An ongoing argument about the inter-relationship of the Father and the Son focuses on whether Jesus submitted to His Father only while He lived in Palestine, or if this subordination is an eternal characteristic. In the book, Pagan Christianity, by Barna and Viola (for example) they make an inadequate case against using the subordination of Jesus to His Father as the basis for understanding authority in this world. In order to do so, they insist that Jesus was only temporarily...

Many of you have asked for details considering what Shell & I have been going through in this time of medical crisis. So for those who want the full scoop, here it is. (We're doing a separate newsletter since there will be many people who wouldn't want the details -- fascinating as they are...!)
June 10, I began running a fever. that weekend (while Shell vacationed in Nebraska!) I began running a temp over 104 and 105 degrees (attended by hallucinations,...

Hello, KingdomScribes!
Usually when we have a word longer than a few paragraphs, we just tell you about it and post it onto our blog. But the word we're sharing this time is crucial to the building up of the Body of Christ. It shows how vital it is for every member of the Body of Christ to become a "scribe, discipled by the Kingdom of Heaven", responsible for reading and understanding the Bible for themselves. So here's  A New Hermeneutic,...

Hi! Happy New Year!
Let's try it again... The changes InJesus have made are difficult to control. I hope THIS one shows up properly. Bless you all!
Em&M
On 12/1/05 7:23 AM, a KingdomScribes wrote:
Hi Emil,
...Since we are a part of the "latter rain" movement" we believe in the manifestation of the "sons of God" and the end time "take over" of the world so to speak; I want to address the issue of the "take over" right now....

The same person wrote back to us for clarification. Hence -- Part II.
This issue is very important. There certainly are people who use Heb 6 to impart fear in Believers that they may not be saved and maybe can never be saved since (after all) doesn't it say there's no more repentance available?
Well, Heb 6 says NOTHING about there being "no more repentance" for Believers today who sin. It has absolutely nothing to do with that. So, when this person...

Someone wrote and said they were deeply disturbed by this passage -- but they realized it confused them and maybe they were misinterpreting it. In fact it's not that hard to make some sense of Heb 6. Not if you read it carefully. So, "gird yourself up" and we'll see what this passage really means! Since my response is longer than is reasonable, I'll give the punch line here. Then, if you want to understand how I got here, read...

Temp save Horus
Hi, everyone!
We got a great question from one of our friends, prompting a study with real significance for KingdomScribes. It deals with a common accusation leveled against the Bible by atheists or agnostics. You won't come across it in church, but if you have serious conversations with "pre-Christians" who've received a liberal arts education in our colleges, you'll find yourself having to respond to this issue.
Besides this -- several excellent points are raised for us as well, anyway....

Red herrings? Folk lore has it that when someone wanted to throw hounds off a trail, they'd drag a dead fish (red herring) across the trail and leave the dogs confused. The whole wasted effort of contemporary eschatology is a red herring. The trail we SHOULD be following is the predestined purpose of God (Rom 8. 28-29) -- which is to be conformed to the image of His Son in this life.
I can't write on this topic without feeling...

You know, when people are asking questions that really mean something to them personally, some interesting things can develop.
Like the person who asked whether we'll know loved ones in Heaven -- or whether we'll remember anything about our life here on earth.
Part of what "KingdomScribes" need to learn is that they can depend on the Holy Spirit to lead them in searching out Truth in the Word. For example: Taking the two issues in reverse, the first one arose in...

The question came our way of whether women are allowed by God to minister verbally (teach, prophesy, etc.) in the congregation, or if they had to "keep silent" in the assembly. Of course, the Scripture in question is Paul's word to Timothy who ministered in Ephesus at the time (1 Tim 2.11ff)
This investigation into 1 Tim 2 is worthwhile on at least two levels: (1) it shows some of the Bible study skills we teach, in action; and (2) the...

We're posting our response to a recent question from one of our "KingdomScribes". It's valuable to "KingdomScribes" because it illustrates a fundamental issue in interpreting prophecies -- both in our natural minds, and in our spirits.
Here's the question:
Why did John deny he was Elijah? Jesus clearly states in the New Testament that John is Elijah. Why does John deny that he is Elijah at the beginning of the Gospel of John? Was he unaware of who he was at...

Dear [name witheld],
In your last post, you asked about "blasphemy" and the Unpardonable Sin. It's NOT TRUE that "blasphemy" is an "unpardonable sin". In fact, Jesus says you can "blaspheme" against Him or you can "blaspheme" against the Father and still receive forgiveness. But if you "blaspheme" against the Holy Spirit, you cannot be forgiven.
But what exactly does it mean to "blaspheme" against the Holy Spirit?
When you read carefully the "unpardonable" passage in Mt. 12.31, there's simply NO WAY to...

Recently, the question about who is a "true Christian" or who is only saying "Lord, Lord" surfaced on the ChristianFourums. Our response is valuable for two reasons: (1) It's an incredibly important issue -- especially in light of how the church is so frequently harassed by religious spirits which confuse "works" with "relationship"; and (2) As always in these posts, the reader can see a variety of worthwhile Bible study skills "in action", so to speak.
We'll start with this young...