensationalism?

When you hear the word “dispensation” in the evangelical world it can provoke much debate and questions.

How we all organize, systematize, and interpret God’s progressive revelation through the biblical history of mankind shapes more than many realize. Some have no idea how the subject of Dispensationalism relates to the Bible. Others are sent to a dictionary in order to define the meaning of the word, but find it provides little clarity as to the theological meaning. Still others know the meaning of dispensational teaching, but remain non-dispensational.

DEFINING DISPENSATION
The New Testament Greek word for “dispensation” (Gr. oikonomia) comes from two words, “house” (oikos) “law” (nomos), and refers to the oversight, management, economy, administration over a house or others’ property. The word oikonomia is translated “dispensation” or “stewardship” in a number of verses in the New Testament (Luke 16:2–4; 1 Corinthians 9:17; Ephesians 3:2; Colossians 1:25). It’s easy to want to simplify the meaning to simply a period in time but instead we should look at it as a mode of administration.

Dr. Renald Showers provides an insightful definition of Dispensational Theology when he writes, “Dispensational Theology can be defined very simply as a system of theology which attempts to develop the Bible’s philosophy of history on the basis of the sovereign rule of God. It represents the whole of Scripture and history as being covered by several dispensations of God’s rule . . . the term dispensation as it relates to Dispensational Theology could be defined as “a particular way of God’s administering His rule over the world as He progressively works out His purpose for world history.”

DISTINCTIVE
First, each dispensation mention in Scripture possesses certain features or characteristics that follow a pattern:

The dispensation is given as a direct revelation from God in each period, and the combined dispensations span the entire history of man. The Revelation in Scripture provides man with knowledge on the specific way in which God is administering world affairs for that period in history.

Each specific dispensation reveals God’s will, whereupon man is given certain requirements and responsibilities, and expected to order his conduct in obedience to God’s will. Requirements and responsibilities given in one dispensation may or may not continue in the next dispensation. For example, the death penalty established in the Noahic Covenant by God (Genesis 9:5–6) under the dispensation of Human Government continued under the dispensation of the Law.  

Each dispensation has ended in man’s failure to obey the proscribed rules set forth as the will of God for that particular dispensation.

Man’s failure to be obedient to rules set forth in specific dispensations resulted in God’s judgment(s) upon people living in that generation.

The dispensations revealed in Scripture are never to be thought as different means of salvation. God only has one way of providing salvation. Salvation is and always has been by grace through faith in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ for sin (Eph. 2:8-9).

Second, Dispensational Theology applies the traditional interpretative rules of hermeneutics (science and art of Bible interpretation) with a literal interpretation of the biblical text. By literal is meant, “to study the text in its grammatical, historical, and cultural setting within the context of the passage in order to understand what the writer is teaching.” The non-dispensationalist often spiritualizes or allegorizes the Scripture text (especially prophetic passages), not providing the reader with the original meaning intended by the writer. This is especially true when it comes to prophecy dealing with the nation of Israel or prophecies referred to in eschatology (the study of end-times).

Third, the dispensationalist recognizes Israel and the church are to be identified as distinct or separate entities in the plan and program of God. Israel’s identity is definitely seen in the New Testament as an ethnic people that has remained intact over the centuries. Israel will see unfulfilled promises made to them in the Abrahamic, Land, Davidic, and New Covenants fulfilled at Christ’s return when He sets up His Kingdom rule on Earth and will take His seat on the throne of His father David, and reign over the house of Jacob forever (Luke 1:32–33).

Fourth, the church is not to be interpreted as replacing Israel as the people of God. Scripture clearly teaches that Jesus is coming to rule over nations of the world, and the nation of Israel will have a definite role in Christ’s reign (Isa. 2:2-4). The New Testament often refers to the literal, physical Israel after the church was established in Acts 2. Paul often mentioned the fulfillment of God’s program for the literal nation of Israel yet to come to fruition in Romans 9—11.

Dispensational Theology does not support the idea that Israel is only a shadow and type that become reinterpreted as to their literal fulfillment once Jesus provided new revelation that is recorded in the New Testament.  New Testament revelation does not reinterpret, override, nor cancel the original meaning of Old Testament revelation. To the contrary, the New Testament continues the revelation on Israel and refines, reiterates, and affirms the literal fulfillment of the Old Testament promises to Israel in both advents of Jesus Christ.

In other words, the promises made to Israel are not fulfilled spiritually in the church nor does the church replace a literal, physical Israel as the people of God now or in Christ’s Kingdom rule. It should be noted that the church was never presented in the Old Testament, because its beginning was on the Day of Pentecost after Christ’s 40-day post resurrection ministry (Acts 2).  The word church is never used interchangeably in the New Testament for Israel. The phrase, “Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16) in its context is not stating that the church in the New Testament is to be interpreted as the Israel of God.

Fifth, throughout the dispensations that are progressively revealed in Scripture, God’s ultimate purpose and goal is to glorify Himself, and to receive universal acknowledge and praise as supreme Sovereign Ruler.

DISTINGUISHABLE DISPENSATIONS
Although dispensational teaching did not appear as a well thought-out doctrine in the early church, the basic beliefs in Biblical dispensations was taught by the Church Fathers. Such men as: Justin Martyr (110-165); Irenaeus  (130-200); Clement of Alexandria (150-220); Pelagius (360-420); and Augustine (354-430) spoke of dispensations within the Bible. That said it should not be interpreted that the Church Fathers believed in dispensations in the same way the term is used today. The point made is that these men and others saw dispensational divisions within Scripture. Century’s later men such as Pierre Poiret (1646-1719), Jonathan Edwards (1637-1716), Issac Watts (1674-1748), John Nelson Darby (1800-1882), and C. I. Scofield (1843-1921), among many others, promoted the dispensational teaching of the Bible.

 Traditionally most dispensationalist has taught that there are seven distinguishable dispensations revealed in the Bible from the inception of creation until Christ Second Coming to set up His kingdom rule on earth. The traditionally held dispensations are:

·        Dispensation of Innocence. Man was created innocent in a perfect environment, provided a test given by God, but was disobedient resulting in judgment, curse and expulsion from the garden (Gen. 1:26-3:6).

·        Dispensation of Conscience. Man disobeyed God’s command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:17; 3:8). His disobedience resulted in sin and man’s eventual death. Man’s wickedness became so great, making it necessary for God to destroy all of humanity on earth, except for Noah and his family (Gen. 3:7-8:19).

·        Dispensation of Human Government. God established the Noahic Covenant, wherein He inaugurated the judicial rule within the society of mankind in order to control the wickedness of man (Gen. 8:20-11:32).

·        Dispensation of Promise. Begins with the Abrahamic Covenant made exclusively with the family of Abraham and nation of Israel (Gen. 12:1-Ex. 18:27).

·        Dispensation of Law. Instituted at Mount Sinai setting forth the Moral, Religious, and Civil laws to govern Israel under the Mosaic Covenant, and the Law of Moses as a way of life but was abrogated at Christ’s death and Resurrection (Ex. 19:1-Acts 1:26).

·        Dispensation of Grace or Church Age. Begins after the Ascension of Christ on the Day of Pentecost with salvation of Jewish people and quickly spread throughout the Gentile world, and will be culminated with the Rapture of the church (Acts 2:1).

·        Dispensation of the Kingdom Age. Jesus Christ returns to earth at His Second Coming to setup the Millennial Kingdom on earth. It will include the conversion and restoration of Israel along with the ultimate fulfillment of the unconditional covenants made with the nation (Rev. 20:4).

It is my conviction that the dispensational approach to the study of God’s Word is the only position one can hold in order to grasp the overall correct teaching of Scripture and the prophecy presented therein. Hopefully, this will give you new insights in comprehending the proper approach in studying God’s Word.

https://www.foi.org/2018/02/16/what-is-dispensationalism/