Articles

Psalm 90

by Jim Jester

May 16, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 31:14-19

In this portion of Psalm 31, David confesses his faith in God, seeks deliverance from enemy persecution, and prays for the premature death of these enemies. “My times are in Thy hand,” means that God controls the events in his life and that He determines his future. David is trusting his God. “Let Thy face shine on thy servant” is an expression for a favorable response to his prayer; and is often found in Scripture. “Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes” (Ps. 119:135). David expresses his gratitude in verse 19, “Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee.”

To “fear” God is not necessarily a fear as we usually use the term, e.g., the fear of a fire or the fear of falling from a height. No doubt, God is to be feared by evildoers, for “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31). But, to fear God is to respect and reverence Him by living in a holy or pious manner. Some synonyms for “piety” are: religious, godliness, devoutness, spirituality, saintliness, and reverence. These things true Christians aspire to and live by as much as possible.

Copied from the sermon notes of Pastor Don Elmore

May 9, 2021

First Half of the Apostle’s Creed:

“I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell …”

Was the Apostle’s Creed true or false regarding this four-worded phrase:  "He descended into hell"?  There have been millions of Christians who have repeated this Creed in unison in their congregations since it was first written over the last 1500 years.  Very few preachers ever preach on this subject. 

Modern liturgy and catechism of the Roman Catholic Church, Lutheranism, Anglicanism, Presbyterianism, the Moravian Church, the Methodist Church and the Congregational Church all participate in saying the Apostles’ Creed. What is meant by this phrase "He descended into hell"?

Psalm 83

by Pastor Jim Jester

May 2, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 64:1-10

Psalm 64

In the Scripture we read, David’s meditation or complaint, we see how evil loves to plot in secret against God and His people. Ever hear of “secret societies,” e.g., the Free Masons? What about government agencies, e.g., the CIA and NSA? Presidents like to speak about their “openness” before the public, while the complete opposite is true.

The Democrats secretly plotted a steal of the election. They were the real insurrectionists or revolutionaries, not the Trump supporters of January 6. And, where is the cry of “police brutality” over the death of, Ashli Babbit, who came through a window at the capitol and was shot? What is the name of the shooter who killed her? Why isn’t it made known? Ah, we have a new administration in Washington. And even if some Trump supporters exhibited limited violence, was it not justifiable under the present conditions of: clear vote manipulation, the refusal of the courts, and a vice-president who did not have the “guts” to have certain states re-certify their fraudulent elections. Knowing American history, wouldn’t our founding fathers have agreed and been very angry? Wasn’t it an insurrection when we broke away from king George? Besides, there were no guns at the so-called “Trump insurrection.” How can one have an insurrection without guns?

Verses 1-6 of this Psalm are David’s petition for preservation. His enemies (the wicked), “whet their tongues like swords” and “aim bitter words like arrows,” shooting suddenly in ambush at the blameless. Some interpret these words as references to the casting of curses or spells by those who practice black magic. Which reminds me, aren’t masks magic?

Copied from the sermon notes of Pastor Don Elmore

April 25, 2021

Scripture Reading: Acts 10:1-2

By far the most important event on the Apostle Peter’s missionary journey was the conversion of Cornelius.  Cornelius was a Roman army officer, stationed in Caesarea.  This city had been rebuilt by Herod [an Edomite] and was named in honor of Caesar Augustus.  It was the chief port of Palestine and the official Roman capital of the provinces of Judea and Samaria.  There the Roman governor had his headquarters. 

He was in Jerusalem, usually, only during the feasts.  The Italian Cohort, made up largely of freedmen, was probably a special detachment of troops, to be used by the governor to put down disorders that might arise among the Judeans.

Cornelius, weary of Roman paganism, had been worshipping the God of Israel, but was missing something.  Verse two describes him as “devout”, a “God-fearer”, a “giver of alms”, and “prayerful” to Almighty God.  In fact, his “whole house feared God.”  Who was this special man?  What race was he?  What was unusual about this situation?

WHO'S YOUR DADDY?

By Walter Giddings

April 18, 2021

Greetings kindred.  We are on a first name basis here.  My name is walter.  This lesson comprises scriptures that have puzzled me for a long time.  We meet again on the Bible subject matter:   twins in the womb by two different fathers. 

Genesis 5:3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image, and called his name Seth. 

At the end of Twins, Lesson 4 we juxtaposed two family lines together, found  mentioned very close to each other in Genesis :  the family of WCain and the family of Seth.  We posed two questions :   how old was Cain when he begat his first born son; and, two, how old was Adam when he begat Seth?  We got one answer :   Adam was one hundred thirty years old when he begat Seth. 

Has anyone studied or even read a scripture from our Bibles indicating how old Cain was at the time he begat his first born son Enoch?  Has anyone studied or even read a scripture from our Bibles indicating Cain’s age at the time of his death?

Psalm 80

by Jim Jester

April 11, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 55:1-11

The historical event of Psalm 80 is uncertain; but again we have a national lament for the restoration of God’s people. Did you notice the repetition at the turning-points of the psalm, the refrain is repeated that God would “turn them again” and cause them to be saved, in verses 3, 7, 19. Note also the ascending climax of how God is addressed: God; God of Hosts; and, LORD, God of Hosts. So, when Scripture repeats itself, it is not always because of emphasis. It often has much more significance for us. And, we will see more examples as we proceed.

“Turn us again, O God” (v. 3). Three times this prayer is repeated, but with slight, though noticeable, difference. Here, it is addressed only to God. But the second time (v. 7), it calls on God as “God of hosts.” The eye of faith in the psalmist saw the ministers of God’s power around him, the hosts of the holy angels who waited to do God’s will. Then the third time (v. 19), it is the “Lord God of hosts” on whom the psalmist calls, making mention of the covenant name (Yahweh, Jehovah, LORD, G-sus) by which God was known in Israel as their personal, familial, racial, God. Thus, the argument for faith – if God be our God, then He will help us. Therefore, be instant in prayer. “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Eph. 6:18).

by Pastor Mark Downey

July 14, 2013

Presented to the Fellowship on March 28, 2021 by Alan Breitenstein

Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 31:10-13

I'm a baby-boomer and growing up in the 1950's, when you could walk down the street in relative safety, I remember my mom saying, "Don't talk to strangers."  Even 50 years ago, America was changing for the worse.  Christianity was on the verge of a major downswing towards a hyphenated judaization and multicultural diversity.  Back then, the proverbial stranger was a hitchhiker with his thumb up for a ride or someone you didn't know offering candy to children.  The innocence of such things soon changed, because of a few gruesome crimes, which later became quite common.  In fact, the dark side of strangers has become serial, as in killers and pedophiles.  Trust is no longer taken for granted.  Talking to strangers today can be deathly.  And so we have to ask if the Bible prohibits our people from conversing with the strangers of forced integration.  Actually, it’s more than just mere conversation; it is the mindset of modern social interaction.    

WHO CONCEIVED BY TWO?

By Walter Giddings

March 21, 2021

Greetings kindred and fellow sheep.  We are on a first name basis here.  My name is walter.  This lesson comprises Scriptures that have puzzled me for a long time.  We return to where we ended in Twins Lesson 3:   Romans 9. 

Romans 9:9-10

9 For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. 

10 And not only this;  butwhen Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 

When we read these verses at the end of Lesson 3, we asked a question.  Shall we review briefly how we came to ask it? 

In Twins Lesson 1 we noticed a divine supplement from the Holy Spirit in Acts 28.    The Alexandrian ship that carried Luke and Paul and company off the island of Malta and on toward Rome had a sign or figurehead that represented the twins of heaven, Castor and Pollux,  These are two stars found in the Constellation Gemini, the tenth sign or house in the Zodiac.  Historically Castor and Pollux were two small “g” gods in the Pantheon of Roman mythology venerated by sailors as the patron saints who swept the seas of pirates.  That explains the worldly reason why the ship would bear the sign.  It did not explain why the Holy Spirit would call our attention to it for nineteen hundred years! 

We saw that Christians view the circle of the Heavens, the Zodiac, from Virgo the Virgin to Leo the Lion of Judah.  The Bible is God’s handiwork.  The second witness to the Bible are the stars in God’s handiwork, His heaven.  God arranged and named the stars in His heaven.  In Twins Lesson 2 we learned that the Bible story in the heavens had endured trespass.  Greek and then Roman mythology were the intruders, bringing a clever counterfeit in place of, or instead of the older and original composition.  This causes confusion even today.  A credible scholar of the Antiquities, E. W. Bullinger, taught us the greatest confusion occurs in connection with the 10th sign of the Zodiac, Gemini the Twins.    The chief cause of the confusion with Gemini, the Twins, hints at a profound secret or mystery.  Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians calls it “the hidden wisdom” which God ordained and kept until after Calvary.  Raymond Capt and E. W. Bullinger in their books The Glory of the Stars and The Witness of the Stars both show their readers that Gemini illustrates in the ancient names of the stars the twin nature of Christ on Earth, Very God of Very God, and Very man of Very man.  And Paul says that The Devil and his angels, “the princes of this world” did not know this Secret.  Shall we review that?

PSALM 79

by Pastor Jim Jester

March 14, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 6:1-10

Through the centuries, the church has regarded Psalm 6 as the first of the seven Penitential Psalms. The psalmist was dreadfully sick and thought he was going to die. It was common in those days to believe that sickness unto death was in punishment for some sin. Now, while this is a possibility, it obviously is not always the case:

“And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” – John 9:1-3

However, the psalmist pleads with God to stop his chastisement. He speaks of his bones being troubled because his bones represent the whole man. His reference to flooding the bed with tears is a typical exaggeration made for emphasis. David pleads for deliverance by appealing to God’s steadfast love. He maintains that there is no praise to God while in the grave. His prayer is expressed in the words of Jeremiah, “O Lord, correct me, but with judgment [i.e., tempered judgment]; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.” – Jer. 10:24

Copied from the sermon notes of Pastor Don Elmore

March 7, 2021

Scripture Reading: Acts 26:6, 7

6) “And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto OUR fathers:

7) Unto which promise OUR twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope’s sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.

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Who would call Raphael Warnock, one of the two new senators of Georgia, a valid Christian pastor? “America needs to repent for its worship of whiteness,” he preached from his pulpit. Warnock is a black pastor of a black church in Atlanta. It is the church where the former communist civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr. (real name: Michael King) pastored. Warnock hates the military, the police, the nation and he is very, very, very pro-abortion. Is any true Christian, especially a pastor, pro-abortion? He also is a communist. And he is a so-called Christian pastor! Hogwash!

The second Georgia senator, Jon Ossoff, said the following: “I’m descended from Ashkenazi [Jewish] immigrants who fled pogroms in the early 20th century, and I grew up among relatives who were Holocaust survivors.” [Ossoff (has an Australian mother and a Lithuanian Jewish father, who came to the United States in the early 1900s) was born in Georgia in 1987. The second world war ended in 1945. Ossoff was born 42 years after the war was over. So, when Ossoff was growing up, it would be around the year 2000, (he would have been 13 years old), his relative holocaust survivors (on his father’s side) had to be at least 75 years or older. Do you think that he grew up among relatives who were Holocaust (death camp) survivors? Did all the survivors from the death camp, who survived, who he mentioned above, move to Atlanta from Lithuania? Or do you think he just said this for political advantage?