How to Study the Bible - "It shall greatly help you to understand Scripture if you
mark not only what is spoken or written, but ask of whom and to whom, with what
words, at what time, where, to what intent, with what circumstances,
considering what goes before and what comes after." ~ Miles Coverdale Note from Les: Dear Friends, As I write I am euphoric because, for the first time in over
five months, last night brought thunderstorms and rain. Our ponds, which are
filled with run-off rain water, were getting extremely low due to the drought
conditions. Although we are still several inches behind in rainfall, we have
now had a much needed reprieve. Many of you have inquired about our status
with regard to the fires raging across Oklahoma and your prayers and concern
are deeply appreciated. Thankfully, we can report that we were spared
completely with no serious fires within 15 miles. We continue to praise the Lord for the great number of you
telling us that for the first time you are assured of your eternal Salvation.
Secondly, we praise the Lord for the home Bible studies that are functioning
from coast to coast around our books and videos. What a reunion when we all
get to heaven. Our article for "What in the World" is
the first of a two part reprint of a position paper written by our dear friend,
Fred Moore, of Colorado Springs. Fred can be reached at (719) 391-8366. What in the World "Confident Hope as a Lifestyle" By Fred Moore “You know you're getting old when you begin to
get gray around the fringes, often ache when arising with the sun, and when
your knees buckle but your belt doesn't. Such oldsters are likely to remember
Roy and Dale Evans' wonderful shows on TV. One of their popular programs
ending ditties included this line, "Faith, Hope and Charity, that's the
way to live successfully. How do I know? The Bible tells me so". As you
know, charity is the old English word meaning love in today's world. That
triad, Faith, Hope and Love, is found often in Paul's letters to the churches
he planted. He recommends that believers look for those three character
distinctives as a measure of true spirituality. When God awards believers at
the Bema judgment for their God-dependent lifestyle, His standards will be seen
to be greatly divergent from the doist brag-a-monies' heard at testimony time
in today's contemporary churches. They do reproduce after their kind. Too many evaluate the assemblies of our day for
the size of their facilities, the number of pew-warmers attending services, the
size of the budget, the programs offered. They look at such evidences and say,
"Wow. That's a really cool church!" But God still looks for
something much more foundational than nickels, numbers, and noise. Budgets,
people, buildings and programs are necessary, it seems, but there is a priority
that is far more vital, the biblical triad of Faith, Hope, and Love. When
those identifiers are present in the heart of a church, they will work
themselves out to be exactly what God wants it to be. And He will control how
large its budget should be, how many programs are to be offered, and the size
of the auditorium. When Faith, Hope, and Love are foundational in the
individual believer and the local church, God is being honored, and He will
bless both entities for their dependence on Him. “ The Letter to the Thessalonians, Paul's first
epistle, begins with that triad. “We Give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of
you in our prayers, remembering your work of faith, labor of love, and patience
of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of God and our Father-1:2-3.” “The characteristic we addressed last month was faith. It
is defined not merely as belief, but trust that coexists with faith. It is an
on-going life-changing commitment of believing trust that grows as His redeemed
internalize His Word, and the Spirit applies the Word in their lives. The
spiritual fruit of that trust is confidence that diminishes the possibility of
failure in serving Him. Congregations that have that sort of faith will make
Godly decisions, and discover His hand of guidance in achieving great things.
When believers come to the end of insight they possess, and step off into the
darkness of the unknown, faith will be seen to be belief that one of two things
is certain to come forth. Either there will be solid ground ahead, or God will
teach them how to fly. The second characteristic is hope, confident
hope, the hope of the Thessalonians, and today's redeemed. “For they themselves show 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, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead,
Jesus, the One delivering us from the coming wrath-1:9-10” Verse 10 identifies the confident hope of today's Church,
the Body of Christ. It is waiting and watching expectantly, because redeemed
believers know that Jesus will soon return from heaven to rescue them. Paul
had taught that great truth to the Thessalonians early on during his short stay
with them. But after his departure, some of them died, and the congregation
was wondering what would happen to their dear departed when He returned. So he
explains further about that concern in chapter 4. “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren
concerning those which are asleep, that you sorrow not even as others who have
no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so those who
sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word
of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall
not precede those who are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God,
and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with
these words-vs. 13-8.” That, friend reader, is the blessed confident
hope of the Church. Those believers who are alive when He comes again will be
caught up to meet Him in the air, above the clouds and higher than man has ever
flown. Those who die before He comes will experience "to be absent from
the body is to be present with the Lord". That is the Church's blessed
hope, the return of Jesus Christ and the gathering together of His Body. But
that's not all. Believers will be changed, both physically and spiritually, to
be like Jesus, their Head. For those who see Him and stand in His presence,
sin will be a thing of the past. All of their sinning, failures and faults
have been left behind, and their vulnerable earthly bodies shall be
transformed. Nine years later the Ephesians' letter will
declare that "Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it, in order
that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word,
that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or
wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without
blemish". That is the cleansing process that is on going today in the
lives of every member of the Church, the Body of Christ, as they internalize the Word of
God. Aging minds may be deteriorating and sieve-like, but running Scripture
through them will certainly at least keep the sieve clean. Such spiritual
dry-cleaning is to be recommended, and is a great blessing to the young and old
who experience it. Paul's letter to the redeemed in Philippi declares that the redeemed of this dispensation will also experience a physical
makeover. "The Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, shall change their vile
bodies, in order that they may be fashioned like his glorious body, according
to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things to himself."
So the believers' confident hope is also the expectancy that soon those who
have embraced Paul's Gospel will be just like their Redeemer. And that's not all there is to this glorious
anticipation. Confident hope also claims the promise that those who have
yielded their members as instruments of righteousness to the indwelling Holy
Spirit (Romans 6:13 & 19), and presented their bodies as living sacrifices
(Romans 12:1-2), shall be rewarded at the Bema Judgment. There the quality of
believers' service shall be tested by fire. Nothing that can be identified as
energy of the flesh, under the omniscient eyes of God the Father, will ever be
productive here on earth, or qualified to enter the throne room of heaven - I
Corinthians 3:9-23. The problem is that few pew-warmers today are learning to
give up and win in this unfruitful competition. The filling/control of the Holy
Spirit is available to every member of the Body of Christ, and when they are
available to Him, those activities that He energizes will bear fruit to the
glory of God. They are described as worthy of awards, gold, silver, and
precious stones. The best any descendant of Adam can produce, redeemed or
headed for the Lake of Fire, is human good. Only the Godhead can produce
divine good. It has been often said that too many churchgoers typify the busy,
barren life of the religious. To receive rewards at the Bema is potential only
to the redeemed of this dispensation. To hear the Savior say, "Well done,
good and faithful servant" and to receive His reward will be a capstone
blessing for some, not all. Having something of value to place at the Savior's
feet in that day will surely be the number one desire of every blood-bought
child of God.” Note from Laura: Dear Friends, I have been asked to continue with my little notes, so here
goes. It has been 18 months since I broke my neck and it has been quite an
adjustment for my entire family, but God is good and He has a purpose for
everything. I know that hardships and heartaches are difficult to accept, but
for me the verses that have helped me are found in Isaiah 55:8-9. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your
ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so
are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” As always, my family and I want to sincerely thank you for
your prayers. Note from the office: We will just sing the usual song and thank you again for
remembering to use the memo line of your check to let us know what you would
like us to use it for (invoice #, order, or donation). We are continually
amazed by your faithful support that is allowing the ministry to grow even
during tough economic times. Many of our new viewers may not realize that
although Les can been seen teaching nation wide and our internet lessons can be
picked up literally world wide, we are still a comparatively small operation. We mentioned in the last newsletter the two new employees
that the Lord sent to us when Jennifer had a job opportunity she simply could
not pass up last year. Melissa Reese and Ruby Starr have been such blessings in
so many ways since they started helping late last summer. It is always nice to
be able to put a face with a name and voice to give you an idea of the person
on the other end of the phone line, so we are including a picture of Melissa and
Ruby as well as a picture of the Office and the home of Les and Iris which
together make the "physical" ministry. Of course the heart of the
ministry is the Holy Spirit inspired teachings and the fellowship we all have
in sharing the Word. You are all part of this ministry and we praise the Lord
for you. Have questions about the Bible? We highly recommend the
Question and Answer book. Over 180 common pertinent questions all answered
from the Through the Bible transcribed books. A great value at $11.00.
"The Footsteps of Paul" Cruise of October/November 2005 is available
on one 8 hour VHS or 4 DVD's. This special product features 1 hour of
highlights, 1 ½ hour travelogue, and over 5 ½ hours of Les teaching on the
subject of "Why Paul" for $30.00. To those who attend the local classes or tapings, we have
added an extra taping on April 12th. Also, the Good Friday class will be
canceled in Tulsa because the Church will be having services. Finally, May
taping has been changed from May 10th to May 17th.