Article 19 – May 22, 2018 – It’s Good To Do It Again
These thoughts are for anybody but especially for those of us who have had the opportunity to listen to the teachings of the Power for Abundant Living series over the years. I was working on a series of review studies from that class called Home Studies, and when I was finished I was very blessed to have gone over them. As I got into the studies I re-developed an appreciation for the work that went into the Foundational and Intermediate Classes, and it blessed me.
We live in a time when there are a gazillion different takes on the Bible available around every corner. It can be very confusing at times. I recently listened online to a portion of a teaching from a preacher who has one of the largest, if not the largest TV audiences in the country. I listened to him for perhaps in excess of 10 minutes and not once did he open the Bible. He did quote some verses, but he never took his audience into the Word. I’ve seen him do that more than once. And he’s not alone! I bring this up because Romans 10:17 tells us, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
People need to be taught how to read the Bible. In John 14:6, we read, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” This isn’t stated anywhere, other than in God’s Word. Jesus said it very plainly. If you want to know about God, you need to know who Jesus Christ is and what his life meant, and that’s found only in the Bible. If you don’t know how to read that truth and understand it, you’ll never be able to understand spiritual matters.
Power for Abundant Living teaches a person how to read the Bible and how to learn about, understand and appreciate spiritual things. It’s the greatest thing a person can do in this life: to learn about the heart of our wonderful Father God, Who put the world in its place. The irony is that it’s not for everybody. It does say in 1 Timothy 2:4 “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” That’s God’s heartfelt desire for mankind, because God is love. But God knows and we know that not everybody is going to want God’s Word, as it tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:14: “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
This is a truth that people wrestle with a lot because they so want their friends and family to be believers, but sometimes it just doesn’t happen. Lots of us know that from personal experience. It’s a spiritual truth in life and one that is learned if you know how to read the Bible and understand the keys of how it interprets itself.
It’s a wonderful thing for men and women to be able to come to the place in their lives that they know their seeking is over. To realize that you are a son of God and that you don’t have to work over and over again to stay a son of God. That is a delivering truth to a lot of people and it’s stated very clearly in His Word. I John 3:1 tells us, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God…”
Ephesians 2:8,9 tell us that we are saved by grace, not of works, lest any man should boast. This is a wonderful truth and so obvious, but it’s also a hidden truth because the modern Church is embedded in works, and the Devil does not want the average Christian to understand the grace that is for him. And so we move on, turn our backs on the Devil and his devices and concentrate on the love of God. What amazes me is that I am just as excited about God’s Word as I was in March of 1974 when I first started hearing it. At first it was youthful enthusiasm and now it’s more a mellow appreciation.
One thing that has always stayed with me is the excitement in my heart of knowing that when I speak in tongues, it’s proof to myself that I’m born again. This has been a great eye opener to a lot of people over the years as they’ve seen first-hand the new birth rather than just wondering if maybe they are born again. And why not? Why would a loving heavenly Father leave his children “out in the wind,” so to speak? Of course not! He wants us to know that we are His kids. Romans 8:16: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”
Yes, it is a wonderful time to be alive: to live in a country where we are free to live as we do and read and work God’s Word as we wish. There are lots of places in the world where that is not available. There are oodles of other beliefs. That’s ok, because there are thousands like us around the country who love God as we do, understand much of the depth of His Word and are speaking in tongues with joyful anticipation of the return of Jesus Christ. I would like to close this sharing with Acts 2:44-47 because I believe this shows the heart of what Power For Abundant Living is really about.
“And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
What a wonderful time that must have been. The church in the home, the fellowship, is where it’s at. After all, it’s God’s idea and He had it written. So let’s enjoy our fellowship, one with another, and see how God adds to His Church, such as are being saved.
Funglimpses and all! Thanks for reading. Respectfully submitted! Will Grove