Author: Will Grove

Article 30 May 30, 2019 Life Is Spiritual

Yes, life is spiritual and since we live in a physical world it can be tough to relate to spiritual things because we are born of the five senses. Spirit is spirit and it can’t be seen or heard or felt within the physical realm. Therefore man, with just his senses, can’t make any reason out of spiritual matters. That’s ok, because he’s not supposed to. John 4:24 tells us, “God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” To begin with, the “a” between “is” and “spirit” was added, so it should read, “God is spirit…” Not just one spirit amongst the other spirits. Genesis 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” To create the heaven and the earth, you would have to be bigger than that which you have created, which puts God in the category of spirit. The spiritual realm is greater than the physical realm. Man, as he is without spirit, cannot understand this, because spiritual matters are just too big for his mind to deal with.

For those of us who have a love for God and an interest in spiritual things, God has put His Word together so that we can know Him and be able to understand the things of the spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:11 tells us, “For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.” Before Pentecost, God put His spirit upon certain people who He knew would speak for Him. Since Pentecost, we can have spirit in us, which will help us to know the things of God. A man of the senses finds it very difficult to believe that God can actually talk to and inspire someone to speak and write for Him. Why? Because it’s spiritual! 2 Peter 1:3 tells us, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” It is impossible to find out the things that pertain unto godliness except by the spirit. That means you have to be born again of God’s spirit.

Even with spirit, the things of God are so huge for our understanding, God’s Word helps us out by capturing so much of His greatness in figures of speech. These make it much easier for us to picture God’s goodness and His love. Psalm 1:1-3 show God’s power and love in a very wonderful, figurative way: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf shall not whither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” This is a wonderful promise for health and prosperity. All you have to do is look to God.

Unfortunately, the goodness of God in its fullness is not taught as it should be today. To make matters worse, it is a common habit in our culture, even amongst Christians, to blame negatives of any nature, on the one true God. This has been a very successful trick of the Devil from day one, because people don’t want to believe in a devil, that there could be such a thing as a devil, that the Devil is a bad angel and that the Devil is spirit. But it’s true! Sickness and death, destructive accidents and war are the results of the Devil and devilish influences. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

So you see, he is our adversary. You do have a spiritual adversary. In Luke 22:31, we read: “And the Lord said unto Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.” This means to do whatever he wants: like a rag doll being tossed around without any freedom of will. That is not God’s will for our lives. Nobody in their right mind wants to be messed up like that. If you read the first line of Vs 32, it says: “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not…” Prayer is one of the great ways to deal with life in the spiritual realm. We’ve talked about that in previous articles, but it merits re-mentioning because this is one of the greatest lessons in life. Jesus said in Matthew 22:37, 38 ”Jesus said unto him, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.” This is the greatest lesson in life, and it needs to mean something to you or you might as well forget it. Jesus Christ was THE spiritual man of ALL spiritual men, and he did everything that was necessary for our redemption and salvation. There is nothing we can do in the senses realm to make ourselves good before God, and that’s great. It takes all the burden off of us because Jesus Christ put it on himself. He showed that life is spiritual: he declared the Father and he made it available for us to live a very abundant life. All we have to do is want to do it. Sounds like fun, huh?

Funglimpses and all. Thanks for reading. Respectfully submitted. Will Grove

Article 29

April 18, 2019          It Was a Magnificent Day – The Day of the Resurrection

For those of us in the Christian community, the Easter Sunday time has been upon us and passed shortly ago. It’s a meaningful time for a lot of us. In 1 Timothy 2:13, we are told: “Who [ meaning God] will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” The “will have” is in the sense that God would like to have all men to be saved. Unfortunately, it’s not quite like that in our world, nor will it ever be. In John 3:16, we read: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” A wonderful truth about this verse is that although so much of our present world hates God and the things of God, God still loved and continues to so love that He gave His only begotten Son, to get us out of the mess caused by Adam’s disobedience to God mentioned in Genesis 3. That is a whole topic of teaching in and of itself. On top of that, the entire world gets to benefit from the blessings that God gives to his children. The laws of nature are to produce beauty and give us the necessities of life, and they work for everybody, saint and sinner alike.

Genesis 1:1 tells us that “…God created the heaven and the earth.” Within the earth, we have all the necessities for life. We have food, shelter and clothing. We produce medicines from the elements of the earth and that which grows on it, so that we can get healed of many things when we get sick. Every element and plant that makes up your cell phones, clothes, cars and let’s not forget make-up are all from the earth, which God originally created and according to Genesis, had to put back together again. Sometimes I think we just forget a lot of what God has done for us. And we’ve just talked about the physical in this section. What about the spiritual? The greatest of all is spiritual, because God is spirit!

If God had not made plans for His Son, Jesus Christ to do what he did, we would have a major problem. But God so loved, as we read, and because of that love, He gave us His Son, Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ made a major decision in his life and he made it early on. In Luke 2:49, he told his parents, “…wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business.” That was a great one to lay on his parents, and he was not referring to Joseph. He was referring to his Heavenly Father, God. His Father’s business was for him to do what he had to do in his short life to redeem mankind. I will wager that he knew a lot about it at that point in his life. One of the great examples that Jesus Christ left to us was his absolute willingness to believe and obey God’s Word. We see in John 8:29 “…for I do always those things that please him.” What a tremendous statement to make, and he wouldn’t have said it if it wasn’t true! What an example! The irony is that in spite of the great works of healing and his wonderful words of God, the political and religious community of his day and time hated him then as much as the political and religious community of our day and time do. And I’m not talking about just our country, but world wide. 2 Corinthians 2:11 tells us: “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” One of Satan’s greatest devices is religion and the perverting of God’s wonderful, matchless Word, so that Christians cannot live with the power God intended for them. The Devil does not want us to benefit from the blessings of the resurrection, because he knows what a big deal it was and still is!

Without the resurrection, there would have been no ascension, and no Day of Pentecost which brought us the new birth, and thus, Christians would be “roaming aimlessly” all their lives. There would be no power of God and no abundant life. Not only have we seen that God is love, but we also see that God is light. 1 John 1:5, “…God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” Because God is light and love and the originator of both of those qualities, He has put together a plan for life for us, His children. Because it is so magnificent and wonderful, it is hard to describe it other than by figures of speech. Keep in mind that the two requirements for being born again of God’s spirit are told in Romans 10:9, “That is thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” This is the greatest promise in God’s Word and it includes the resurrection. So is Resurrection Sunday (Easter to many) pretty significant? I would think so. What a day to rejoice in and to be thankful for all that God has given to us and made available.

Thanks for reading funglimpses! Respectfully submitted, Will Grove

You Are Righteous Now!

Article 28

March 14, 2019                             You Are Righteous Now!

 In Christian circles today and actually it’s been ever since the Day of Pentecost, the truth of one’s being righteous before God after they’ve made Jesus Christ lord in their lives and believed God raised him from the dead, is a reality that has been a hidden truth to the very ones that God has wanted to be part of His Family.

Perhaps one third of the world’s population claims to be Christian of one denomination or another and yet those claiming the truths and legal rights as sons of God are certainly few and far between. Romans 3:22 tells us, “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference.”

The things of God are obtained by knowing what is available and then by believing. God knew that His people would have to deal with all the things the world throws out at you, and that certainly deals with our mental and physical health. 3 John 2 tells us, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. “ That means good health spiritually, mentally and physically. Claiming your righteousness as a Christian means that you have the right to stand before the presence of God and others without any sense of sin, guilt or condemnation. That certainly holds high in the mental health arena. Yes, there are situations when brain chemistry can get out of whack and then needs to be fixed or rearranged with medication, and we’re thankful that those things are available in the medical world. On the other hand, the world would like to talk you into thinking that you are nuts and “down in the dumps” and needing all their various health remedies. That is just not true: It’s a devilish lie! The devil is so used to Christians being pushovers for him, mostly because of lack of knowledge, that the idea that anyone would stand up to him and declare that they are more than a conqueror as we are told in Romans 8:37, is beyond thinking.

You have to understand that this truth and reality belongs to you as a Christian. It’s not an easy truth to claim, because the organized Church is not teaching it and even if you know the scriptures dealing with it, you have to work it as a reality in your life. Unfortunately, it’s a lot easier to claim your godly righteousness when things are going well as opposed to when they aren’t going well. Philippians 4:13 tell us, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” That means that regardless of the obstacles in your life or however things are going for you, you can claim your God-given righteousness as a son of God.

You do not need to be a candidate for the depression and mental health medicines that are very numerous and available in the media. There is never any reason to be depressed or downcast. Galatians 5:1 tells us, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Jesus Christ did everything that needed to be done legally so that we can be sons of God and claim our righteousness before God. It is impossible to do it yourself! Christ has made us free, therefore we are free! We just have to work on believing it. It’s hard work sometimes to claim our God-given sonship rights. God never said it was going to be easy, so why do we give up so often? It’s because the devil’s job is to make us lazy and complacent with the things of God.

2 Corinthians 2:11 tells us, “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” One of his devices is to distract us with things he’s devised to take the place of God’s Word in our lives. When this happens, these things are usually attractive and somehow they make sense to us, because he will always prey on our weaknesses. Regardless of how long you’ve been a student of God’s Word, you will still have weaknesses and he knows what they are. James 4:7 tells us, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

He really will flee from you if you decide to claim your righteousness before God. There’s nothing else he can do. When you do that you will be claiming the liberty that Christ claimed for you as we saw in Galatians 5. It will be amazing to you to see how satisfying and peacefully settled your life can be when you regularly claim your righteousness in Christ. It will make you happy, it makes the family of God happy and most of all, it makes God happy.

Let’s claim our righteousness in Christ Jesus and be happy, happy, happy or should I say blessed, blessed, blessed! Flunglimpses to all. Thanks for reading! Respectfully submitted, Will Grove

 In Christian circles today and actually it’s been ever since the Day of Pentecost, the truth of one’s being righteous before God after they’ve made Jesus Christ lord in their lives and believed God raised him from the dead, is a reality that has been a hidden truth to the very ones that God has wanted to be part of His Family. Perhaps one third of the world’s population claims to be Christian of one denomination or another and yet those claiming the truths and legal rights as sons of God are certainly few and far between. Romans 3:22 tells us, “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference.” The things of God are obtained by knowing what is available and then by believing. God knew that His people would have to deal with all the things the world throws out at you, and that certainly deals with our mental and physical health. 3 John 2 tells us, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. “ That means good health spiritually, mentally and physically. Claiming your righteousness as a Christian means that you have the right to stand before the presence of God and others without any sense of sin, guilt or condemnation. That certainly holds high in the mental health arena. Yes, there are situations when brain chemistry can get out of whack and then needs to be fixed or rearranged with medication, and we’re thankful that those things are available in the medical world. On the other hand, the world would like to talk you into thinking that you are nuts and “down in the dumps” and needing all their various health remedies. That is just not true: It’s a devilish lie! The devil is so used to Christians being pushovers for him, mostly because of lack of knowledge, that the idea that anyone would stand up to him and declare that they are more than a conqueror as we are told in Romans 8:37, is beyond thinking. You have to understand that this truth and reality belongs to you as a Christian. It’s not an easy truth to claim, because the organized Church is not teaching it and even if you know the scriptures dealing with it, you have to work it as a reality in your life. Unfortunately, it’s a lot easier to claim your godly righteousness when things are going well as opposed to when they aren’t going well. Philippians 4:13 tell us, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” That means that regardless of the obstacles in your life or however things are going for you, you can claim your God-given righteousness as a son of God. You do not need to be a candidate for the depression and mental health medicines that are very numerous and available in the media. There is never any reason to be depressed or downcast. Galatians 5:1 tells us, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Jesus Christ did everything that needed to be done legally so that we can be sons of God and claim our righteousness before God. It is impossible to do it yourself! Christ has made us free, therefore we are free! We just have to work on believing it. It’s hard work sometimes to claim our God-given sonship rights. God never said it was going to be easy, so why do we give up so often? It’s because the devil’s job is to make us lazy and complacent with the things of God. 2 Corinthians 2:11 tells us, “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” One of his devices is to distract us with things he’s devised to take the place of God’s Word in our lives. When this happens, these things are usually attractive and somehow they make sense to us, because he will always prey on our weaknesses. Regardless of how long you’ve been a student of God’s Word, you will still have weaknesses and he knows what they are. James 4:7 tells us, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” He really will flee from you if you decide to claim your righteousness before God. There’s nothing else he can do. When you do that you will be claiming the liberty that Christ claimed for you as we saw in Galatians 5. It will be amazing to you to see how satisfying and peacefully settled your life can be when you regularly claim your righteousness in Christ. It will make you happy, it makes the family of God happy and most of all, it makes God happy. Let’s claim our righteousness in Christ Jesus and be happy, happy, happy or should I say blessed, blessed, blessed! Flunglimpses to all. Thanks for reading! Respectfully submitted, Will Grove

February 6, 2009                      It’s God’s Word

 Acts 2:1-4 tells us: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them [the twelve apostles] cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

This sharing is inspired by some wonderful recent teachings centered around the Day of Pentecost. It’s been said that the greatest secret in the world today is that the Bible is the revealed Word and Will of God. I would also like to add a thought to those words in that the Day of Pentecost is the greatest day in the history of mankind. It was at that point that God was able to “seal His deal” with mankind. In Verse 1, the words “fully come” mean that everything that God was in the process of bringing about since Genesis 3:15, was fully accomplished. The promise of our savior Jesus Christ and all that he was to accomplish, was done, and there was nothing that the Devil or anybody else could do to prevent it.

Through the ages, since Genesis 3:15, God was working to bring His plan of redemption and salvation to pass. To this day, all one has to do is look around for a short period and it’s obvious that mankind needs salvation. Believe it or not, all the problems we see around us are the direct or indirect result of the original sin. Almost everything that we are surrounded by and engulfed in is a result of Adam’s original sin: sickness, death, violence of every nature, wars and rumors of wars. Because life is spiritual, devilishness still reigns supreme. A lot of people have a tough time with this truth. That Adam could and did transfer his dominion of the world over to the Devil is a spiritual truth.

A fact of life is that spirit is spirit, and you can’t see it with the five senses. Man misses it a lot there, because the organized churches teach that you can deal with spiritual things with the senses. Yes, you can talk to God, but let’s remember, John 4:24 tells us, “God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” For centuries man has been trying to figure out how to do that without coming to God’s Word honestly and directly. As a result, he ends up trying to improve the flesh. Of course, God knows all this, and God is a very patient and loving God.

Romans 5:19 tells us, “For by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” This tells us that Jesus Christ did it all. He re-established the connection that was necessary for man to communicate with God.

With the Day of Pentecost and the giving of the gift of holy spirit, man could finally do what God had been wanting since the beginning: man could worship God in spirit and in truth, which is speaking in tongues. And with all of this, God now has a family that He had wanted since the beginning. It’s called the Church of God. God had always wanted children by seed that He could love and that would love Him in return. And that’s what our job is.

The Devil has worked very hard since Genesis to establish kingdoms that look very appetizing to man. That’s why there was so much idolatry and paganism in the Old Testament. God had only certain people He could work with in the times before the Day of Pentecost. However, now God can work with you and me and He can and will teach us His Word. Our biggest challenges are daily. Sometimes they’re silly and sometimes they’re very serious. But if anything distracts you away from your interest in God’s Word, it’s really very serious.

1 Thessalonians 4:8,9 tell us, “For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we do not need to speak anything. For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” Paul was very proud of these believers for speaking and teaching God’s Word in such a way that they themselves were built up and blessed from Paul’s ministry of the Word.

There’s no reason why we can’t do the same thing. What else have you got to do that’s more important? I can’t think of a thing. Funglimpses to all and to all, thanks for reading! Respectfully submitted, Will Grove

Article 26 December 6, 2018 It Should Be 2nd Nature

I would think that if one considers himself or herself to be a full time Christian, then speaking God’s Word should be a daily thing, such as having your meals and doing what you do. I use the adjective “full time” meaning more than once or twice a week and having the same discipline of prayer and study in the Scriptures that one would be applying to their craft or trade. 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” So it would seem practical that to discipline yourself in prayer and study should be a normal thing for a Christian.

This article was inspired by two things. Last night I heard a wonderful teaching, which was very special, on speaking God’s Word and how people might respond to it. Days ago, Lynn and I were watching an NFL football game and I made the comment of how dynamic it would be if people became as enthusiastic for speaking God’s Word as they do watching the games. Dr. Victor Paul Wierwille, in the Power For Abundant Living Class, makes a statement to the effect of how excited sports fans get; yet, when people speak God’s Word, so often they’re considered weird.

2 Corinthians 5:20 tells us: “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” This tells us that we are ambassadors and that we represent Christ on earth. So, why are we uncomfortable speaking God’s Word? Not everybody is, but a lot of people are. In the first place, you shouldn’t feel awkward, but if you are, it might be due to your concern over people’s responses. For some reason that’s very important for some people. Keep in mind that we live in a very hectic world, very high paced, and people very easily get their peace taken from them. That carries over to Christians as well, for we are not immune to the stresses of daily living. As Christian believers, we represent God, our heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, our lord and savior, and when the importance of that really hits you, I think speaking God’s Word will be easier. I am especially thinking of myself when I make that statement. Remember, we are presenting the things of God, which are spiritual matters, the things of life. In John 6:63 we read: “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.”

The words of God that we speak to others are spirit and they are life and they will be either received or not received. It’s very simple! The problem is being too concerned about being rejected. Only certain people will receive what we have to say to them. 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.” Keeping in mind that our culture is very frantic, deeply embedded in idolatry and superstition and religion is rampant. Thus, you’re going to run into lots of people who don’t want to hear God’s Word. So What!

On the other hand, God knows that there’s a community of people out there, maybe some in your own neighborhood who are just waiting for someone like you or me to come along and to open to them the Scriptures. It doesn’t matter what you look like, your skill sets, your likes or dislikes, anybody who knows God’s Word like we do, can bless a spiritually hungry person’s life and set them free. Remember there are people out there who have been waiting for what you and I have to say to them for a long time.Luke 24:32 tells us, “And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” This is part of a record of two men who Jesus took the time to talk to after the resurrection. He took the time to witness to them and their response was joy and gratitude. There are people out there who will give you the same response. Just pray about it and see how God can work in these situations.

Verse 45 of the same chapter: “Then opened he their understanding that they might understand the scriptures.” We have the ability to open people’s understanding spiritually. This should be fun and if it isn’t fun then we need to get our heads into the Word and be grateful for what God’s done for us making available the new birth and everything involved with it. It takes discipline to work with people and to look for the opportunities to speak God’s Word because you always have to have it on the top of your head and when you’re in heated situations, that’s not always easy. A great example of that was during the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. A time of the greatest agony man has ever known and in the midst of all that pain, Jesus had the mindset to witness to one of the malefactors hanging with him on the cross.

In Luke 23: 43, it says: “And Jesus said unto him, Verily, I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

We’ll never have to go through anything like that because Jesus did it for us, but that’s the idea. That we can be so Word-oriented that even when it’s not ideal, we can think to speak the Word. Ephesians tells us in chapter 6:10-13, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

This exhortation will be with us until the gathering together of the Church of the Body with Christ. We’ll need it, because the devil will be out there working against us until then. In the meantime, we’ve got a job to do, so let’s decide to do it with joy and excitement, and as Jesus did to the two men who he met on the road after his resurrection, let’s open to them the Scriptures and to each other as well, as he did. Then, we can “…comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:18Funglimpses and all. Thanks for reading. Respectfully submitted. Will Grove

Article 25 – November 1, 2018   –

We’re Having a Great Time

 

I’m writing in great anticipation of this coming weekend when we will have gathered over 100 people from all over in central Georgia for our first Advance sponsored by the believers from Atlanta. An Advance is simply a gathering of Christians for the sole purpose of fellowshipping together and hearing God’s Word being taught. In the religious world, it’s often called a retreat, but we call them Advances, because we’re advancing ahead with the greatness of God’s Word, not retreating from our lack of confidence in God. We’ve looked forward to this for a long time: and a lot of people have worked very hard to bring God’s people together. It’s not the first gathering of believer’s in the Atlanta area with lots of help from believers from New Jersey, but it’s the first since the outreach of people that came from New Jersey over 7 years ago.

I am reminded of the section in Acts 2, where it tells us in Verses 46,47 “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 favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”

I think of how wonderful it is to see believers I haven’t seen for a while – some of them, a long while – and when we get together, we can bless one another with our presence, our words and our manner of life. God’s Word being taught is always the focal point, and being with spiritually like minded people is very comforting. 2 Timothy 1:5 tells us: “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee [Paul is talking to Timothy], which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded in thee also.” This tells us that God’s Word was dominant in the different generations of Timothy’s life, and when there is a large gathering of believers, it’s not unusual to have different generations represented, which makes for a wonderful time. This is how it should be in the Church.

If you have never been to the Mountain Top Inn in Warm Springs, Ga., you should treat yourself. We have just completed a most wonderful Friday, Saturday and Sunday with believers from 12 states, I’m told: even from Washington State. To me, it was the reality of Romans 10:15, “…How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.” To be with a group of people who love God and His Word and just want to speak His Word and hear it taught, it’s just a wonderful thing to my heart. We fellowshipped a lot and the glad tidings of good things were definitely spoken to one another. I was very taken aback at the great ability of the people who shared God’s Word; to be able to share it with such love and confidence.

It was pointed out that two primary things that separate us from other groups of Christians is the Mystery of the Body of Christ, which is taught and unfolded primarily in the 7 Church Epistles of Romans through Thessalonians. Ephesians 3:6 tells us: “That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by gospel.” Before the Day of Pentecost, the Jews were God’s people, but after the Day of Pentecost and the giving of the gift of holy spirit, the Gentiles (you and I) are to be fellowheirs of the Body of Christ.   That means both Jew and Gentile. The second thing was the manifestations of the spirit, which are erroneously referred to by the organized religions as gifts; and that the “gifts” of the spirit can only be operated by certain ones. That is not true, or God would be a respecter or persons, which His Word declares He is not! The manifestations (workings) of the spirit are for each and every Christian believer to operate according to their believing.

Manifestations were operated this weekend. We had speaking in tongues with interpretation and prophecy which we do when we have gatherings such as this, so that believers will be individually edified. And other manifestations could have been operated as people got together and prayed and believed for needs to be met. This is God’s intent for the Church: for believers to be edified and built up and healed when needed.

The theme for the Advance was “Power and Deliverance” and the theme was focused on by 10 different teachers sharing God’s Word specifically in the area of Power and Deliverance. And don’t we all need to know more about our power as sons of God? The devil spends a lot of time trying to beat us out of our God given power. We learned that what we need to do is to “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”, as we’re told in Ephesians 6:11. That “putting on” greatly involves the operation of the manifestations of the spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12:7-10 which we mentioned earlier. As we stand we will see that great deliverance in our lives that we so want and need and be able to minister it to others.

It was a great time for all involved. I highly recommend getting with the family of God whenever possible, and when we do this again next year, hopefully I’ll see you there.

Funglimpses and all. Thanks for reading. Respectfully submitted. W

Article 24 – October 1, 2018

Fellowship Is the Key – Pt 2

 

A few writings ago I shared that fellowship is the key to a more abundant life with God, our Heavenly Father, and at this time, I would like to further some thoughts on that topic. From the beginning of man, it has been God’s primary desire for man to have fellowship with Him. In Genesis 1:27 it says: “So God created man in his own, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” In the following verses man is given dominion “…over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” In Verse 31, we read: “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good…” It is very difficult to describe just how close a relationship Adam and Eve had with God back then, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that it was pretty darn special. In a wonderful household, we understand how the parents love the children and would do just about anything for them. We don’t give that a second thought. Yet, we have great difficulty, at times, understanding just how much God loves us and wants the best for us.

Some of this is due to the fact that so many people do not understand the orientalisms and the idioms of permission in the Bible. In the Old Testament, there are many, many records which state that God did this or that in killing people or destroying people. What that means is that individuals or groups of people broke principle with God’s Word; more often than not by worshiping other gods, and therefore God had to take his hand of blessing off them. When that happened the adversary, the devil, had an “open door” to work in that situation and kill whom he would. It was never God’s fault. Men got screwed up by their actions and allowed God’s hand of blessing and protection to depart from them. I John 1:5 tells us: “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” This truth stands tall and complete from the time of Genesis on.

Prior to the Day of Pentecost, things were different spiritually, because for most of that time, man was under the Law of Moses. Since the Day of Pentecost, we are under the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, it tells us in Romans 8:1-4. I bring this up because I can understand how a person, who is not aware of these truths, can become confused as to what’s available in having a relationship with a loving, heavenly Father. I grew up in a household where I had a parent who was misled by a certain denomination that taught them to praise God when something good happened to them, and to curse God when something bad happened. That is a great lie and very confusing! That’s leading a double standard and you can’t do that and have wonderful fellowship with God.

Keep in mind, we are living after the Day of Pentecost, not in the times of the Old Testament. God doesn’t and never did kill His people or any other people, for that matter. However, when things go bad, we so often want to blame someone or something and the devil has so marshaled the thinking of our world, that people often instinctively place the blame for the bad on God.

If you are born again of God’s spirit, you can manifest the love of God. If you are not, or are not sure, God wants you to become sure, because He’s got a lot available for you. 1 John 1 :3 tells us: “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” How simple and wonderful this is. There are many different people and groups you can go to for Bible study and some of them are good. There again, because there are so many, who do you go to as there are a lot of people saying a lot of different things. It can be very overwhelming and confusing for the seeking Christian. The bottom line with any Christian believer is what we’re looking for on the daily basis: wonderful fellowship with our Heavenly Father. To be able to walk with Him and talk with Him, just like you do with members of your family. When we have that consistent daily fellowship with our God, we will see the manifestations of the spirit in operation as we need to and get prayers answered. I have noticed in watching wonderful mothers with new babies around me loving their babies and the babies don’t think twice about their reliance on their mothers. They’re not supposed to, they just do it. That’s how God designed it, and that’s how God wants us to be with Him.

In Matthew 14:25-27: “And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit, and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I, be not afraid.” Jesus walked on the water by revelation and to do that he had to have very close fellowship with His Father: complete confidence! In reading the subsequent verses, we see that Peter also walked on water. He is the only one mentioned in the Scriptures, aside from Jesus, as having done so. Really, a miracle is a miracle, but from our senses eyes, that’s an incredible thing to do. Yet Peter, for that period of time, did it. Unfortunately, we let our environment talk us out of so much of what God has to offer, because the devil does not want us to live an abundant life, and he does control the kingdoms of this world, for the moment. However 1 John 4:4 tell us: “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

This is so simple and yet is seems to be a very hard truth for so many Christians. To think that the power of God can silence the hand of the devil. Your mind has probably wrestled with that one way too many times, but that’s the decision we have to make on a daily basis. The irony is that the more you become convinced on God and His Word, the harder the adversary will work on you. He does want to devour you, however; “…greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” Just keep telling yourself that when the devil tries to interrupt your fellowship with God.

I want to share a few lines of a wonderful song that rings along this line. The song is called

“My God and I”.

“My God and I go in the field together.   We walk and talk as good friends should and do;    We clasp our hands, our voices ring with laughter;    My God and I walk through the meadow’s hue.    We clasp our hands, our voices ring with laughter;    My God and I walk through the meadow’s hue.  2   He tells me of the years that went before me,    When heavenly plans were made for me to be;      When all was but a dream of dim reflection; To come to life, earth’s verdant glory see.   When all was but a dream of dim reflection;    To come to life, earth’s verdant glory see.   My God and I go for aye together, We’ll walk and talk just as good friends do;   This earth will pass and with it common trifles, But God and I will go unendingly.”

That’s it! Funglimpses and all: Thanks for reading. Respectfully submitted, Will Grove

 

Article 23 – August 20, 2018 –

Pursuing a More Abundant Life

Jesus Christ said in John 10:10b that he came that we might have a life that is more than abundant. That sounds like a pretty good deal to me. I’m constantly seeing around me people who are pursuing various physical avenues in light of improving their lives, but so often, it’s just to make them look better. To look good could be important to a lot of people. What Jesus Christ had in mind, however, was to live an abundant life spiritually. For those of us who are interested in the things of the spirit, we want to be what’s been termed as “Professional Believers.” That means being serious about it on a full-time basis.

To the serious Bible student, walking in a godly manner takes an introduction to the Scriptures, and from there on, a day by day process of study, instruction and application. It’s done in the secular world all the time in whatever topic one would wish to choose.

Again, in John 10:10, Jesus said: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” The ‘they’ in this verse is referring to God’s people. Jesus Christ lived the more abundant life and it took him a long time to prepare himself to do what he knew he had to do. He started preparing himself early enough in life that at the age of 12 years he was able to mix and converse with the scholars of his time.

Luke 2:46 “And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.”

2 Timothy 2:15 tells us: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” As serious students of the Bible, this is our responsibility in this day and time. We are to study God’s Word to get ourselves out of the infant stage of Christianity and to the point where we can discipline ourselves to walk in love regularly and seek to operate all the workings of the spirit (manifestations) as they are called in 1 Corinthians 12:7-10.

It’s absolutely necessary for people to see and decide for themselves that the Bible is the revealed Word and Will of God. Our world does not endorse the things of the true God and Father of our Lord and Savor Jesus Christ. It endorses a very negative environment: an environment ruled by what 2 Corinthians 4:4 refers to as the “god of this world”. The devil, the god of this world, does not want Christians to live a more abundant life. His very nature is to steal, kill and destroy, and if you don’t want to get caught up in his spiritual rampage, it’s going to take some instruction, learning and acting to find out how to deal with that.

To learn how to live and to see things spiritually is the greatest classroom of life, and if you take it seriously you’ll find out it’s the most important.   Money and the things from the financial field are factors in life and having them can relieve many areas of stress from the physical side. However, to have a sane mind and to know how to communicate with the creator of the heavens and the earth and to know how to operate the power He made available to every Christian believer, is a journey that I do not have the words to describe. You just have to get involved and see for yourself.

Ephesians 1:17-19 tells us: “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,”

This section of scripture actually doesn’t stop until three more verse ahead, but it lays out a bit of the Christian’s walk in three verses that should stop you in your tracks. I can’t imagine anybody who would not want to have that kind of power in their lives. It is available to hear from our heavenly Father and to be able to perform the works that Jesus Christ did. He did what he had to do so we could do that and more as well. We just have to realize it and then be willing to put in the work in our lives to bring it to pass.

God can’t act unless we act and that’s highly emphasized as we work the Scriptures to show ourselves approved unto God. We have to believe that we “Can Do” and then all we have to do is do it. It sounds easy, and actually it is, although the adversary will try to make you think it’s difficult. That’s just a trick! 2 Peter 1:3 tells us: “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:” “All things” means all aspects of life. So if you want to know about the fullness of salvation, how to believe to pray more effectually, how to get rid of your fears, the greatness of the return of Christ and all that is encompassed there, you’ve got to come to God’s Word. You’re going to need to be taught and that is the purpose of men and women of God.

In Acts 8:30 and 31, Philip asked the Ethiopian eunuch, “…Understandest thou what thou readest?” “And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me?”

There are many teachers to choose from, so choose your teacher wisely. That’s easier said than done, but that’s your choice. There are wonderful believers out there who can teach you God’s Word and show you the more abundant life.

Funglimpses and all. Thanks for reading! Respectfully submitted, Will Grove

Article 21 – July 19, 2018                        It Was a Wonderful Camp

 

I have been to numerous gatherings of Christian believers through the years and to a number of summer Christian Camps as well. Last year we attended our first Harbor Light Christian Family Camp. I can’t even remember the theme, but it inspired and blessed us so much that we decided to go again this year. Having said this, Matthew 18:20 comes to my mind, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” We had eighty five people or so at this camp, but it felt like one of the old Rock of Ages with many thousands from my perspective.

What a joy and privilege it is to be gathered together with lots of like-minded believers and men and women of God who teach because they love the teacher’s task and have people receptive with minds that ask. In Luke 4:18, Jesus said: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor: he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” That’s a very power packed verse! We were gathered together to hear the Gospel. Some that were there were perhaps broken hearted to a degree. Fear is a great captivator and we heard about deliverance from fear. Some of us were perhaps spiritually blind in certain ways, and the Word recovered us. And certainly, all of us get bruised in our hearts at times, and the Word of God taught lovingly will wash all of that away. I quote this verse because of how the presentation of God’s Word at the Camp came over to me.

Perhaps others who were there did not see it in that particular light, but it would have been difficult to have sat the five days involved and to have come out uninvolved. The simplicity of salvation as set forth in Romans 10:9 was handled and it was awe inspiring. Salvation has been referred to as “the miracle of miracles”. And why not! People look for miracles and speak of them often very lightly, when really a miracle is a supernatural happening and certainly not a light thing in the eyes of God. Things of the spirit are always awe inspiring, because it’s our wonderful Father God, Who is at work, via our believing. To think that a person can go from spiritual death unto life in a moment of time is incredible and to think that from that moment on, that person has everything spiritually they’re ever going to need to live a life that is more than abundant. John 10:10b: “…I am come that they might have life, and they might have it more abundantly.”

We worked our way through prayer in one of the sessions and saw examples of people who were strong in believing and prayer. I’ve wrestled with understanding prayer in years past, and it’s wonderful to know that prayer is simply either speaking in the spirit which is speaking in tongues, which is perfect prayer or just talking to God. And God loves to have us talk to him.

We also saw that it’s available to have freedom from fear. How much freedom? As much as you want to have: How much can you believe for, because it’s the same God in Christ in you as it is in the examples we read about in Acts and the Church Epistles. We were challenged to face the fears in our lives which hold us back from believing and to know that God would never tell us we can do something if we were not able to do it according to His Word. 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” What men wouldn’t pay for a sound mind: yet the irony is that most men think that they do have sound minds. They have working minds, calculating and cunning minds, but it is impossible to have a truly sound mind without a working knowledge of God’s Word. Now you can challenge me on that statement, but I’m simply quoting what God’s Word says.

We ended with the Hope of Christ’s return and the period following that into the new heavens and the new earth, because the believer’s hope is largely energized in knowing that some day life won’t be as it is today. One great aspect of the believer’s hope is in knowing that Jesus Christ will gather us some day and we will be free from the wrath to come. Revelation 21:4 tells us, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Isn’t that a great thing to look forward to, and that’s part of our hope as well.

Whether you are a new or old student of the scriptures or just an interested person, there’s no escaping the warmness of the fellowship and the healing wholeness of the Word taught and shared. So the next time you’re looking for a wonderful time in God’s Word during the middle of summer, try a summer camp with the believers. I’ll bet that it’ll just hit the spot.

Funglimpses and all! Thanks for reading. Respectfully submitted, Will Grove