X-Changing Life (Fall 2013) by Dr. Stephen R. Phinney

Fall 2013

X-Changing Life Magazine

It is critical that we accurately and intimately know our Faithful Father and His Love for us in Christ. My dear brother in the Lord, Dr. Phinney, in his latest book, is not sharing deep insights here about knowing the truth, but about knowing the Truth through the indwelling Life of Christ through Grace. This is not another, “Christian, know what you believe” book, but a book about knowing what you believe about Grace. To know the Father is to know Grace. Grace, pure Grace, the Grace of our Father is what the church needs today. Dig in here and enjoy how much you are really loved. -Dan Camp IOM Rating:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Rev. 1:8, NASB).

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The Father makes it clear that He is the beginning and the end. If we were able to find all the spoken and inspired words describing God in the Word of God, we still would not come close to describing the Father of heaven. It will take eternity for us to discover all the attributes of God. This is the primary reason why we should be so excited about going to the Father and spending eternity with Him. I have my order in for multiple interviews! This book will open the door to knowing the Faithful Father and the Bride of Christ.

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The X-CHANGING LIFE Is a mini-mag newsletter provided by IOM AMERICA to assist in uniting Exchanged Life workers throughout the world with the message of the Cross-”Not I, but Christ.” Volume 13, Number 3, Fall 2013 Readers: 20,000+

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The Bible—Fact or Fiction By Dr. Stephen R. Phinney You may or may not have noticed that the Word of God, the Bible, is under major attack by our enemy, the devil. We have self-proclaimed Christians asking questions like: is the Bible just a collection of myths and legends, or is it the inspired & literal words of God? How can the Bible be the authoritative and inerrant words of God if it was written by mere men? Why are there so many translations of the Holy Word of God? These are all great questions that deserve answers! Why are our own members of the Body of Christ asking questions that confess their doubts and acts of discrediting the Word of God? I will give you the simple answer first and then expound on the details of what is happening with the world of “user friendly” translations. The simple answer is that when people (indwelt by Christ or not) discover the Bible does not support their morbid lifestyles, they work to accomplish “Biblical Revisionism.” Most think questioning the authenticity of the Word is directly related to the assumption that modern scholarship has discredited the Bible due to historical inaccuracies. But the facts in and of history prove otherwise. When and if we use this as our proving ground, we will end up arguing over the writers of history, and that history is written through the eyes of man. Even though the Bible recounts the past with amazing accuracy and predicts the future like no other book, most of the world (Christians included) is misled and misinformed about the original Bible. Many of the emergent arguments today are over what most classify as the Bible. For example: a few years ago, 67% of Bible readers were reading and memorizing from “The Living Bible.” As a result of this single phase of Christianity, these individuals are now walking around with philosophies and ways of living that are simply a

result of a human’s paraphrase of a quality translation. Here is a little history of The Living Bible: The Living Bible (TLB) is an English version of the Bible created by Kenneth N. Taylor. It was first published in 1971. Unlike true “word-for-word” translations, The Living Bible is a paraphrase – a rephrasing of a word-for-word translation. Taylor used the American Standard Version of 1901 as his base text. Since The Living Bible was named “Bible” by its publishers, people began being doped into thinking they were actually reading the Word; when in reality, it was nothing more than a storybook of the actual Word, which that was Taylor’s intention originally. Here is what he said himself: "The children were one of the chief inspirations for producing The Living Bible. Our family devotions were tough going because of the difficulty we had understanding the King James Version, which we were then using, or the Revised Standard Version, which we used later. All too often I would ask questions to be sure the children understood, and they would shrug their shoulders. They didn't know what the passage was talking about. So I would explain it. I would paraphrase it for them and give them the thought. It suddenly occurred to me one afternoon that I should write out the reading for that evening thought by thought, rather than doing it on the spot during our devotional time. So I did, and read the chapter to the family that evening with exciting results—they knew the answers to all the questions I asked!" 1 Does this prove that he was used by the enemy to start a movement of emergence? No, but it does show us how movements are started when the storytellers are taken out of context. The simple fact is that a group of people decided to capitalize on this man’s work. Was there a mistake made in Taylor deciding to bring the Bible down to a child’s level? From the chair that I sit in – yes, that was not the wisest choice. Why do I say this? I have spent many years studying the rhyme and reason to all the “simplified versions” of the Bible and have found the objective in almost every case has been to revise the Word of God for a particular culture and language. Even the

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producers of The Living Bible realized the problem at hand and this is the exact reason why they came up with the “New Living Translation.” The problem with all this is we continue to “dumb down” the Word of God for a depraved culture and society. For example, the King James Version maintains a 12th grade reading level, whereas one of the newer versions of NIV is 2nd grade. Due to the endless complaints of this mishap, in 2012, NIV came out with a “gender friendly, culturally accepted” translation that bumped up the reading level to 6th grade. Most translators write on a level that is the standard and reading level of the market in which they wish to sell. It is no more complicated than that! The average Christian does not know the difference between “word-forword” or “thought-for-thought” translations or a “paraphrase.” The collective Christian society tends to call anything that has “Bible” on the cover to be the Holy Word of God. Truth being unveiled, this is the furthest from the truth. It IS a technique the enemy uses to start debates over the Word of God, leaving believers asking questions like:

Is the Bible really the inspired Word of God? Was it accurately preserved for thousands of years as a unique revelation from the Creator of the universe? Or is it just a collection of humanly devised myths and fables? Do we even have the right books in the Bible, or are important sources missing that would change our view of God, Jesus Christ, and Christianity? Can we trust Scripture? Is the Bible vital and relevant today? Whenever you hear a fellow Christian say that he uses these “dumbed down” versions to gain understanding or enhance what his study Bible is saying, he is confessing that it is NOT the Holy Spirit within him bringing understanding of the Word; but rather, his own efforts of attempting to gain understanding through his own mind. This is evidence that the indwelt believer does not understand the indwelling Life and mind of Christ who resides in him. “This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth” (1 John 5:6, NASB) Back when I was in politics, I came across a quote from a Russian leader that has stayed with me to this day. He said, “The best way to conquer America is to assist them in forgetting their past.” It has been over 15 years since I heard those words and when I look at America today, I see the reality of such a statement. I believe this is exactly the technique Satan uses regarding the Holy Word of God – the Bible. Sadly, most Christians do not know much more about the history of the Word of God than the date on their sales receipt. Most Christians know that the new 2011 NIV “Gender Friendly & Culturally Accepted” translation is NOT only over-thetop, but is an outright blunder in Church history. What most Christians don’t know is that over 90% of the American pastors use the NIV in preaching, study, and memorization. Another unknown to the general public is that the publishers of NIV are placing their marketing focus on this new translation,. This means when this 90% are in need of a new Bible, their purchase will most likely be that of the 2011 revision that has removed 3,668 references to masculinity. That kind of “bait and switch” will have major theological ramifications - worldwide. Discovering the truth about the Bible, its history, and authentic representation of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, could prove to be one of the most important and exciting adventures you have ever embarked upon. Even though emergent “believers” and critics attack the authenticity of the Bible, and preachers ignore or gloss over many of its teachings (particularly issues that come against cultural and political beliefs), the Bible in its authentic form is still the inspired and inerrant (without error) words of God in their original writings. All 66 books of the Old Testament and the New Testament are God's complete and sufficient revelation and therefore, carry God's authority for the total well-being spiritually, psychologically, and physically of mankind. Scriptures are to be used as the primary text of ALL teachings, guidance, and corrections (Ps. 119:97-104,160; Matt. 5:18; John 5:46-47,10:35; 2 Tim. 3:15-16). The Bible reveals the true purpose of Continued on page 6

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The Bible—Fact or Fiction Continued...

life. Bible prophecies not only foretold the rise and fall of ancient nations, they also explain the real significance of world events making headlines today and where those events are heading. In spite of what millions have been led to believe, the Bible is much more than a storybook or paraphrase of Truth - it IS the Truth! Today, many “educated people” assume that science and modern scholarship of the details of theology are equally as important as this “history book” we call our Bible. People of education typically work to modernize all history so that their students can understand educational figures of the past. This mistake thrives because so many believe education equals transformation, rather than the Spirit from within providing transformation through the Life of Christ, who is the Word (Bible). Many people today are simply unaware of the hardcore elements of the indwelling Life of Christ and how He works in and through true Christians to provide supernatural understanding of the Bible – even the King James Version. Instead, people are encouraged to believe that all translations are equally credible—or equally helpful—without ever comparing these translations with the original, leaving the reader with ignorance. As a result, millions are unaware of how the Bible continues to be the authentic Word of God in written form. Before you accept the idea that the Bible is "just like any other book," you need to examine the evidence for yourself. The evidence is eye-opening, extremely informative, and could change your life! You need to understand why so many today doubt the Bible's credibility, and what the truth about the Bible can mean to your future. For thousands of years, Jews and Christians believed, and died for believing, that the Bible was the inspired Word of an Almighty God. Down through the ages, antagonists and skeptics have challenged, attacked, and ridiculed the Bible — and it still stands. Popes and pagan Roman emperors attempted to destroy Scripture, and even altered its words. You can easily discover how “scholars” make use of these pagan and Catholic influenced historically revised manuscripts. Yet, during these post-modern turbulent centuries, the Bible will continue to be carefully preserved and its message WILL spread in remarkable ways! It is simply unstoppable. The desire to accommodate the Bible to the modern world is reflected in an October 2005 document issued by Roman Catholic bishops from England, Scotland, and Wales. In "The Gift of Scripture," the bishops warned that while they consider the Bible true in passages regarding salvation, "we should NOT expect total accuracy from the Bible in other matters… We should not expect to find in

Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development

Scripture full scientific accuracy or complete historical accuracy." 2 It is through these types of emergent (lukewarm) believers that the debate over the authenticity of God’s Holy Word gets started Even though most emergent scholars have a deep respect for the Scriptures, they set a pattern in motion of questioning the Word on a worldwide level. All it really takes is one theological leader from each sect of Christianity and the fire of deception will begin to sweep their denominations. When religious leaders urge people to believe in a book that cannot be trusted on many topics, it is not surprising that the Body of Christ as a whole is slipping into the emergent church of Laodicea. “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is My beloved Son with whom I am wellpleased’” (2 Peter 1:16-17, NASB). Peter was quick to address this problem early on – it was as if our earliest teachers, like Peter, knew that a day was coming when the authenticity of the Word of God would come under severe attack. The Bible clearly reveals that the apostolic writers were advocates of Scripture, and that individuals not understanding the Word and its source were not indwelt by the Holy Spirit. They knew that they were preaching the Truth! As for today, long gone are the days when listeners would fall to their faces before God because they were astonished by the spoken Word. “When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes” (Matt. 7:28-29, NASB). No matter what our past, present, or future emergent followers of Christ say about the Holy Word of God, the contents of Scripture can be verified by the facts of history, the

discoveries of modern science, and archaeology. When emergent translators attempt to revise, dumb down, or translate the Word to match their morbid lifestyles, like homosexual pastors, etc., God’s Word will still remain in the hearts of true indwelt believers through the very Life of Christ in those believers. As radical as it sounds, governments can burn our physical Bibles and the Word will continue to remain in the Body of Christ, because He is the Word who has been placed in the true Christian in the form of the blessed Holy Spirit. Satan must have written words to twist in order to manipulate the people of God. As long as he has the ability to twist emergent translations, he can adjust the “Word” to line up with his depraved goals of insulting the Living God. As for those of us who care enough to protect the authenticity of the Word (our Bible), we can always count on the Word of God within us to confirm and bear witness to Christ Jesus being the Word. “Finally, brethren, pray for us that the Word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ” (2 Thess. 3:1-5, NASB). Stand firm my beloved friends – If you are truly indwelt by the Holy Spirit, you will be able to spread the Word and glorify God in your daily living, by allowing the Life of Christ to live out the Word of God through you. When you are blessed with the privilege of reading an authentic translation of the written Word, the Spirit will bear witness with what will always be – the Word of God,- no matter what your emergent neighbor, pastor, or local theologian might say against the inspired Word. As for your confusion and disbelief regarding what translations to trust – you will be safe in sticking to a word-forword translation like the King James Version, the New American Standard Bible, and the like. Sources: 1 2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Living_Bible http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2005/10/07/gift-of-scripture

NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE: A translation trusted by the ages. The Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible combines essential tools for Hebrew and Greek with translations that are accurate and clear. An easy-to-use style plus the benefits of the Strong's Dictionary numbering system makes this study Bible one for every student of Gods Word, no matter what age.

The NASB Key Word Study Bible, by Zodhiates, is the study Bible my entire family and ministry uses for accurate and key word study. The layout of this format is perfect for looking up Hebrew and Greek definitions as you read by making use of the dictionaries in the back of the publication. I recommend this work to all ! -Dr. Stephen Phinney

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PETA CALLS FOR ANIMAL FRIENDLY TRANSLATION PETA, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is calling for a more animal-friendly update to the Bible. The group is asking translators of the New International Version (NIV) to remove what it calls "speciesist" language and refer to animals as "he" or "she" instead of "it." The NIV is a popular translation of the Christian Bible. An updated translation was released this month. The translators said 95% of the 1984 translation remains the same. PETA is hoping the move toward greater gender inclusiveness will continue toward animals as well. “When the Bible moves toward inclusively in one area ... it wasn’t much of a stretch to suggest they move toward inclusively in this area," Bruce Friedrich, PETA's vice president for policy, told CNN. Friedrich, a practicing Roman Catholic, said, "Language matters. Calling an animal 'it' denies them something. They are beloved by God. They glorify God." “What happens in slaughterhouses mocks God,” he said. “People know intuitively that "animals are 'who' not 'what.' ... Acknowledging it would better align our practices with our beliefs.” "Do we need to know the gender of the lion Samson slew? What would it give us there?" he said. "You could try to specify that, but you would be doing so entirely inventively if you did. It's not in the original language. ... Nothing is made of it in the story." Jeffery said he sympathizes and agrees with PETA's position that God calls for humans to care for animals, but he said, "When you get to the point when you say, 'Don’t say it, say he or she' when the text doesn’t, you’re both screwing up the text and missing the main point you addressed." Source: Understanding the Times International, March 23, 2011 edition, www.understandthe time.org/in the news/349_m1.shtml Used by permission for non-profit educational purposes.

The Inclusive Gospel Commentary by Roger Oakland www.understandthetimes.org

Eddie Gibbs and Ryan K. Bolger have co-authored Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Community in Postmodern Cultures. This book is published by Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group. [IOM editor note: 2nd printing, Dec. 2005, Grand Rapids, MI]. A claim posted at the top of the back cover states: “The Best Book Yet on the Emerging Church.” An endorsement for the book by Brian McLaren agrees with this assessment. McLaren states: “If you want to be truly conversant with emerging churches, this is the book to read… It recognizes the essential theological emphases of emerging churches, and it is based on actual conversations with over 50 people.” Gibbs is Professor of Church Growth at Fuller Theological Seminary and the author of several books. Bolger is academic director of arts in global leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary. The two authors have teamed up to provide an overview of the nine patterns or trends they see unfolding in the practices of the emerging churches. Their research took place over a period of almost five years.

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One of the trends the authors examine in detail is evangelism. Evangelism, they say, in the emerging church “involves sharing the deep experiences of life with those outside the faith.” Emerging church leaders are not impressed by those who defend the Christian faith by promoting definitive answers to convince those who doubt the faith. In order to substantiate this trend, Gibbs and Bolger quote emerging church leader Pip Piper from Birmingham, UK, who states: “Evangelism or mission for me is no longer persuading people to believe what I believe, no matter how edgy or creative I get. It is more about shared experiences and encounters. It is about walking the journey of life and faith together, each distinct to his or her own tradition and culture but with the possibility of encountering God and truth from one another.” Pip Piper’s definition of evangelization sets off a biblical alarm. Are not Christians instructed to give reasonable answers to non-believers why they have faith? If not, then why did Peter write: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15, KJV). What if someone who was “willing to walk the journey of life and faith” with someone who is committed to a faith that is in opposition to the Christian faith, lost their faith? Wouldn’t this be evangelism in reverse? Where in the Bible are we instructed to join hands with pagans and consider their beliefs as a means of evangelism? Apparently, Gibbs and Bolger believe the advantages of this style of evangelism outweigh the negatives. They write: “Christians can not truly evangelize unless they are prepared to be evangelized in the process. In sharing the good news, people are enriched by the spiritual insights, honest questions and depth of devotion demonstrated by those of other faiths. Including others involves listening to them, learning from them. Much of what exists in other faiths may not necessarily be hostile to the kingdom. Christians can learn a lot from other walks of life.” I have searched the scriptures to find out if there is any precedent for this style of evangelism. The children of Israel were warned by the Old Testament prophets about joining hands with pagans, however, they ignored God’s warning. As Jeremiah proclaimed: “And the LORD said unto me, a conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers. Therefore thus saith the LORD, behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them” (Jer. 11:9-11, KJV). In spite of such clear warnings from Scripture, Gibbs and Bolger provide a further example of what is believed to be successful emerging church evangelism by citing Spencer Burke, an emerging church leader from Newport Beach, California. Burke states: “However, the Christian tradition could hold to an inclusive model, not an exclusive one. We have a community hermeneutic. We read other sacred writings, then get back to the Scripture and decide together how to interpret what we have read from the literContinued on page 14

A BIBLICAL GUIDE: For more than 2000 years, scholars have been translating the Bible. The Old Testament was written over a 1500-year period before the birth of Christ. It was written primarily in Hebrew, with a few portions in Aramaic. The New Testament was written within 70 years of Christ’s death and resurrection (AD 50-100). The writers of the New Testament wrote in koine Greek (“common” Greek). The original manuscripts have not survived, but God’s Holy Word has been preserved through meticulous copying, although we must keep in mind that not all “translations” are bblically accurate. The primary methods of translation are word-for-word (most accurate—lacking man’s opinion) and thought-forthought (less accurate—containing man’s opinion). The third type is paraphrase (man’s opinion entirely). The question as to why “translations” and paraphrases continue to be developed is due to a subjective idea of man attempting to meet the demands of modern language, culture, gender clashes ,and the ability to read at a level to understand the Scriptures. A note needs to be made here—man’s ability to maintain the balance between language/ culture with the original manuscripts is a difficult challenge that often times results in poor translations. TERMINOLOGY: Apocrypha – Several books and additions that were included in the early Greek and Latin translations of the Old Testament. However, recent evidence revealed that the Hebrew canon did not include the Apocrypha. This evidence led to its removal from the Geneva Bible in AD 1640. By AD 1827, the Apocrypha was omitted from most nonCatholic versions of the Bible. Biblia Hebraica – Latin for “Hebrew Bible.” Contains many variances from the Masoretic Text based upon earlier translations and manuscript discoveries. Dead Sea Scrolls – Some of the oldest known copies of portions of Old Testament manuscripts, un-

Continued on page 13

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FREQUENCY AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE TITLES “LORD JESUS CHRIST” AND “SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST” IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

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TRADITIONAL ACCURACY CHART

More Accurate

Less Accurate

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earthed in the late 1940s near the Dead Sea, some dating as early as 125 BC. Eclectic text – Scholars examined every ancient Greek manuscript available, and then selected the variant that seemed best. Eclecticism practices textual criticism (examining external and internal evidence) in order to determine which variant is the most accurate to the original writing (autograph). In theory, eclecticism shows no favoritism for one text-type over the other. However, the oldest manuscripts (Alexandrian text-type) are typically favored. Greek New Testament – A general reference to one of many editions of the New Testament in the ancient Greek language of Jesus’ day, known as koine Greek. These each have slight variations, and study Bibles usually list the differences. Most variations are in spellings and place names, one affect Christian doctrines. Greek Text – The New Testament was written in the kind of Greek that was spoken by common people at the time of Jesus and his disciples. The New Testament is the most well documented written material from the first century. Several thousand manuscript copies of the New Testament books exist. Because these were copied by hand, there are slight differences (called “variants”) between manuscripts. Scholars have put these manuscripts into groups, called text-types, based on the kinds of differences.

There are several major groups of Greek manuscripts: “Western” text-type (also called Popular text) – These manuscripts were grouped together because they were hand copied before AD 400 and were not copied in Alexandria, Egypt.

Lucianic text-type – This manuscript group was edited by Lucian of Antioch c. AD 300. He started with the Western manuscripts and edited them to produce a smooth, harmonized copy of the New Testament. This was the most popular texttype after Constantine legalized Christianity, and it influenced the Byzantine manuscripts.

Continued on page 15

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Roger Oakland Continued:

ature that other religions hold sacred.” The very thing that happened to the children of Israel is what is being repeated today, only this time in the name of Christianity. This pathway to deception is not only being repeated and ignored; it is being applauded by the promoters of the emerging church agenda. Gibbs and Bolger endorse Spencer Burke’s ideas by stating: “Burke’s community is prepared to learn from faith traditions outside the Christian fold. There is a Buddhist family in their church. As a community, the church visited a Buddhist temple. They participated in a guided meditation with this family. Burke celebrates the many ways God is revealed. He recognizes that the Spirit has been with these people all along. The community celebrates other traditions. They reach out to other traditions, and see them as beloved children of God. With a focus on kingdom rather than on church, people find that their relationship with other faiths changes.” It should be apparent what is occurring as the emerging church evangelization program unfolds. Walls that once separated biblical Christianity from pagan religious belief systems are being demolished. Instead of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ that saves sinners from hell, the gospel has been redefined and totally nullified. The narrow pathway that Jesus proclaimed leads to heaven through faith in Him alone now has been broadened to permit open access for the sake of establishing the “kingdom.” Worse yet, the command by Jesus that we are to be “His witnesses” has been reinterpreted to mean the very opposite of what Jesus proclaimed. As Karen Ward has stated (from the Church of the Apostles, Seattle, Washington): “We do not do evangelism or have a mission. The Holy Spirit is the evangelist, and the mission belongs to God. What we do is simply live our lives publicly as a community in the way of Jesus Christ, and when people inquire why we live this way, we share with them the account of the hope within us. We are to love one another, and that creates its own attraction. Taking care of the sick and the needy - creates all the evangelism we need.’ The new evangelization program being promoted by the emerging church, while it may be in the name of Christ, is antichrist. A formula has been established to provide a bridge that has the potential to unite all religious beliefs in the name of Christ, by circumventing the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the future we will see all faiths join together based on a common mystical experience accompanied by “lying signs and wonders”. The apostasy the Bible warned would be apparent in the Last Days is now fully underway. Only those who hold firm to God’s Word will be protected and delivered. This remnant of faithful believers will be viewed as old-fashioned narrow-minded holdouts who are a hindrance to the establishment of the “kingdom.” As Paul wrote to Timothy, in the Last Days: “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:12-13, KJV). Source: http://www.understandthetimes.org/commentary/c66_pf.shtml Used by permission for non-profit educational purposes.

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INDWELT CHRISTIANITY VS. CATHOLICISM By Stephen Phinney

Much of what I have learned about the difference between true indwelt Christians and the Catholics comes from those who are or were in this “church.” In fact, much of my knowledge comes from a priest who advises the Pope – a Vatican historian. He is one of my long-time readers and I have been working with him for years to lead him to true Christianity. I encourage you to take time to read this booklet and feel free to forward it to interested readers. You can download this booklet by clicking here or go to: http://issuu.com/iomamerica/ docs/indwelt_christianity_vs_catholic

HISTORIC CREATIONISM By Dr. Joseph Kezele & Dr. Stephen Phinney

These two authors have a defined burden for unveiling the Truth behind the post-modern movement of evolution, old earth, and humanism. Phinney: Creationism is the Biblical Worldview belief that humanity, life, the earth, and the universe (as God sees it) are the creation of a supernatural agency – the God of Abraham. In the 1900's, British geologists and other non-Christian scientists argued that the world was considerably older than they previously were taught (Scripturebased calculation of less than six thousand years). In the United States, the apparent discrepancies between science and Biblical Worldview were "seized upon and amplified" in a historically known "cultural war" over whether humanistic (man-based) science or biblical documentation (God-based) could provide the most accurate and provable text for education. By the early 1920s, the Christian church realized the traditional beliefs of creationism, commonly accepted by mankind, were being questioned due to their new "age of enlightenment" movement of scientific humanism. Shortly after this "wake-up call," they soon realized their view of biblical creationism had become "the standard alternative" to humanism-based "scientific” explanations of the biosphere (ecosystem) - instead of being the primary view. Critical Note: The humanistic view of a "global ecological system" believes that the integration of all living beings and their relationships, including their interacting with the elements of the lithosphere (outermost planetary shell), hydrosphere (water), and atmosphere (gas planetary layer) is all based on the subjective data of evolution. The man-formed view of the biosphere postulates that it all evolved through a process they call biogenesis (life-forms producing life-forms) and biopoesis (life-form from inanimate matter). The Truth: Creationism embraces the simple truth that the Creator (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit) birthed the global ecological system by way of intelligent design - the truth that all elements of the universe, as God sees it, have been handcrafted by way of the mind of God. Since man's thoughts are not God’s and God's thoughts are not man’s, the human mind of man will never embrace intelligent design (1 Cor. 2:11). “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (1 Cor. 2:14, NASB). The reality of man accepting the intelligent design of the biosphere will require a conversion from the mind of man into the mind of Christ Jesus (Phil. 2:1-7). This can only be done through being evangelized by the Holy Spirit. Thus, we have Creation Evangelism. Read More… You can obtain a free downloadable copy of this extensive, but concise, booklet by either clicking here or going to: http://issuu.com/iomamerica/docs/historic_creationism__net_2013

3. Byzantine text-type (also called Constantinopolitan, Syrian, Ecclesiastical, or Majority) – The largest number of surviving manuscripts fit into this group for any of three possible reasons: (A) These manuscripts were considered superior to Alexandrian manuscripts, (B) the manuscripts were more readily available and widely circulated when Christianity became legal under Emperor Constantine, or (C) Byzantine churches were the only churches in the Roman Empire that continued to copy manuscripts in Greek after the 4th century. 4. Alexandrian text-type (also called Neutral or Egyptian) – The oldest manuscripts available today are in this group. They survived due to the dry climate of Egypt that preserved the writing material. The best known Alexandrian manuscripts are Codex Vaticanus, Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Alexandrinus, and the more recently discovered Oxyrhynchus, Chester Beatty, and Bodmer Papyri (AD 300). Inclusive language – For Bible translation, it is language that neither refers to male or female (gender neutral), adult or child (age neutral) if the terms do not specify a gender or age. Translators who strive for inclusive language emphasize the gender neutrality of some Greek and Hebrew terms that have been traditionally translated with a masculine orientation. Masoretic Text – The name given to the texts carefully copied by generations of Jewish scholars using a strict set of proofreading guidelines. Reading Grade Level – The number corresponds with the educational grade level. For example, 7.5 means that the translation was geared for a person who has completed half of the seventh grade in school. Bible Translations Comparison (pamphlet), (Torrance, CA: Rose Publishing, Inc.), 2007, 2011. Used by permission for non-profit educational purposes.

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Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development

"Freely you received, freely give" (Matt. 10:8, NASB) Jesus told us that since we've been blessed, we should bless others. I am happy to provide a blessing to others in the form of free Bible study software! As a Bible student and teacher I have experienced the necessary work involved in searching the Scriptures for the competent preparation of a Bible study, Sunday school lesson, or a sermon. There are volumes of books available as study tools (and the Christian community is indebted to the various authors' perseverance and scholarship), but there is not enough time, money, or shelf space to properly take advantage of these resources. Computer software has changed the way we can study the Word of GOD. With a simple search or click of the mouse button, we now have access to these same volumes of scholarship within seconds!

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You can order your copy of the textbook used in the IOM America Hebrew Class: click here or go to: http://www.amazon.com/Hebrew-Word-Pictures-Alphabet-Prophetic/dp/B000JI4CHU

WWW.IOMAMERICA.ORG

Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development

Book

Classification

Author

Click

Drawing Near

Devotional

Boa, Ken/Anders, Max

Review

His Victorious Indwelling

Devotional

Harrison, Nick

Review

My Utmost For His Highest

Devotional

Chambers, Oswald

Review

Practicing the Presence of God

Devotional

Lawrence, Brother

Review

God’s Best Secrets

Devotional

Murray, Andrew

Review

Close to His Majesty

Devotional

Needham, David

Review

The Book of Prayers

Prayer

Phinney, Stephen

Review

The Prayer Life

Prayer

Murray, Andrew

Review

Prayer, Life’s Limitless Reach

Prayer

Taylor, Jack

Review

Not I But Christ

Indwelling Life

Olford, Stephen

Review

Man As Spirit, Soul & Body

Indwelling Life

Woodward, John

Review

Lifetime Guarantee

Indwelling Life

Gillham, Bill

Review

Born Crucified

Indwelling Life

Thomas, Ian

Review

The Christ Life for Your Life

Indwelling Life

Meyer, F.B.

Review

Abide in Christ

Indwelling Life

Murray, Andrew

Review

The Two Covenants

Indwelling Life

Murray, Andrew

Review

Absolute Surrender

Indwelling Life

Murray, Andrew

Review

Normal Christian Life

Indwelling Life

Nee, Watchman

Review

Release of the Spirit

Indwelling Life

Nee, Watchman

Review

The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life

Indwelling Life

Smith, Hannah Whitall

Review

Handbook to Happiness

Indwelling Life

Solomon, Charles

Review

The Ins and Out of Rejection

Indwelling Life

Solomon, Charles

Review

Sit, Walk, Stand

Indwelling Life

Nee, Watchman

Review

Finances and the End Times

Indwelling Life

Phinney, Stephen

Review

Green Letters

Indwelling Life

Stanford, Miles

Review

Victory in Christ

Indwelling Life

Trumbull, Charles

Review

Sidetracked in the Wilderness

Indwelling Life

Wells, Michael

Review

Men & Warfare

Spiritual Warfare

Phinney, Stephen

Review

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AND ITS HISTORY Hebrew Bible The Tanakh was mainly written in Biblical Hebrew, with some portions (notably in Daniel and Ezra) in biblical Aramaic. From the 9th century to the 15th century, Jewish scholars, today known as Masoretes, compared the text of all known biblical manuscripts in an effort to create a unified, standardized text. A series of highly similar texts eventually emerged, known as Masoretic Texts (MT). The Masoretes also added vowel points (called niqqud) to the text, since the original text only contained consonant letters. This sometimes required the selection of an interpretation, since some words differ only in their vowelsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;their meaning can vary in accordance with the vowels chosen. In antiquity, variant Hebrew readings existed, some of which have survived in the Samaritan Pentateuch and other ancient fragments, as well as being attested in ancient versions in other languages.

New Testament The New Testament was written in Koine Greek. The discovery of older manuscripts, which belong to the Alexandrian text-type, including the 4th century Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus, led scholars to revise their view about the original Greek text. Attempts to reconstruct the original text are called critical editions. Karl Lachmann based his critical edition of 1831 on manuscripts dating from the 4th century and earlier, to demonstrate that the Textus Receptus must be corrected according to these earlier texts. Scholars surmise that the autographs, the Greek manuscripts written by the original authors, have not survived. The three main textual traditions of the Greek New Testament are sometimes called the Alexandrian text-type (generally minimalist), the Byzantine text-type (generally maximalist), and the Western text-type (occasionally wild). Together they comprise most of the ancient manuscripts. Most variants among the manuscripts are minor, such as alternative spelling, alternative word order, the presence or absence of an optional definite article ("the"), and so on. Occasionally, a major variant happen. Examples of major variants are the endings of Mark, the Pericope AdulterĂŚ, the Comma Johanneum, and the Western version of Acts. Early manuscripts of the letters of Paul and other New Testament writings show no punctuation whatsoever.[2] The punctuation was added later by other editors, according to their own understanding of the text.

History of Bible translations Some of the first translations of the Jewish Torah began during the first exile in Babylonia, when Aramaic became the lingua franca of the Jews. With most people speaking only Aramaic and not understanding Hebrew, the Targums were created to allow the common person to understand the Torah as it was read in ancient synagogues. Greek Septuagint By the 3rd century BC, Alexandria had become the center of Hellenistic Judaism, and a Koine Greek translation was compiled in several stages during the 3rd to 2nd centuries BC (known to have been complete by 132 BC). The Talmud ascribes the translation effort to Ptolemy II Philadelphus (r. 285-246 BC). He is said to have hired 72 Jewish scholars for the purpose, for which reason the translation is commonly known as the Septuagint, a name which it gained around AD 354-430, "the time of Augustine of Hippo". The Septuagint (LXX) was the very first translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, and later became the accepted text of the Old Testament in the church and the basis of its canon. The Latin Vulgate, by Jerome, was based upon the Hebrew for those books of the Bible preserved in the Jewish canon (as reflected in the masoretic text), and on the Greek text for the deuterocanonical books.

Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development

In his City of God 18.42, while repeating the story of Aristeas with typical embellishments, Augustine adds the remark, "It is their translation that it has now become traditional to call the Septuagint" ...[Latin omitted]... Augustine thus indicates that this name for the Greek translation of the scriptures was a recent development. However, he offers no clue as to which of the possible antecedents led to this development. It and was widely used by Greek-speaking Jews, and later by Christians. It differs somewhat from the later standardized Hebrew (Masoretic Text). This translation was promoted by way of a legend (primarily recorded as the Letter of Aristeas) that seventy (or in some sources, seventy-two) separate translators all produced identical texts; supposedly proving its accuracy. Versions of the Septuagint contain several passages and whole books beyond what was included in the Masoretic texts of the Tanakh. In some cases, these additions were originally composed in Greek, while in other cases, they are translations of Hebrew books or variants not present in the Masoretic texts. Recent discoveries have shown that more of the Septuagint additions have a Hebrew origin than was once thought. While there are no complete surviving manuscripts of the Hebrew texts on which the Septuagint was based, many scholars believe that they represent a different textual tradition ("Vorlage") from the one that became the basis for the Masoretic texts.

Early translations in Late Antiquity Origen's Hexapla placed side by side six versions of the Old Testament, including the 2nd century Greek translations of Aquila of Sinope and Symmachus the Ebionite. His eclectic recension of the Septuagint had a significant influence on the Old Testament text in several important manuscripts. The canonical Christian Bible was formally established by Bishop Cyril of Jerusalem in 350 (although it had been generally accepted by the church previously), confirmed by the Council of Laodicea in 363 (both lacked the book of Revelation), and later established by Athanasius of Alexandria in 367 (with Revelation added). Jerome's Vulgate Latin translation dates to between AD 382 and 420. Latin translations predating Jerome are collectively known as Vetus Latina texts. Christian translations also tend to be based upon the Hebrew, although some denominations prefer the Septuagint (or may cite variant readings from both). Bible translations incorporating modern textual criticism usually begin with the masoretic text, but also take into account possible variants from all available ancient versions. The received text of the Christian New Testament is in Koine Greek, and nearly all translations are based upon the Greek text. Jerome began by revising the earlier Latin translations, but ended by going back to the original Greek, bypassing all translations, and going back to the original Hebrew wherever he could instead of the Septuagint. The New Testament was translated into Gothic in the 4th century by Ulfilas. In the 5th century, Saint Mesrob translated the Bible into Armenian. Also dating from the same period are the Syriac, Coptic, Old Nubian, Ethiopic, and Georgian translations. There are also several ancient translations, most important of which are in the Syriac dialect of Aramaic (including the Peshitta and the Diatessaron gospel harmony), in the Ethiopian language of Ge'ez, and in Latin (both the Vetus Latina and the Vulgate). Wulfila, bishop of the Goths in what is now Bulgaria, translated the Bible into Gothic in the mid-4th century. In 331, the Emperor Constantine commissioned Eusebius to deliver fifty Bibles for the Church of Constantinople. Athanasius (Apol. Const. 4) recorded Alexandrian scribes around 340 preparing Bibles for Constans. Little else is known, though there is plenty of speculation. For example, it is speculated that this may have provided motivation for canon lists, and that Codex Vaticanus Graecus 1209, Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Alexandrinus are examples of these Bibles. Together with the Peshitta, these are the earliest extant Christian Bibles. Middle Ages When ancient scribes copied earlier books, they wrote notes on the margins of the page (marginal glosses) to correct their textâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;especially if a scribe accidentally omitted a word or lineâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and to comment about the text. When later scribes were copying the copy, they were sometimes uncertain if a note was intended to be included as part of the text. Over time, different regions evolved different versions, each with its own assemblage of omissions and additions. The earliest surviving complete manuscript of the entire Bible is the Codex Amiatinus, a Latin Vulgate edition produced in 8th century England at the double monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow. During the Middle Ages, translation, particularly of the Old Testament was discouraged. Nevertheless, there are some fragmentary Old English Bible translations, notably a lost translation of the Gospel of John into Old English by the Venerable Bede, which he is said to have prepared shortly before his death around the year 735. An Old High German version of the gospel of Matthew dates to 748. Charlemagne in ca. 800 charged Alcuin with a revision of the Latin Vulgate. The translation Continued on page 22

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into Old Church Slavonic was started in 863 by Cyril and Methodius. Alfred the Great had a number of passages of the Bible circulated in the vernacular in around 900. These included passages from the Ten Commandments and the Pentateuch, which he prefixed to a code of laws he promulgated around this time. In approximately 990, a full and freestanding version of the four Gospels in idiomatic Old English appeared, in the West Saxon dialect; these are called the Wessex Gospels. Pope Innocent III in 1199 banned unauthorized versions of the Bible as a reaction to the Cathar and Waldensian heresies. The synods of Toulouse and Tarragona (1234) outlawed possession of such renderings. There is evidence of some vernacular translations being permitted, while others were being scrutinized. The complete Bible was translated into Old French in the late 13th century. Parts of this translation were included in editions of the popular Bible historiale, and there is no evidence of this translation being suppressed by the Church. The entire Bible was translated into Czech around 1360. The most notable Middle English Bible translation, Wycliffe's Bible (1383), based on the Vulgate, was banned by the Oxford Synod in 1408. A Hungarian Hussite Bible appeared in the mid-15th century, and in 1478, a Catalan translation in the dialect of Valencia. Many parts of the Bible were printed by William Caxton in his translation of the Golden Legend, and in Speculum Vitae Christi (The Mirror of the Blessed Life of Jesus Christ). Reformation and Early Modern period The earliest printed edition of the Greek New Testament appeared in 1516 from the Froben press, by Desiderius Erasmus, who reconstructed its Greek text from several recent manuscripts of the Byzantine text-type. He occasionally added a Greek translation of the Latin Vulgate for parts that did not exist in the Greek manuscripts. He produced four later editions of this text. Erasmus was Roman Catholic, but his preference for the Byzantine Greek manuscripts rather than the Latin Vulgate led some church authorities to view him with suspicion. In 1521, Martin Luther was placed under the Ban of the Empire, and he retired to the Wartburg Castle. During his time there, he translated the New Testament from Greek into German. It was printed in September 1522. The first complete Dutch Bible, partly based on the existing portions of Luther's translation, was printed in Antwerp in 1526 by Jacob van Liesvelt. The first printed edition with critical apparatus (noting variant readings among the manuscripts) was produced by the printer Robert Estienne of Paris in 1550. The Greek text of this edition and of those of Erasmus became known as the Textus Receptus (Latin for "received text"), a name given to it in the Elzevier edition of 1633, which termed it as the text nunc ab omnibus receptum ("now received by all"). The use of numbered chapters and verses was not introduced until the Middle Ages and later. The system used in English was developed by Stephanus (Robert Estienne of Paris). Later critical editions incorporate ongoing scholarly research, including discoveries of Greek papyrus fragments from near Alexandria, Egypt, that date in some cases within a few decades of the original New Testament writings. Today, most critical editions of the Greek New Testament, such as UBS4 and NA27, consider the Alexandrian text-type corrected by papyri, to be the Greek text that is closest to the original autographs. Their apparatus includes the result of votes among scholars, ranging from certain to doubtful, on which variants best preserve the original Greek text of the New Testament. Critical editions that rely primarily on the Alexandrian text-type inform nearly all modern translations (and revisions of older translations). For reasons of tradition, however, some translators prefer to use the Textus Receptus for the Greek text, or use the Majority Text which is similar to it, but is a critical edition that relies on earlier manuscripts of the Byzantine texttype. Among these, some argue that the Byzantine tradition contains scribal additions, but these later interpolations preserve the orthodox interpretations of the biblical textâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;as part of the ongoing Christian experienceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and in this sense are authoritative. Distrust of the textual basis of modern translations has contributed to the King-James-Only Movement. The churches of the Protestant Reformation translated the Greek of the Textus Receptus to produce vernacular Bibles, such as the German Luther Bible (1522), the Polish Brest Bible (1563), the Czech Melantrich Bible (1549). the Bible of Kralice (1579-1593), and the English King James Bible (1611). Tyndale's New Testament translation (1526, revised in 1534, 1535 and 1536) and his translation of the Pentateuch (1530,

Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development

1534) and the Book of Jonah were met with heavy sanctions given the widespread belief that Tyndale changed the Bible as he attempted to translate it. The first complete French Bible was a translation by Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples, published in 1530 in Antwerp. The Froschauer Bible of 1531 and the Luther Bible of 1534 (both appearing in portions throughout the 1520s) were an important part of the Reformation. The first English translations of Psalms (1530), Isaiah (1531), Proverbs (1533), Ecclesiastes (1533), Jeremiah (1534), and Lamentations (1534) were executed by the Protestant Bible translator George Joye in Antwerp. In 1535, Myles Coverdale published the first complete English Bible also in Antwerp. In 1584, both Old and New Testaments were translated to Slovene by Protestant writer and theologian Jurij Dalmatin. The Slovenes thus became the 12th nation in the world with a complete Bible in their language. Samuel Bogusław Chyliński (1631–1668) translated and published the first Bible translation into Lithuanian. The missionary activity of the Jesuit order led to a large number of 17th century translations into languages of the New World. Modern Translation Efforts The Bible continues to be the most translated book in the world. The following numbers are approximations. As of 2005, at least one book of the Bible has been translated into 2,400 of the 6,900 languages listed by SIL (originally known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics, Inc.), including 680 languages in Africa, followed by 590 in Asia, 420 in Oceania, 420 in Latin America and the Caribbean, 210 in Europe, and 75 in North America. The United Bible Societies are presently assisting in over 600 Bible translation projects. The Bible is available in whole or in part to some 98 percent of the world's population in a language in which they are fluent. The United Bible Society announced that as of 31 December 2007 the Bible was available in 438 languages, 123 of which included the deuterocanonical material, as well as the Tanakh and New Testament. Either the Tanakh or the New Testament alone was available in an additional 1168 languages, and portions of the Bible were available in another 848 languages, for a total of 2,454 languages. In 1999, Wycliffe Bible Translators announced Vision 2025. This project aims to see Bible translation begun by 2025 in every remaining language community that needs it. They currently estimate that around 209 million people, representing 2.95% of the world's population, speak those 1,967 languages where translation work still needs to begin. In November 2012, Wycliffe presented statistics that said that Scripture existed in 2,798 languages out of the 6,877 languages currently known to be in use in the world. There are currently 518 languages with a full Bible translation. At least 4.9 billion people (70% of the world's population) have access to a full Bible translation in their first language. A further 595 million (8.5% of the world's population), representing 1,275 languages, have at least the New Testament in their first language. Also, 1,005 languages (almost 20% of the world's population) have at least one portion of Scripture (one or more books) available in their first language. By September 2012, personnel from participating Bible translation organizations were involved in 2075 active language programs. The New World Translation produced by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society is currently (according to The Watchtower Magazine of February 15, 2013), produced in over 116 languages and more than 178,545,862 copies have been printed, (somewhat less than the 215,000,000 copies of the popular New International Version translation of the Bible in English). In 2011, the NIV produced a “Gender Friendly, Culturally Accepted” translation that removes 3,668 masculine Hebrew and Greek references. In 2001, Mike Coles, a religious education teacher in Stepney, translated The Bible into Cockney Rhyming slang and in 2008, graphic representations of The Bible in Manga and Lego brick form were given approval by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Differences in Bible Translations A variety of linguistic, philological, and ideological approaches to translation have been used. Inside the Bible translation community, these are commonly categorized as: Dynamic equivalence translation Formal equivalence translation (similar to literal translation) Idiomatic, or Paraphrastic translation, as used by the late Kenneth N. Taylor

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although modern linguists, such as Bible scholar Dr. Joel Hoffman, disagrees with this classification. Hebrew and Greek (the original languages of the Bible), like all languages, have some idioms and concepts not easily translated. There are in some cases an ongoing critical tension about whether it is better to give a word-for-word translation or to give a translation that gives a parallel idiom in the target language. For instance, the New American Bible, (the English language Catholic translation), as well as Protestant translations like the King James Version, the Darby Bible, the New Revised Standard Version, the Modern Literal Version, and the New American Standard Bible are seen as more literal translations (or "wordfor-word"). Whereas, translations like the New International Version and New Living Translation sometimes attempt to give relevant parallel idioms. The Living Bible and The Message are two paraphrases of the Bible that try to convey the original meaning in contemporary language. The further away one gets from word-for-word translation, the easier the text becomes to read, while relying more on the theological, linguistic, or cultural understanding of the translator, which one would not normally expect a lay reader to require. Doctrinal Differences and Translation Policy In addition to linguistic concerns, theological issues also drive Bible translations. Some translations of the Bible, produced by single churches or groups of churches, may be seen as subject to a point of view by the translation committee. Among these, the New World Translation (produced by Jehovah's Witnesses), is seen as controversial by some because of the renderings of key verses. Especially verses, that in other Bible translations support the deity of Christ, are rendered differently in the NWT. Also, the NWT often translates the New Testament Kyrios ("Lord"), as "Jehovah" when referring to God. The publishers argue this can be supported by the fact that the oldest copies of the Greek Septuagint found among the Dead Sea Scrolls (such as 8HevXIIgr) generally have the Hebrew tetragrammaton in the Greek text, rather than Greek Kyrios as found in later Septuagint manuscripts. An exception to this is the Cave4 Leviticus fragment, which has Greek Iao. The NWT translators believe that when Jesus read from such earlier scrolls, He would have used His Father's name and not the title (Luke 4:18, John 17:6, 26). The NWT translators did this despite the fact that the tetragrammaton does not appear in the Greek manuscript of the New Testament books. The Greek manuscripts use Kyrios to refer both to Jesus Christ and God the Father. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_translations

Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development

I DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T TALK LIKE KING JAMES Dan Camp I remember my spot on the couch during one of our ancient home fellowship gatherings about 10 years ago. I remember singing His praises and then listening to a few random comments for prayer from a participant. Tonya, a missionary kid, had not been raised in the United States. She was not coated with layers upon layers of "proper demeanor and phraseology" of our fine and refined, western theological institutions. I had sensed that she did not relate to God the way I did. Her fear of God was non-existent. She clearly did not think the same way that I did about the Word of God, or hearing from God. My way was the deficient way; my way was massively dwarfed by her way. I was the educated, experienced elder, and I was suddenly aware that I had been missing out on something near and dear, not to mention incredibly powerful, in my personal life. She went on casually, "Jesus told me this, and the Lord told me that..." And right there on that couch I secretly prayed, "FATHER, I WANT THAT!" A few days later, I got my first heart-words from Abba, and they were not what I expected: "Remember what you told Me the other night, Dan?" "Yes, Sir." "Do you still want to hear My voice like Tonya does?" "Yes, Sir, very much, Sir!" "It's going to be difficult for you at first. I will be doing brain surgery on you, sort of. I have to renew the part of your mind that has been distorted and not tuned-in to My frequency. You are going to need to wear these new Grace-headphones,which means you are going to have to give Me your old "unGrace-surround sound" ones. You have to let go of them, Dan. You have to let go of the old and start using the new. "For sure, I will always speak to you in ways that perfectly align with My Holy Word; but, get this Dan - I DON'T TALK LIKE KING JAMES! "If you really want to hear My voice, it's going to take some getting used to, some abandoning of your old ideas, some relaxing in our relationship. You have listened to Me and understood Me by My Grace in your new man, in your spirit. But you always qualify everything very sternly. Tonya does not know me that way. To her I'm COOL, not strict. 'By the book' to her is simply awesome. "I AM that I AM is just plain ol' Me. And, if I do say so Myself, I AM COOL!" Dear ones, God speaks to us believing believers constantly, and we hear Him. Are we nuts? No, the world that tells us we're nuts is nuts. People thought the Ghostbusters1 were nuts, but "Who ya gonna call?!" You're going to call the ones who know that they know that they know. We don't have to have evidence or reason. We know. We know Him. We see, we hear, we touch and taste and smell! We don't hear audible voices. Who needs them! We hear with our new spiritual ears--Spirit ears! Our spiritual senses are real, and they have worked since we were born again. It is common to have some earwax in the way. He digs it out carefully, sometimes slowly, and checks His work. How does Dr. Jesus check our hearing? He whispers! Is there anything more intimate, personal and beautiful than a whisper?! Who whispers to us? Those who love us so Continued on page 26

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much that they don't mind getting close to us whisper to us. Jesus loves being close to us because He washed us, cleansed us, made us forever and completely new and acceptable and pleasing and desirable! One beautiful summer afternoon I stood out in the Gulf of Mexico and wept for joy as His waves of love washed over me. My Heavenly Father SPOKE TO ME and said, "Do you know I love you just like I love Jesus? Do you really know that I love you just as much as I love Jesus? How could I not? I put you inside of Him, and I put Him inside of you. I love Jesus and you the same." Those monumental, life-transforming, all-out emotional Son-bathing moments don't happen every day. They don't need to. I am secure in His Grace now. I recognize His voice. I walk in His Spirit. These realities mean that I have ceased second-guessing myself and Him. I just enjoy The Cool. And because I now enjoy my spiritual hearing, I can also enjoy the high and holy; the unflinching apologetics; the deep fundamental realities of Theology; the unchanging, unwavering Rocks of Doctrine; the biblical Christian Worldview that trumps all others. Now when He leads me to study something complex and rich beyond my intellectual capacity and way higher than my security clearance, guess what He says? He says,"Cool, Huh?!" And I reply, "Oh, Yeah! Really Cool! And BTW (by the way), more, Please!" Before, prayer was a "discipline" at best; but now it's more like a prolonged conversation. Before, I seriously doubt that it was very productive. Now it's incredible and I often get to see the fruit! When I pick up the conversation, He is right there and talks to me. This is the norm for any believer who wants it. Recently I told the Lord, "I'm having a real problem with that guy. Help me, please."

"Well, that's sad because you and I both know that I have your full attention, but you don't know whether I have his (it's a process). It's a pretty safe bet that I don't have his full attention, and that he does know things about you that are affecting his attitudes and receptivity to you. Whether he is mistaken or not, his perceptions are about your Sarx, and your Flesh has never been your BFF (best friend forever), bud." "What should I do, Father?" "Isn't that always the first question? And surely you know by now, that's the wrong question! I don't want you to DO anything. I want you to BE. I want you to ABIDE. I want you to DECIDE TO ABIDE and decide to know him according to My Spirit. That is, according to his true new identity, whether he knows who he really is in Me, or not." "But, Lord, how is my deciding to abide and purposing to know the man not according to the sarx going to help me?" "First, I am not trying to help anyone, per se." "WHAT??? You're not trying to help anyone??? What does that mean?!" "It means that I AM HELP. It means that HELP under My Covenant of Grace is a Person-Me, not an activity. When New Testament believers cry and pray for 'Help,' that's My cue to start knocking on the door of their hearts. Rev. 3:20 is NOT an evangelistic verse. I am talking to Christians there--lukewarm, out of touch, identity-ignorant, Lawobsessed, performance-based, condemnationpreoccupied--in a word, nauseating believers. You already have ALL the 'Help' you need, because you have Me living in you. Got it?" "Yes, Sir, I've got it! And that's awesome! ROFL (rolling on the floor laughing)!" "Very funny! I know what that acronym means. Remember, IKE--I Know Everything! So, you did not realize it, but I have been using you to teach your Grace-depleted brother to be Grace-filled."

"You know that guy according to your Sarx, your Flesh. You are Christian brothers, but you both view one another through unGrace glasses. Do you know things about this brother that are difficult for you to accept or digest, the kinds of things that would make you doubt his character or cause you to give off a judgmental vibe about him?" "No, Sir, I don't know any such things about him."

"WHAT??? I wish you wouldn't do that, Lord Jesus. He's a very influential man, and his opinions affect a lot of other people! I have no doubt that he has been bumping his gums about me-about to my flesh! That could hurt my reputation!" "Dan, now I get to Roll On the Floor Laughing! Since when do you think I care about reputation?! I gave up My right to all that sort of thing, and I'M GOD! If I

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wasn't worried about My reputation, do you think I'm the least bit worried about yours?! No, My concern is always and only My Father. His opinion is the only opinion that matters." "Okay, but how does my surrendering my rights do anything about my brother's bad attitude toward me? I'm afraid it's going to progress and get much worse." "You know that faith and surrender are the keys to entering My Sabbath Rest, right? When you are choosing to Rest, can anything bother you? Of course, not. I'm making you spiritually untouchable, so I can live through you to demonstrate Grace to our brother. He can hurt you all he wants, and you will be fine--more blessed even. "As you decide to abide--to TEST MY REST, you will find it completely reliable for all your needs. You will be able to know your brother minus his sarx and yours! "When that happens, even with those who have previously been enemies (or filled with unforgiveness and bitter to the core), Jericho's walls come crashing down because with the sarx nullified, there really is nothing left to dislike! It's true! Every human being, who has become a believing believer, is incredibly enjoyable and interesting! "Can you imagine groups of believers who refuse to know one another after their flesh, but only in Me and My Grace?! I'm telling you, there's nothing like it!" "Thank You, Father, and thank You, Lord Jesus. You are awesome. Your ways are amazing. I'm so glad I can hear Your Voice. Hey, I just thought of another question!" "Really? You think that you're thinking these things up? ROFL!"

Dan Camp: IOM Staff Writer, IOM Advisory Board, Content Editor and Ministry Host to E-Encourager Write Him At: eEncourager@aol.com

THE FOUNDATION FOR RECEIVING A RHEMA Pastor Bruce â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dosâ&#x20AC;? Carter

RHEMA FROM THE LOGOS RHEMA FROM THE LOGOS A personal Word from Above Give us Rhema from the Logos Speak to us, Lord, in Thy Love. Rhema...from the Logos A personal Word from Above... Give us Rhema...from the Logos Speak to us, Lord, in Thy Love. Rhema is not separate from Scripture; it is the Scripture plus a portion that the Holy Spirit quickens and makes alive to us as we read and study God's Word. This understanding of Rhema allows us to apply the Promise of John 15:7-8 and experience God's marvelous results from it. "If you abide in me, and My words (rhema--what you have heard Me say to you from the Bible) abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples" (NKJV, parentheses added). One day when I was studying this Bible word-Rhema, I came across this explanation in "Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words." 1 It states the following: "The significance of rhema (as distinct from logos) is exemplified in the injunction to take 'the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,' (Eph. 6:17); here, the reference is not to the whole Bible as such, but to the individual scripture which the Spirit brings to our remembrance for use in time of need, a prerequisite being the regular storing of the mind with Scripture." Since then, I have heard some great Bible teaching on this subject from Chuck Swindoll, David Jeremiah, Adrian Rogers, Anthony George, and several other reputable men of God. I have also read A.W. Tozer, Hudson Taylor, D.L. Moody and a host of other Bible teachers concerning Logos and RheContinued on page 28

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ma. The study of Rhema is actually a study on how to hear from God on a regular basis. "Hearing from God" IN His WRITTEN WORD involves two key Bible Doctrines--Illumination and Animation. THE BIBLE DOCTRINE OF ILLUMINATION-Simply put, illumination (in the spiritual sense) is "turning on the Light" of understanding of a spiritual Truth in the Scriptures. The question arises, "How does God do it?" The most basic level of illumination is our initial knowledge of sin. Without that knowledge, everything else is pointless. Psalm 18:28 says, "For You light my lamp; The LORD my God illumines my darkness." Psalm 119, which is the longest chapter in the Bible, is a song about God's Word. In verse 130, it says, "The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple." This verse establishes the basic method of God's illumination. When God's Word enters the heart of a person, it gives light and understanding to him. For this reason, we are repeatedly told to study the Word of God. Psalm 119:11 says, "Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You." Verses 98 and 99 say, "Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever mine. I have more insight than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation." Regular reading of the Word of God will give us information, but that will never be enough. We need direction and understanding in the issues of our spiritual Life and spiritual walk. It is not enough for us to figure out how a verse applies to us or our situation. We must hear from God directly, as we read and study His written Word. RHEMA MUST COME FROM THE LOGOS AND WILL USUALLY BE ACCOMPANIED BY THE AFFIRMATION OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES according to Matthew 18. Have you wondered how to hear from God? You go into God's Word expectantly and express Samuel's childlike thought, "Speak, for Your servant is listening" (1 Sam 3:10). In John 16:12-15, the Spirit simply repeats what the Father and the Son have already said. This repetition helps us remember and fully hear what God has already told us. Sometimes we have to see things several times before we actually 'see' them. Sometimes we have to 'hear' things several times before we actually 'hear' them. All Scripture from NASB, unless otherwise marked.

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