Truth Be Told: A Blog by Pastor Bill Alderson

Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery [ musterion ] which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested [ phaneroo – made visible].                                 Romans 16:25-26   Upon Paul’s conversion, the Lord began to reveal many things to him that were utterly unknown to the religious community as a whole at the time of Christ’s appearance in the world. Since Saul of Tarsus was a renowned student of the Law of Moses, having studied under Gamaliel, he had a deep understanding of the old covenant relationship to God. However, the Messiah’s first coming, His rejection by the Jewish leaders, and the suffering He would endure leading to His death on a cross were not commonly expected. Yet the Old T...

The Apostle Paul used the terminology “in Him,” or “in Christ” more than 160 times to describe the new covenant relationship with God. It defines the perfect position Christ has accomplished on behalf of each believer and the foundation of an intimate connection between man and his Lord and Savior. More than just a description of a relationship, in Christ alludes to an organic, even an emotional connection between the believer and God. In John 14:11, Jesus said, Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. This organic connection is patterned and empowered by the intimacy between the Father and the Son. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing [ gnosis – knowledge by experience rather than intuition] Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him , not having a right...

As the deer pants for [ arag – strongly, audibly longs for] the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God? My tears [singular - weeping] have been my food day and night, while they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go along with the throng [ sak – multitude] and lead them in procession to the house of God, with the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival. Why are you in despair [ hamah – distress], O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope [ yahal – wait, hope] in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help [ yeshua – deliverance, salvation] of His presence. O my God, my soul is in despair [ sachah – brought low] within me; therefore, I remember You from the land of the Jordan and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. Deep [ tehom – depth, a wave or surge] cal...

  “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.              Psalm 46:10-11 Many great Christian believers do not find the fullness of a relationship with Christ as one who abides in Christ early in their walk with God, but it usually comes after years of trying to be the man or woman God wants him or her to be without being fully enveloped in the life of Christ – the exchanged life. Most often, the revelation comes after a period of the believer falling short of his expectation of how he should be living. One such example is Hudson Taylor. One of the greatest missionaries of the modern Christian age is (James) Hudson Taylor, who spent 51 years in China and was responsible for bringing over 800 missionaries to the country and began 125 schools, which directly resulted in 18,000 Christia...

Orthodoxy can be defined as adherence to a purported "correct" or otherwise mainstream or generally accepted creed. Within Christianity, orthodoxy refers to the acceptance of doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in antiquity. However, different Churches accept different creeds and councils. The point is that there is no singular mainstream or generally accepted belief. Instead, Christianity is a conglomeration of factions that have a hard time agreeing on many things, even the requirements of being a Christian. A significant portion of Christian doctrine is subject to private interpretation. Since Jesus and the New Testament writers are basically silent on any hierarchy of New Testament doctrine, this work is left to the Holy Spirit. As a result, each believer needs to develop a capacity to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. My journey to experience God’s presence and hear His voice has included a series of major life challenges that seemed to accompa...