Truth Be Told: A Blog by Pastor Bill Alderson

At the Last Supper, Jesus consoled His disciples that He would be leaving them, but would not leave them as orphans (John 14:18). He told them that the world would not see Him, but they would. He was trying to get them to see that a new relationship was in order, that they would be sons, adopted sons.   Paul reveals this principle of adoption in a number of his letters. In Romans 8:15-17, “ For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him .” Although the believer is not a son by blood, adoption means he has the same rights as if a full-blooded son, including being an heir. The Aramaic word, “Abba” could be better translated “Daddy” since it means that our...

Question: how does fallen man walk before a holy God in a corrupt world? This maybe God’s greatest miracle. Yet, it was what God intended for man all along. The failure of Adam and Eve was repeated from generation to generation in different ways until Enoch came along. The Bible tells us that, “ Enoch walked with God; and he was not for God took him ” (Genesis 5:24). God honored Enoch’s walk by taking him home early. The next time we see this quality of relationship with God is with Abram in Genesis 17.   In this chapter, God wishes to establish a covenant relationship with Abram when He says, “ Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be blameless [tamiym – linked to truth, virtue, uprightness]. ‘I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly ’” (verse 1-2). This covenant was between God and Abram and was based on Abram believing God’s promises. At the same ...

The life of Joseph, Jacob’s eleventh son, gives us insight into the journey a believer takes to find the victorious life in Christ. It is best demonstrated by Joseph’s three coats or garments. These three coats represent three different critical times in the life of a believer in his pursuit of getting to know God and experience His blessings. New Testament believers can benefit greatly from a close look at Joseph’s life.   The first coat to consider is found in Genesis 37 and Jacob’s gift to his son of a coat of many colors. In verses 3-4, it says, “ Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic [coat] . His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms ”. The Hebrew word passim means richly ornamented and made with many colors, a highly esteemed garment. The fact that Jacob gave it only to Joseph created all kind...

Proverbs 3:1-8 “ 1 My son, do not forget my teaching [ torah – direction, instruction ], but let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness [lovingkindness] and truth [faithfulness] leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man . 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight . 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones ”. If you were to ask ten believers what it takes to live the spiritual life, you would most likely get ten different answers. To find the answer to this question, a close look at the Scriptures gives insight into those dynamics. One passage that provides some perspective is found...

There is so much in this crazy world in which we live that competes for our attention. Life is confusing. Thinking clearly in the midst of all the obstructions and noise has become more difficult than ever. To know what I believe and why I believe is a mountain the believer must climb to find peace of mind. In James 1:5-8, the one who lacks wisdom is encouraged to ask of God, in faith and without doubting, and God would answer. Otherwise, he will be “ like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind ”. This man cannot expect to receive anything from God since he is “ a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways ”. The Greek word for double-minded is dipsuchos and it literally means two souls or minds and is the foundation for his doubt. To understand double-mindedness is to acknowledge the spiritual warfare each believer faces. In Galatians 5:17, “ For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, ...

Along the road to spiritual maturity, there are a number of landmarks a believer must pass through so “ that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God ” (Ephesians 3:20). One of those is the ability to hear the voice of God in the details of life. Another is the recognition of the sovereignty of God, that God is in charge even when things don’t go well and it is ok; trust in God means to trust all of the time. Mature believers must also develop the ability to discern good and evil. In the midst of a world influenced by Satan and his demons, it is critical that believers recognize the intense warfare by the enemy to deceive. The Greek word translated to discern is diakrisis and it means to distinguish, or to judge; it does not mean to determine for oneself that which is good or evil. Adam and Eve were challenged in this way in the Garden of Eden that “ from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat , for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die ” (...

  When I look around at where we are as a society and compare it to where we were 30 years ago, it scares me. So much of our Judeo-Christian norms and standards have been dramatically changed; this is a different place. Our Christian values are under severe attack as committed believers are being viewed as enemies rather than model citizens. Attitudes about traditional marriage, homosexuality, and even gender have served to turn our world upside down and away from the traditions and Biblical standards that have defined our country since before its founding. Add to that the radical movements to control free speech, protect criminal illegals, and accept abortion even up to birth and our world becomes unrecognizable. I look around and realize that I no longer live in Jerusalem, but instead Babylon. Babylon’s challenges   The book of Daniel opens up for us the approach that, as boys, he and three of his friends took in learning how to live in a world far different from the pla...