Truth Be Told: A Blog by Pastor Bill Alderson

  In Genesis 46, God called Jacob and his family, a total of seventy people, to migrate from Canaan to Egypt, where Israel would become a great nation. He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. “I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will close your eyes ” (Genesis 46:3-4). At the beginning of their time in Egypt, Joseph was still alive and second-in-command to Pharaoh, so the Egyptians accepted the Jews. After Joseph's death, the succeeding Pharaohs grew fearful as Israel's population grew dramatically, as the Lord was blessing them. This began a period of 115 years of Egyptian bondage until Moses would deliver his people from that Egyptian slavery. The Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. “So, I have come dow...

For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. For they could not bear the command, "IF EVEN A BEAST TOUCHES THE MOUNTAIN, IT WILL BE STONED" [Exodus 19:13]. And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, "I AM FULL OF FEAR and trembling." But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel .                         ...

  It has become clear to me that to be a devoted follower of Jesus, I must have a conviction about the finished work of Christ and the importance of a surrendered life to the Spirit of God. Two of the most important of these convictions are my understanding and acceptance of the doctrine of creation, and the confidence I have in who Jesus is and what He accomplished, in particular His death and resurrection. Without embracing a literal interpretation of Scripture (unless the context says otherwise), the believer opens his mind to modifying or denying the Word of God to suit his lifestyle. Fullness in one's relationship with God acknowledges His authority over the believer as one who has been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20). God Created One of the most controversial subjects of Scripture is the account of creation in Genesis 1 and 2. Even within Christianity, there are many different positions and strong feelings about the age of the earth and the universe, and how lite...