Truth Be Told: A Blog by Pastor Bill Alderson

  When you want to get to know someone, you cannot rely on the five senses to tell you who a person really is. The real person lies somewhere beneath. What a person says and what he does tells so much more about the real person underneath. The same principle can be applied to God. Since He is Spirit (John 4:24), we cannot see or hear Him with our senses, but we can get to know Him by what He says and what He does. What He says, the Word of God gives us real insight into how He thinks and what are His motives. In Revelation 15:3, “ And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations !’” What He does confirms everything we need to know about who He is.   Psalm 66:1-7 “ 1 Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; 2 Sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious. 3 Say to God, ‘How awesome are Your works! Because of the ...

  The word “law” is used in many different ways in the Scriptures so it is important to understand its meaning in the context it is used. In fact, identifying the context of a particular word, verse, or passage in the Bible is a primary principle that should govern one’s interpretation of the Word of God. When Psalm 119:1 says that the blessings of God are for those who walk in the law of the Lord, was He talking about the ten commandments and other dos and don’ts given to Moses? Or is He speaking of something more basic than living under a bunch of rules and regulations. Psalm 119:1-3 1 How blessed are those whose way [derek – the pathways of life] is blameless [tamiym – linked to truth, virtue, uprightness] , who walk in the law [torah – instruction, direction, doctrine] of the Lord. 2 How blessed are those who observe His testimonies , who seek Him with all their heart. 3 They also do no unrighteousness; they walk in His ways .   There is no consensus as to the au...

“16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him .”                            John 3:16-17 A story to illustrate His love After a few of the usual Sunday evening hymns, the church’s pastor slowly stood up, walked over to the pulpit and, before he gave his sermon for the evening, briefly introduced a guest minister who was in the service that evening. In the introduction, the pastor told the congregation that the guest minister was one of his dearest childhood friends and that he wanted him to have a few moments to greet the church and share whatever he felt would be appropriate for the service. With that, an elderly stepped up to the pulpit and began to speak....

  “1 O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; nor do I involve myself in great matters , or in things too difficult for me. 2 Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me . 3 O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever .” Psalm 131   Psalm 131 is a psalm of David and became one of the fifteen Songs of Degrees and sung by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish feasts. We are not sure what event caused its writing, but we know that it speaks to the believers’ hope in the Lord. David starts by speaking of the condition of his heart, that it is not proud nor eyes haughty so as to look down on others. Approaching God requires a proper attitude not only toward Him, but toward others as well. Paul references this attitude in Philippians 2:3-8.   Philippians 2:3-8 “3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regar...

There are many names for God used in the Bible having unique meanings. One of those names is first used by Abraham in Genesis 24, the God of heaven. An examination of its usages in Scripture provides insight into another aspect of Yahweh, the Great I Am. Genesis 24:1-4 1 Now Abraham was old, advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in every way. 2 Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, “Please place your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will make you swear by the Lord [Yahweh – I am] , the God [Elohim – One true God] of heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, 4 but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac .”   Abraham wanted his son, Isaac to take a wife from his homeland, far away from the promised land that he now inhabited, so he sent his servant to find her among his relatives. He promi...

  NATURAL MAN              CARNAL         SPIRITUAL     REWARDED             CHRISTIAN        CHRISTIAN     CHRISTIAN                       Struggle             Maturity            Rest              Exodus Generation    Second Generation             ...

Since the believer’s citizenship is heaven (Philippians 3:20), his highest priority is to learn how to live in a foreign land in the midst of unheavenly standards. That verse tells us that it is heaven “ from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ ”. It’s about not getting too comfortable with the surroundings of our temporary home. Paul gives us further perspective on our eternal home in 2 Corinthians 5:1-8 and how we live outside of eternity: 2 Corinthians 5:1-8 “1 For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from         God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For indeed in this house we groan,    longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, 3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. 4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will ...