1 Corinthians 2, Heaven; Illumination Of The Holy Spirit; Mature; “mystery” [μυστήριον musterion]; Holy Spirit’s Ministry

1 Corinthians 2
Carnal Church Correction
Getting our practice like our position
Heaven; Illumination; Mature?;
“mystery” [μυστήριον musterion];
The Holy Spirit’s Work/Ministry;
Illumination Of The Holy Spirit;
Yosemite 2016, DLK

BIBLE IN FIVE
Pastor Dave Kooyers
Valley Bible Fellowship
Box 433
Boonville CA 95415
http://www.slideshare.net/dkooyers
www.ValleyBibleFellowship.org
(707) 895-2325
God bless you as you examine His Word,
Your servant in Christ, 2Cor. 4:5
These Microsoft PowerPoint presentations are provided "for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ"
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Matthew 10:8 …Freely you received, freely give.

Let’s read 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
Not Man's Wisdom
But
Gods Power
• We might say “he is a powerful speaker” Paul
would say “that is nothing but “the wisdom of
men”
3

1 Corinthians 2:1
“…I came to you…”
• NAU 1 Corinthians 2:1 And when I came to you,
brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or
of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.
• NAU Acts 18:1 After these things he left Athens and
went to Corinth. 2 And he found a Jew named Aquila, a
native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with
his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all
the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, 3 and
because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them
and they were working, for by trade they were tent-
makers.
4

1 Corinthians 2:1
“…I came to you…”
• NAU Acts 18:8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue,
believed in the Lord with all his household, and
many of the Corinthians when they heard were
believing and being baptized…11 And he settled
there a year and six months, teaching the word of
God among them.
• NAU 1 Corinthians 1:14 I thank God that I baptized
none of you except Crispus and Gaius,
• These sinful Corinthians believed, were baptized,
and were taught by Paul for 18 months.
5

1 Corinthians 2:5, Your Faith
• NAU 1 Corinthians 2:5 so that your faith would
not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power
of God.
• So, “your faith” always has an object, it can be
good or bad, depending upon the object.
• NAU Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned
by God about things not yet seen, in reverence
prepared an ark for the salvation of his
household… 8 By faith Abraham, when he was
called, obeyed by going out to a place which he
was to receive for an inheritance; and he went
out… 11 By faith even Sarah herself received ability
to conceive…

1 Cor. 2:5, “your
faith"
• NAU 1 Corinthians
2:5 so that your faith
would not rest on
the wisdom of men,
but on the power of
God.
• Faith is only as good
as its object

The Mature Spiritual Man Gets
God's Wisdom
• The cross was a mystery that is now revealed
9

1 Corinthians 2:6, Speak Wisdom
• NAU 1 Corinthians 2:6 Yet we do speak
wisdom among those who are mature; a
wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the
rulers of this age, who are passing away;
• Paul customized, and fitted, his message to be
appropriate for each audience.
• “Too many folks spend their lives aging rather
than maturing.” Unknown

1 Corinthians 2:6, Mature?
• NAU Hebrews 5:14 But solid food is for the
mature, who because of practice have their
senses trained to discern good and evil.
• NAU Ephesians 4:13 until we all attain to the
unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the
Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure
of the stature which belongs to the fullness of
Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:6, Mature?
• NAU Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the
elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press
on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of
repentance from dead works and of faith toward
God,
• Charles Swindoll said, “I’ve never met anyone who
became instantly mature. It’s a painstaking process
that God takes us through, and it includes such
things as waiting, failing, losing, and being
misunderstood–each calling for extra doses of
perseverance.”

1 Corinthians 2:7, “mystery”
• NAU 1 Corinthians 2:7 but we speak God's
wisdom in a mystery [μυστήριον musterion], the
hidden wisdom which God predestined before
the ages to our glory;
• The Bible’s use of the word “mystery [μυστήριον
musterion]” is not like the English word “mystery”.
In Scripture it means something that before
was completely unknown, that is now being
completely revealed.

1 Corinthians 2:7, Speaking With Love
• NAU 1 Corinthians 2:7 but we speak God's
wisdom …
• James 1:19 This you know, my beloved
brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear,
slow to speak and slow to anger;
• “The three essential rules when speaking of
others are: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it
necessary?” Unknown

1 Cor. 2:8, Q. Does Satan see the future as God does
and if so is he just trying to change it?
• gracethrufaith.com, “A. I believe Satan is aware of the future as
it’s been revealed in the Bible. By his ongoing efforts, it’s clear he
thinks he can thwart the will of God and change the future. When
he’s expelled from Heaven, as explained in Rev. 12:7-12, he will
know he has but a little time to accomplish his main objective
which is to prevent the remnant of Israel from petitioning the
Lord’s return. If he can do that then Earth will be his by default.
According to Hosea 5:15-6:3, his persecution of the Jews during
the Great Tribulation will actually prompt their decision to turn to
the Lord for help. This will bring about the 2nd Coming, putting
Satan’s great plan to naught. The very strategy he thinks will bring
him victory will result in his defeat.
• This will be the second time the Lord will turn what Satan expects
to be a big victory into utter defeat. It happened at the cross as
well. 1 Cor. 2:8 tells us that if the demonic powers had known
what Jesus was going to accomplish on the cross they would have
tried to prevent the crucifixion.”
• http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/satans-strategy/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gracethrufaith+%28GraceThruFaith%29

1 Corinthians 2:9
Now or Future?
• NAU 1 Corinthians 2:9 but just as it is written,
"THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR
HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT
ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD
HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”
• We use this verse a lot to describe the fact
that we can't fully understand what heaven
will be like.
• But is it limited to the future?
17

1 Cor 2:9
Now
or Future?
Or both?
18

1 Corinthians 2:9, Christ is there
• We may not fully understand what heaven will
be like, but we know it will be better than our
wildest dreams, because we know who will be
there.
• Charles Kingsley said, “It is not darkness you
are going to, for God is Light. It is not lonely,
for Christ is with you. It is not unknown
country, for Christ is there.”

1 Corinthians 2:9, Heaven on Earth
• 1 Corinthians 2:9… ALL THAT GOD HAS
PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM."
• 2 Corinthians 5:2 For indeed in this house we
groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling
from heaven,
• Sandra Cox tells that, “While leaving our small-
town carnival, our sons, ages six and two, were
walking hand-in-hand behind my husband and
me. We overheard Tyler tell his younger
brother, Cory,
• “This is what heaven is like—except it's free!”

1 Corinthians 2:9, Heaven in Heaven
• 1 Corinthians 2:9… ALL THAT GOD HAS
PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM."
• NAU 2 Timothy 4:8 in the future there is laid
up for me the crown of righteousness, which
the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me
on that day; and not only to me, but also to all
who have loved His appearing.

1 Corinthians 2:10, The Spirit’s Work
• NAU 1 Corinthians 2:10 For to us God
revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit
searches all things, even the depths of God.
• The Spirit reveals, and searches all things.

1 Cor. 2:9-13 Some Of The Various Aspects Of The Ministry Of The Holy Spirit
In The Believers Life, by Hal Molloy, Holly Hills Bible Church
• Some Of The Various Aspects Of The Ministry Of The Holy Spirit In The Believers Life
•
•
• 1. The Spirit dwells in believers. Jn. 14:6; Rom. 5:5; 8:9: 1 Cor. 3:16
•
• 2. The Spirit gives believers access to the Father. Ephesians 2:18
•
• 3. The Spirit has fellowship with believers. 2 Cor. 13:14; Phil. 2:1; 1 John 4:13
•
• 4. The Spirit teaches believers. 1 John 2:20, 27; 1 Cor. 2:13
•
• The Spirit reveals the glory of Christ to believers. 1 Cor. 2:9-13; John 16:13-15
• 6. The Spirit transforms believers. 2 Cor 3:18; John 17:24; Eph. 2:6, 7
• 7. The Spirit manifests his fruit through believers. Galatians 5:22, 23; John 15:5
•
• 8. The Spirit gifts every believer for ministry. 1 Cor. 12:7,11,27; Eph. 4:7,8,11,12
•
• 9. The Spirit empowers believers. Acts 1:8; Ephesians 3:18
•
• 10. The Spirit fills believers. Acts 2:4; Ephesians
5:18
•
• 11. The Spirit desires against believers' sin nature. Galatians 5:17; Romans 8:13
•
• 12. The Spirit controls the mind of the new man. Romans 8:5, 6; Phil. 2:5
•
• 13. The Spirit frees believers. Romans 8:2; 2 Cor.
3:17
•
• 14. The Spirit guides believers. Rom. 8:14; Galatians 5:18, 25
•
• 15. The Spirit intercedes in prayer for the believer. Rom. 8:26, 27; Eph. 6:18; Phil 3:3
•
• 16. The Spirit is God's guarantee of his promises to the believer. 2 Cor. 5:5; Eph. 1:13,14
•
• 17. The Spirit is the agent in the believer's sanctification. 2 Thess. 2:13,14; Rom. 15:16
•
• 18. The Spirit assures believers. Romans 8:16; 1 John 4:13
•
• 19. The Spirit glorifies Christ through believers. John 16:13,14; 1 Cor. 12:3
•
• 20. The Spirit can be grieved & quenched by the believer. Eph. 4:30; 1 Thess. 5:19
•
• 21. The Spirit is the means by which a believer walks. Galatians 3:2,3; 5:16
•
• The Spirit perfects the believer. Galatians 3:3

John 16:12-15, What Is The
Illumination Of The Holy Spirit

1 Corinthians 2:10-15, bible.org
• “….II. Illumination
• Anyone who reads the Scripture can see the words and study the facts like any other literature. But the Bible is unique in that God inspired it to teach us
ad change our life (2 Timothy 3:16). God was at work in producing the texts of scripture and He is also at work in the mind of the believer who reads it
and desires God to use it to affect his life. The Holy Spirit who indwells all believers (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:13) is active in this process which is
sometimes called illumination. Illumination is necessary for the Bible to change lives.
• A. Definition: The ministry of the Holy Spirit helping the believer to understand and apply the truth of the Bible (Charles Ryrie).
• B. Description
• 1. Illumination is the work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:12-15; 1 Corinthians 2:10; 1 John 2:27).
• 2. Illumination is the Holy Spirit’s work in believers (1 Corinthians 2:10-15; Ephesians 1:18) and not in some mystical power of the words of scripture.
• 3. In illumination, the Holy Spirit will use our study and meditation, not only to help us understand scripture, but to apply it to our lives.
• 4. The Bible reader’s accuracy, honesty and spiritual life can all affect the Spirit’s ministry of illumination (1 Corinthians 3:1-3).
• 5. The Spirit uses those with the gift of teaching/exhortation to help in the process of illumination (Ephesians 4:11-13; Romans 12:7).
• So when we read and study scripture, it is important to consciously remember the Holy Spirit’s “illuminating” ministry in our life and to ask God to teach
us. Illumination does not guarantee that we will always interpret/understand scripture accurately. God uses our skill, knowledge and integrity as well.
• III. Application
• It has often been said that “a passage has one interpretation but many applications.” In other words, there is only one true meaning. God doesn’t “speak
out the both sides of His mouth” and mean two different things at once (Example: Ephesians 4:25 means “Don’t tell a lie”). But the applications are
many (Examples: Tell the truth on tax forms, to your spouse, to your boss, etc.).
• A. Key Passages
• 1. James 1:22-25
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (v.22- NIV).
• 2. Titus 1:1
“…The knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness” (NIV).
• B. The Process of Application
• 1. Meditate on the scripture.
• Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:1,2 tell us to “meditate” on the word of God “day and night. The process of spiritual growth involves “thinking biblically”. We
must reprogram our minds to see our life and choices from God’s perspective. A rushed 3-minute scripture reading or devotional book doesn’t amount
to much meditation and reprogramming time. Memorizing scripture is a great way to allow God’s truth to “soak in” (Psalm 119:11)
• 2. Relate the meaning to myself.
• Once we know the biblical principle, we must relate it somehow to our own life. To do that we must understand our own needs and weaknesses (1
Timothy 4:16; Romans 12:3). We must be honest and ask God to “search our heart” (Psalm 139:23,24). It’s easy to apply scripture to sinners around us
but harder to explore our own areas of need. Our spouse, children and friends can probably help. How do they think I need to apply this principle?
• 3. Practice the truth
• This is the action step. This is where we actually change our thinking or behavior based on God’s word. God intends for us to “be transformed by the
renewing of our mind” (Romans 12:2).
• The step of practicing truth requires the Holy Spirit’s power. Once we know what to think or what to do differently, we must consciously ask for God’s
help and then step out in obedience depending on the power of the Holy Spirit within us. That’s what it means to “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16)
and “be filled by the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).
• Related Topics: Bibliology (The Written Word), Spiritual Life…”
• https://bible.org/seriespage/interpretation-illumination-and-application
Don't squint! The complete article
follows after the THE END slide.

Illumination Of The Holy Spirit bible.org
• “Anyone who reads the Scripture can see the
words and study the facts like any other
literature. But the Bible is unique in that God
inspired it to teach us and change our life (2
Timothy 3:16). God was at work in producing the
texts of scripture and He is also at work in the
mind of the believer who reads it and desires God
to use it to affect his life. The Holy Spirit who
indwells all believers (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians
12:13) is active in this process which is sometimes
called illumination. Illumination is necessary for
the Bible to change lives….”• https://bible.org/seriespage/interpretation-illumination-and-application
28

• When the unregenerate, unsaved, unbeliever,
reads the Bible it's kind of like looking at a
regular photograph. “Just the facts ma’am.”
Just historical words on a page.
• However, when the believer, someone
indwelled by the Holy Spirit, with the Holy
Spirit abiding in them, the Spirit of truth
illuminating the text, it's more like looking at a
three dimensional photograph, or or a
hologram. The Holy Spirit who wrote the
words illumines our hearts into sync with His
words.
29

Not Man's Spirit
But
Gods Spirit
3
0

1 Corinthians 2:11-16, Illumination
• Theological Ism’s, Randy Smith, pg. 43

1 Corinthians 2:12, The Spirit’s Work
• NAU 1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we have
received, not the spirit of the world, but the
Spirit who is from God, so that we may know
the things freely given [past tense] to us by God,
• God will illumine the Scriptures that have been
given, so that we might know them.

Pastor Jack, First Baptist of Redlands California, #12 The Holy Spirit And The Believers Walk

1 Cor. 2:14, gracethrufaith.com
Understanding The Things Of God
• “Q. …is the natural man just the flesh in every man or actual unbelievers and
second, what exactly are the “things of God” in view here? I know many
unbelievers with quite pronounced academic backgrounds who
“understand” the Bible… Is Paul saying that a non-Christian is completely
incapable of understanding the Word of God?
• A. If you read the verses preceding 1 Cor. 2:14 you can see that the “things
of God” are the thoughts behind the words God had His servants write.
Unbelievers may know a lot about what the Bible says, but they don’t
understand what it means because they don’t have the benefit of this
background. They don’t have God’s perspective. As Paul said, the person
without the Holy Spirit thinks the things that come from the Spirit of God are
foolishness I believe he meant this as having general application. For
example, in all the years I attended church before becoming a believer the
Bible never made sense to me. But as soon as I was born again it began
making such perfect sense that I was surprised I had not understood it
before. Others have confirmed this with their own
experiences. Understanding the things of God is one of the first benefits
available to a new believer.”
• http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/understanding-things-god/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gracethrufaith+%28GraceThruFaith%29

1 Corinthians 2:10-15, bible.org
• Anyone who reads the Scripture can see the words and study the facts like any other literature. But the Bible is unique in that God inspired it to teach us
ad change our life (2 Timothy 3:16). God was at work in producing the texts of scripture and He is also at work in the mind of the believer who reads it
and desires God to use it to affect his life. The Holy Spirit who indwells all believers (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:13) is active in this process which is
sometimes called illumination. Illumination is necessary for the Bible to change lives.
• A. Definition: The ministry of the Holy Spirit helping the believer to understand and apply the truth of the Bible (Charles Ryrie).
• B. Description
• 1. Illumination is the work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:12-15; 1 Corinthians 2:10; 1 John 2:27).
• 2. Illumination is the Holy Spirit’s work in believers (1 Corinthians 2:10-15; Ephesians 1:18) and not in some mystical power of the words of scripture.
• 3. In illumination, the Holy Spirit will use our study and meditation, not only to help us understand scripture, but to apply it to our lives.
• 4. The Bible reader’s accuracy, honesty and spiritual life can all affect the Spirit’s ministry of illumination (1 Corinthians 3:1-3).
• 5. The Spirit uses those with the gift of teaching/exhortation to help in the process of illumination (Ephesians 4:11-13; Romans 12:7).
• So when we read and study scripture, it is important to consciously remember the Holy Spirit’s “illuminating” ministry in our life and to ask God to teach
us. Illumination does not guarantee that we will always interpret/understand scripture accurately. God uses our skill, knowledge and integrity as well.
• III. Application
• It has often been said that “a passage has one interpretation but many applications.” In other words, there is only one true meaning. God doesn’t “speak
out the both sides of His mouth” and mean two different things at once (Example: Ephesians 4:25 means “Don’t tell a lie”). But the applications are
many (Examples: Tell the truth on tax forms, to your spouse, to your boss, etc.).
• A. Key Passages
• 1. James 1:22-25
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (v.22- NIV).
• 2. Titus 1:1
“…The knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness” (NIV).
• B. The Process of Application
• 1. Meditate on the scripture.
• Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:1,2 tell us to “meditate” on the word of God “day and night. The process of spiritual growth involves “thinking biblically”. We
must reprogram our minds to see our life and choices from God’s perspective. A rushed 3-minute scripture reading or devotional book doesn’t amount
to much meditation and reprogramming time. Memorizing scripture is a great way to allow God’s truth to “soak in” (Psalm 119:11)
• 2. Relate the meaning to myself.
• Once we know the biblical principle, we must relate it somehow to our own life. To do that we must understand our own needs and weaknesses (1
Timothy 4:16; Romans 12:3). We must be honest and ask God to “search our heart” (Psalm 139:23,24). It’s easy to apply scripture to sinners around us
but harder to explore our own areas of need. Our spouse, children and friends can probably help. How do they think I need to apply this principle?
• 3. Practice the truth
• This is the action step. This is where we actually change our thinking or behavior based on God’s word. God intends for us to “be transformed by the
renewing of our mind” (Romans 12:2).
• The step of practicing truth requires the Holy Spirit’s power. Once we know what to think or what to do differently, we must consciously ask for God’s
help and then step out in obedience depending on the power of the Holy Spirit within us. That’s what it means to “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16)
and “be filled by the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).
• Related Topics: Bibliology (The Written Word), Spiritual Life…”
• https://bible.org/seriespage/interpretation-illumination-and-application

Daniel 9:21, 10:12-13, How far away is
heaven?
• How far away is heaven? It is not so far as
some imagine. It wasn’t very far for Daniel. It
was not so far off that Elijah’s prayer, and
those of others could not be heard there. Men
full of the Spirit can look right into heaven.
• Dwight L. Moody

http://archive.org/details/Dr.MalCouch1stC
orinthians--Introduction
• http://archive.org/details/Dr.MalCouch1stCori
nthians--Introduction
• David Hocking 1 Corinthians MP3

1 Cor. 2:6-8
• How Does Satan Work?
• Friday, July 11th, 2014crucifixion
• Satan
• Q. In the recent post “Satan’s Greatest Defeat,” 1 Cor. 2:6-8 seems to indicate that Satan and his minions were behind the
crucifixion of the Lord. How do you think he goes about making his plans happen? Is it mind control of some sort? I know
that God is actually in control and uses Satan to accomplish His plans, but am uncertain just how Satan works and what
powers he has over people.
• A. Satan is not able to control the minds of men directly. But by planting a series of ideas at the threshold of man’s mind he
can let man’s sin nature pick up the ideas and use them as if they were his own. Over a period of time Satan can influence
man’s actions by influencing the direction of his thoughts. Believers can torpedo this process at any time by applying 2 Cor.
10:3-5, but unbelievers have no such ability.
• In the matter of the crucifixion of Jesus, this had been decided between the Father and the Son before the creation of the
world (1 Peter 1:18-20). Hundreds of prophecies dating back to the fall of man explain this in great detail.
• God had kept Satan in the dark about what the crucifixion would accomplish. In this way He was able to trick Satan into
believing that by getting Israel to orchestrate the Lord’s death, he would achieve a great victory against God. When it was
too late to do anything about it, Satan discovered that he had done exactly what God wanted. Had Satan understood God’s
plan ahead of time, he would have tried to oppose the crucifixion as Paul said in 1 Cor. 2:6-8.
• The tragedy for Israel is that by rejecting the Messiah, they were in effect refusing to let His death pay for their sins, making it
meaningless to them. So they helped God accomplish His plan, but received none of the benefit it was meant to bring
them. God knew this would happen too, and that it would open the door to salvation for countless millions of Gentiles. The
result is that the Kingdom that God promised to Israel has been delayed for nearly 2,000 years.

1 Corinthians 2:9, Heaven, Two Masters And Cognitive
Dissonance, The “American way of life” an idol?
• Cognitive Dissonance
• Wednesday, March 5th, 2014Current Events
• Past Featured
• Rapture
• Commentary by Jack Kelley
• “Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all? (Ezekiel 14:3)
• The dictionary defines cognitive dissonance as an anxiety that results from simultaneously holding contradictory or otherwise incompatible attitudes or beliefs. To relieve this anxiety the human mind will strive to diminish the
relative importance of one of those beliefs in favor of the other.
• Jesus warned us that no man can serve two masters (Matt. 6:24) and James said when we pray we must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind and should not
think he will receive anything from the Lord (James 1:6-8).
• God was rhetorically asking Ezekiel if He should let people with idols in their hearts even pray to Him, Jesus was warning us about becoming distracted by wealth and James was referring to wavering faith, but the principle is the
same in all three instances. A close personal relationship with God requires wholehearted devotion to Him. These are the prayers God is sure to answer. There can be no cognitive dissonance found in us.
• We love the promise from Romans 8:28, “God is working everything together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” But how many of us know that the word translated “love” in that verse
is agape? It’s the highest form of love in the Greek language and it means to be totally given over to the object of one’s love regardless of the outcome.
• Jesus loved us that way. He gave up His life for us, remember? Romans 12:1says we should be willing to do the same for Him. Of course, I’m not talking about our physical life. I’m talking about giving up our version of our
future in favor of His. As long as we retain any willfulness or self-determination we’re not offering our whole beings as living sacrifices. That’s why Paul told us not to conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but to be
transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). We’re not to pattern our lives according to the things of this world, but according to His will for us.
• Well There’s Your Problem
• Let others lament over our deplorable behavior and our weak faith. I’m going to suggest that the area where Christians in the US today are the most vulnerable has to do with the cognitive dissonance we’ve developed between
our desire for the Lord’s return for us and our love of the life we enjoy here. The anxiety this creates in our sub-conscious has caused our longing for the next life to be diminished relative to our desire for the Lord to restore this
life to its former levels of enjoyment.
• To a degree, this is understandable. For the past 65 years or so the US has been the most preferred place to live anywhere on Earth. Even people who hate America have dreamed of living here. The benefits of American life
have been as generous as they have been numerous. Average Americans have typically enjoyed a standard of living that’s beyond the reach of even the privileged few in many countries.
• By contrast, the benefits of eternal life with the Lord are undefined and don’t seem real to many. For them, the phrase “pie in the sky by and by” defines the extent of their understanding. I see evidence of this in the letters I get
from well meaning people who are afraid we’ll be “confined” to the New Jerusalem, as some have put it, and won’t be able to visit the Earth we’ve grown to love. Others are concerned there won’t be enough room for all of us
there, and still others can’t imagine how their new life could be as nice as their current one. If they knew what the Bible says they would have no such concerns.
• Whose Fault Is That?
• This lack of knowledge is due primarily to the Church’s terrible failure to teach believers about the blessings of the life to come. After all, it is the fulfillment of our life’s purpose. Therefore I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise
that asking God to save our country is a more popular thing to do than preparing to be taken away to begin our eternal adventure with Him. For many of us, returning to the good old days here seems like a better deal than
longing for the bliss that lies ahead. But while the Lord never promised to save the USA, He did promise a reward to all who long for His appearing.
• Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing (2 Tim. 4:8)
• I often wonder how bad things will have to get before people stop dreaming about the past here and start yearning for our future there. I guess time will tell.
• To use Ezekiel’s words, The “American way of life” has become an idol we’ve set up in our hearts. We’ve become double minded because of it and if the Lord isn’t already doing so, He’ll soon be wondering if He should even let
us pray to Him about it. And remember, no matter how beautiful and desirable something appears to us, if it interferes with our whole-hearted desire to follow God’s will it’s an idol and a wicked stumbling block from His
perspective.
• Asking Him to extend our time here rather than hasten the day of our departure is a clear sign that we’re not loving Him as He has loved us. It means we haven’t given ourselves completely to Him. When push comes to shove
we don’t really want to put aside our plans for the future in favor of His. We’ve enjoyed our time here too much and don’t want to leave just yet.
• When Are We Going To Learn?
• Paul said everything that was written in the past was written to teach us (Romans 15:4). One lesson we should learn from our study of the Old Testament is that when Israel lined up behind God’s will He blessed them beyond all
measure. But when they positioned themselves in opposition, His response was to take away everything they desired more than Him until He was all they had left. It doesn’t take a whole lot of imagination to see that happening
in the US today. (Maybe the best way to make life easier for ourselves now is to abandon our version of the future and get behind His.)
• According to Bible Prophecy God’s plan for our times is to completely destroy all the nations to which His people have been scattered (Jeremiah 30:11) and give Israel the Kingdom He promised them. In the process He’ll restore
Heaven and Earth to provide them with a life that’s vastly superior to anything they’ve ever experienced. But before He can begin these things, He has promised to take the Church to a place filled with wealth and happiness
beyond measure where we can be protected from the wrath that’s coming against the unbelieving world (Isaiah 26:20-21, John 14:2-3).
• Saying that we want to be raptured before things get bad on one hand, but praying that He will heal our land so we can enjoy a few more years of the “good life” on the other is as clear a case of cognitive dissonance as I’ve ever
seen. It’s a wonder He doesn’t just shake His head in utter amazement and walk away forever.
• But He won’t. Ready or not He’ll come one day soon and whisk us all away to our mansions in the sky. He’ll do that, not because we’ve longed for it to happen, but because He promised He would. He is God after all. He can’t do
anything else. You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 06-23-12
• http://gracethrufaith.com/end-times-prophecy/cognitive-dissonance/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gracethrufaith+%28GraceThruFaith%29

1 Corinthians 2:12, Do not love the world, What
are Christians facing now that we lost the culture
war?
• http://christinprophecyblog.org/2016/06/what-christians-are-facing/
• “The Sunday after the Supreme Court’s horrendous decision affirming the legality of the abomination called same-sex
marriage, my pastor, Glenn Meredith,* proclaimed that we as Christians need to face up to the fact that we have lost the
culture war that has been raging in our nation for the last 60 years.
• The loss of that war is a reality that is hard to face up to, but it is the truth. We will, of course, continue to speak out
against the rampaging immorality in our society. We have to. Jesus Himself called us to be salt and light. But increasingly,
we are going to be pushed aside and written off as marginal and irrelevant. Worse still, we are going to have to face
increasing persecution for our biblical beliefs.
• Christian beliefs have been producing persecution in our public universities for some time now. All across our nation
university professors are being refused jobs or they are being passed over for tenure because of their Christian beliefs.
Christian students are likewise suffering systematic discrimination in grades because of their biblical beliefs.
• But this problem is not confined to the universities. Job discrimination based on Christian beliefs has become
commonplace. A classic example of what I am talking about is the case of Dr. Eric Walsh in Georgia. Dr. Walsh is a
renowned public health expert who also serves as a lay minister among Seventh Day Adventist Churches. He was hired
by the state of Georgia to serve as a district health director in May of 2014. Soon thereafter some state officials ordered
workers within the Department of Health to start investigating Dr. Walsh’s sermons! As a result of their review of what
he had preached regarding sexuality, world religions and creationism, he was fired. And this was done despite the fact
that the Department’s own counsel twice warned that “under federal law Dr. Walsh’s religious beliefs could play no role
in any employment decision by the Department of Health.”
• Think about this incredible story for a moment: public officials assigned to review the sermons of a colleague! What has
this nation come to? I can answer that question. Because of our persistent rebellion and our refusal to repent, God has
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