I’m Baack!

May, 18, 2022

!…And You Thought it Would Never Continue…!

It’s even hard for me to believe it has been so long since I’ve written a page or two for the Elder Blog, but here goes. 

First thought is about the new background photo: The picture is our home which was remodeled about two years ago, updated from about 40 years ago. It’s small, but seemingly exactly what a couple our age needs. We have NO GRASS, imagine not mowing grass. My wife has planted many shrubs and flowers, we have winding rock paths and and cool places to sit and enjoy the surroundings. But NO GRASS to mow. And we like it.

In a few days, I have the privilege of speaking to a number of up and coming business people concerning “what is an entrepreneur” (as if I could define that.) I shall do my best to talk about business and personal principles and not use myself as any sort of great example of success. Since I have very little of that kind of experience, that part should be easy. The hardest part will be to get across what I know to be true and not be hypocritical in so doing. Many of us who’ve reached “age plateaus” have much to say which should be interesting and even inspiring for younger folks to dare to be strong, dare to choose optimally, and even dare to take chances in their business careers. However, to teach the principles of good business sense is to teach “do this” and “don’t do that!”—amongst a myriad of other things. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Incredibly, some folks in the bible study world decide while looking at simple things the Scripture says, to make these truths to be difficult to understand. The Apostle Paul warned about the deceitfulness and subtlety of our common enemy causing folks to be unable to remember the “simplicity that is in Christ.” Somewhere, sometime, some people caused the rest of the peoples to believe college level educational processing was the only way to understand God (surely it is the seminarians.) What an atrocity that is toward God, His infinite grace, immeasurable patience, and unmitigated wisdom! Shall He not be able to cause His people to understand him? Our Holy Scriptures are written in a seventh grade grammatical manner! Here’s what that means: if one studies with a seventh grade grammatical understanding of our language, they will understand God’s will for their lives. If they do not yet have a seventh grade education, they can through common reasoning understand someone telling them about what the Scripture is teaching. In walks the necessity of being honest.

And in comes the rub. The “someones” who do the telling want to have an upper hand with those they teach. Hence, they teach with a flair of superiority which leaves the impression of them being something special and so the student should depend on them to explain God to them. That is a farce, ladies and gentlemen, an absolute farce! It is true the Lord has ordained “evangelists, pastors and teachers” to present His words in our dispensation. But, these are neither set apart as a superior, nor do they need to have been ordained by a man’s organization—they need, instead, to “Study to shew (themselves) approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” And, being led by the Holy Spirit, they then relay what God has said to the minds in a simple, straight forward manner, not drawing away disciples after themselves. Ergo: you can eliminate thousands of denominational quirks and their theological errors by notgoing to one of their seminaries.

At last count, there were 189+ (about 5200 students) Denominational seminaries in the U.S. Only 1 or 2 teach the soon coming Savior on the basis of believing Scripture as it says it, where it says it, to whom it says it. These schools of “higher learning” ignore the “great plainness of speech” with which Paul, our Apostle taught the Corinthians, the Thessalonians, and the Philippians of how and to whom the Lord would soon be coming. (In case you are just now looking at this doctrine, it is commonly called the “rapture” or the “calling out” or being “caught up” of the church, the Body of Christ.) Most all of the seminaries teach a second coming of Christ in the general since and by their approach, they deny the prophecy of 7 years of Great Tribulation, and the following 1000 years of Christ reigning on the earth. But that simply denies too many Scriptures to the contrary. People say, “well, what do they do with that Scripture?” Mostly ignore it is what they do with it. Ignoring Scripture leads to “ig-norance,” does it not?

Alas, the result of this and many other mis-taught or un-taught Scriptures results in seminary graduates being taken into local assemblies all across the country to lead and mislead thousands every sermon-day. But, after all, they went to school, right? Seminaries are an abomination. They may well graduate sincere men and women, but that doesn’t mean these graduates understand God’s word or will. I have never yet met one of them who can discern 2 Tim.2:15 correctly, nor one who could explain 1 Tim.1:13-16 at all. 

So, I rant about them and it (the “higher” learning attempts of denominationalism.) Please don’t join a denomination, just study according to the way God’s word says you should study. I’m willing to help you start.

Thanks for reading, The Elder