Fun Glimpses

I have been wanting to take a look at the two words “prayer” and “worship” for a while because I think that both words are used quite often in our culture without much attention as to the Biblical meanings of either. So often you hear people say, usually in unfortunate situations, “our thoughts and prayers are with you” and many a church marquee will have the times of their “worship services” for those interested.

John 4:24: God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

“Worship” is used twice here and that gets my attention, because most denominational churches call their services, “worship services”. I’ve heard Church activities and music bands called worship groups and worship bands. The word “worship” is used much in the Old Testament and a Dictionary definition of worship is: “adoration, homage or veneration given to a deity.”(Funk & Wagnalls Standard Desk Dictionary)

So it would seem that a group of people gathering to give their attention in thanks and appreciation to God would be called a worship service, regardless of the design of the service. The profit of a worship service might depend on the integrity of the ministry involved and the knowledge of God’s Word they possess and believe

The Bible speaks of two types of prayers: praying in the spirit and praying in the understanding. Praying in the spirit was first manifested on the Day of Pentecost when the twelve Apostles spoke in tongues.

Acts 2:4: And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The Bible teaches that speaking in tongues is praying in the spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:3: Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed [curses Jesus Christ or curses God]: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

The Bible absolutely teaches speaking in tongues and we believe that speaking in tongues is praying in the spirit and that every born- again man or woman can do it and that it is a manifestation of the spirit and not a gift.

That being said, it is obvious that the Bible teaches that there is praying in the spirit and praying with your understanding. Jesus Christ never spoke in tongues, because it was not available until the Day of Pentecost, but his life and ministry came to make it available. Although he didn’t speak in tongues, he was the master at prayer. Numerous verses in the Gospels record his prayer life.

Luke 6:1: And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

This was the day before he chose the twelve and it was a monumental time in his life, perhaps the biggest decision he’d had to make up to that point. He prayed in his language, perhaps silently and out loud. I’ll bet it wasn’t a one way conversation. I’ll bet God talked right back to him just a fluidly as he talked with God. What a time that must have been! What a time of fellowship.

That’s the kind of fellowship the Father wants us to have with him. I think too often we restrict ourselves and put God in a box, thinking that we can only pray at certain times and in certain places.   You can talk to God (prayer) off and on all day long, wherever you are, whatever you’re doing. You can do it in a worship service: you just need to be decent and in order so that it doesn’t get confusing. Confusion would not give God the glory.

In Acts 12, Peter was apprehended and put in prison, probably with the intention of killing him. In Verse 5, we read,

Acts 12:5: Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

The Church, the believers, kept prayer going for Peter and I’ll bet they prayed both in tongues, which is perfect prayer to God and in the understanding. As the record goes on, God sends an angel to get him out of prison. Good things happen when people pray with believing, which I am certain is how the believers in this record prayed.

Matthew 21:22: And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

Prayer is not a casual situation. If you’re not going to take it seriously and build your confidence in God’s ability and willingness to answer your prayers, you might as well not bother with it. If you’re going to take prayer casually, you’ll get concerned when you don’t see answers to your prayers, and that is only due to lack of believing. That’s a hard truth, but it’s true!

One of the biggest challenges that any believer will have with their walk with God is rising up to their believing privileges in Christ Jesus. “Yes, Jesus did it because that was Jesus. That’s not me!” That is not the position that God wants you to take if you’re trying to live your life according to His Word. He already knows everything that’s going on with you, so why not put your cards on the table and take everything to him.

When I say that, I don’t mean wishing harmful things on other people who have ‘wronged’ you. It’s gotta be according to his Word, and revenge is not according to His Word. So often in manifestations I’ve heard it said by God, “…nothing too big or too small”. So challenge yourself: talk to God either audibly or within yourself. Speak in tongues as much as possible. The more you communicate with him the more you’ll grow spiritually.

John 4:23: But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

So yes, when you speak in tongues and when you talk to God in your understanding, you are being one of the true worshipers that the Father seeks in Verse 23, and that’s a really good thing!

I think that sounds pretty good. I hope this has been helpful. I’ve been very blessed and thankful for this moment to look at prayer and worship with you.

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

 I’ve just come from a wonderful camp in New York State that featured the presentation of God’s Word from some of His wonderful teachers, plus the great fellowship that arises when His Word is taught. I learned of God’s righteousness, His love and His forgiveness. I grew in my appreciation of His wonderful Son, our lord and savior Jesus Christ and what his life means to me. I learned that the Bible is a love story of a loving Father God and His great love for His children. I learned that I have Christ in me and that I can operate the great power of God and in the name of Jesus Christ, I can do much. I learned that I need to love myself and forgive myself and that there is nothing God won’t do for me according to His Word.

With that I’d like to look at a wonderful gospel record of a forgiving father. In Luke 15:31 we see the conclusion of a record where a man’s son took his inheritance early and went out and wasted it. When the circumstances caught up with him, he became destitute for a while. But he always had his father he could come back to. We see that the elder son was offended with his father’s celebrating the return of his brother, because he felt his father favored his brother over himself, who had never transgressed his father. Verses 29-32 of that record: “And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.” Isn’t this true of so many of us. You don’t have to physically go out and blow a lot of money or whatever. But you can sure be lost in your mind. It’s about the same thing: if you’re lost, you’re lost. However, Jesus Christ so loved that he made it available for us to come back to God at any time. God has already forgiven us and if we look to Him, He will help us to forgive ourselves. That’s a big deal, to be able to forgive yourself! And just because you’re born again of God’s spirit doesn’t mean you can’t get lost in your mind. A lot of people teach that when you’re born again, everything is or should be perfect. That’s not true! The immediate change is spiritual but we have to work it and believe it. 1 Peter 1:23 tells us, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed [which corrupts], but of incorruptible seed, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.” You can’t lose it: It’s there forever. Our job is to work it and to understand it and to profit from it so that we can live that more abundant life which Jesus Christ said he came to make available in John 10:10.

There’s a song called “He’s the Healer of Broken Hearts”. That is so true because in the name of Jesus Christ hearts can be healed and restored. God has made Jesus Christ the head of the Church to which you and I belong to and in his name, many wonderful things can happen: spiritual power can be manifested. In Acts 3:6 a man was healed in the name of Jesus Christ. “Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” This man had been crippled since he was born. The same power that created the heavens and earth is the same power that is in the name of Jesus Christ. Healing a man like that is no harder than taking a drink of water for God. We can push past the resistance of our minds and operate the power of God if we just decide to do it.

Philippians 2:10,11 speak very highly of the name of Jesus Christ. “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Vs 9 tells us, “Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.” How the devilishness of the world has tried to belittle the name of Jesus Christ. He is our lord and savior. He is God’s master plan for the ages. He completed God’s plan of redemption and salvation for us and believed to get it done. Therefore, he is our primary example in all things spiritual, because he was The Spiritual Man of all men. He knew that God was exalting him. It could have gone to his head and made him arrogant, such as what happened to Lucifer. He could have reacted negatively to the disappointment and hurt of Judas. Instead he was the epitome of humility and had the love and forgiveness to give him the sop at the last supper.

So where are we with all this? It’s very simple! It’s in our best interests, as Christian men and women, to dedicate the rest of our lives, or until the Lord returns, to making that name of Jesus Christ primary in our lives. He is God’s only begotten Son. We have him in us spiritually, and there is no reason why we can’t do exactly what Peter and John did in Acts 3:6. That kind of stuff should be commonplace in our lives. It may not be, but it should be and why not?

Funglimpses to all! Thanks for reading. Respectfully submitted, 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