|
This REVISED study of Genesis was started to be
sent to a minister in Africa. Somehow it ended up going out to about 50
people, so I decided to post it on my website.
James is the name of a wonderful minister and this
is how it all started. So enjoy.
Linda
The Study of Genesis
part 1
As we begin this study of Genesis, I would like to
expain something. We MUST realize things about the bible. This
may be new to some of you, but if you study it out, you will see that
each statement that I write about it, is true. We are a people who have
come to worship the bible, a book, MORE THAN WE DO THE ONE WHO
INSPIRED IT. We see people all the time, and sometimes even
ourselves, that when we see someone do something that we consider to be
wrong, we IMMEDIATELY quote a scripture, comdemning those ones
that we think are doing wrong. THIS IS NOT WHAT THE BIBLE WAS
MEANT FOR. The bible came into being, to spread the good news,
not, condemnation.
The bible has not always been. In the day of Jesus,
men wrote their experiences, their beliefs (whether correct of
incorrect), on scrolls. There was not a book, like we have today. These
scrolls were passed from meeting to meeting, whether the meetings were
in someone's home, or in the synoguages, or outside in the open. Many
agreed with what the men of that day wrote (and this was not just the
disciples), many did not agree with what was written. We see the same
thing today. The bible tells us:
Ecclesiastes 1:1-10, "The
words of the preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of
vanities, saith the preacher, vanity of vanities, ALL IS VANITY. What
profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? One
generation passes away, and another generation comes forth; but the
earth abideth forever. The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, and
hasteth to his place where he arose. The wind goes toward the south, and
turnes about unto the north; it whirles about continually, and the wind
returns again according to his circuits. All the rivers run into the
sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from where the rivers come,
and so they return again. All things are full of labour; man cannot
utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with
hearing. The thing that has been, it is that which shall be; and that
which is done is that which shall be done: and THERE IS NOTHING NEW
UNDER THE SUN. Is there anything that may be said, "See, this is
new?" It has already been of old time, which was before us. "
EVERYTHING that IS, has already been.
EVERYTHING that will be, has happened somewhere , and to someone, in
the past. This is so, because people have refused to HEAR as He hears,
and refuse to SEE as He sees. I would also like you to keep in mind:
that only one or two of the deciples could read and write. The New
Testament was NOT written until 50-100 years AFTER the disciples died.
One of the questions that some of you ask me,
regarding the study of the devil being destroyed, when I said that we
MUST COME INTO PRESENT TRUTH, the question was, "there was
only ONE scripture saying that". Well the fact is, you will NOT find
everything in THE BIBLE. The bible tells us, itself,
"And such trust have we THROUGH CHRIST
to God-ward; not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing
as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; who also has made us
able ministers of the new testament; NOT OF THE LETTER, BUT OF THE
SPIRIT FOR THE LETTER KILLETH, BUT THE SPIRIT GIVES LIFE".
When this verse speaks of "new testament", it was
NOT speaking of the New Testament of the bible, it was talking about the
NEW COVENANT that God made with us. (Hebrews 8;6-13). When Jesus and the
disciples spoke, in that day, THERE WAS NOT A BIBLE OR A NEW TESTAMENT
BIBLE. Even Jesus said, "You search the
scriptures, FOR IN THEM YOU THINK that you have eternal life, and
they JUST TESTIFY OF ME. AND YOU WILL NOT COME TO ME, THAT YOU
MAY HAVE LIFE." (John 5:39-40) IF the bible could save us,
there would be millions of people who read the bible ALL THEIR LIFE,
still around us, instead they died. Do you know anyone who has lived for
300, 400, 500 yrs old, today? No, and the bible did not keep them from
death. THE BIBLE IS TO TAKE US FROM BABES TO LEARNING TO GO INTO THE
SPIRIT TO FIND LIFE. Please don't misunderstand me, there is nothing
wrong with reading the bible, BUT, you cannot and will not get the deep
meaning of what it says, UNLESS YOU GO TO HIM AND ALLOW HIM TO TEACH YOU
WHAT EACH WORD IS REALLY SAYING. And that place is WITHIN EACH OF US!!
A verse that tells us the same thing is:
John 6:32, "Then Jesus
said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses GAVE YOU NOT
THAT BREAD FROM HEAVEN, BUT MY FATHER GIVETHS YOU THE TRUE BREAD
FROM HEAVEN. When this verse speaks of "MOSES' food", it is
speaking about the written Old Testament. The testament that even the
bible tells us IS DEAD LETTER!! But, then Jesus tells us that God gives
us "bread from heaven". This does not mean that bread just falls out of
the sky, NO. It means that we must get alone in prayer and LISTEN to the
thoughts THAT GOD PUTS IN OUR MINDS REGARDING A SCRIPTURE. And if you
notice, much of the bible DOES contradict itself. In John 1:16, we are
told that "ALL have receivED His
fullness". And then we are told that God is GOING to give us
something. Folks, we already have ALL that God has and ALL that God is.
It is just convincing ourselves to accept this truth. God NEVER changes,
does He? Look at Genesis chapter one, it says that after God had created
all that He created, which includes US, that His creations were VERY
GOOD. Now we came out of Him; made of His very substance, so WE can
never change from what He created us as. The only thing that has changed
is OUR THINKING.
Another place which shows us CLEARLY that just
reading the bible with our natural (carnal mind) will not give us truth
is:
1 Corinthians 2:12-16,
"Now we have received NOT the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which
is of God; THAT WE MIGHT KNOW THE THINGS THAT ARE FREELY GIVEN TO US
OF GOD. which things we SPEAK, NOT IN THE WORDS WHICH MAN'S
WISDOM TEACHETH, BUT WHICH THE HOLY GHOST TEACHETH; COMPARING SPIRITUAL
THINGS WITH SPIRITUAL THINGS."
When this verse speaks of "not in the words that
man's wisdom teaches", it is speaking of what we read with the natural,
carnal mind. Yes, we can read the bible, but we cannot get the real
truth of God, not with the carnal mind. When we read the bible , we must
then spend time alone, with God and allow His Holy Spirit to tell us
what truth really lies under the written word, that is read with the
carnal mind.
"BUT THE NATURAL
(CARNAL) MAN RECEIVES NOT THE THINGS OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD; FOR THEY ARE
FOOLISHNESS UNTO HIM; (THE MAN WHO LEARNS WITH THE CARNAL MIND), NEITHER
CAN HE KNOW THEM, BECAUSE THEY ARE SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED."
This tells us CLEARLY that when we read the bible,
IF we do not get alone and allow the Spirit to show us the true meaning,
then we are wasting our time, because WE CANNOT KNOW THE TRUE MEANING,
because we MUST GO TO THE SPIRIT FOR TRUTH AND FOR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT
WE READ. This may shock you, but, the bible is NOT HOLY!! It is a book.
The ONE WHO INSPIRED THE BIBLE IS THE ONE THAT IS HOLY. And the BIBLE
CANNOT GIVE YOU LIFE, it is the SPIRIT OF GOD that gives you life.
"But he that is Spiritual
judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man." To be
spiritual does not mean to go around ACTING holy, or spouting bible
verses, no. To be spiritual means to BE ALL THAT GOD SAYS WE ARE. It is
not an act. It is a way of living.
"For who hath known the
mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? BUT, WE HAVE THE M IND OF
CHRIST!!"
Before getting into Genesis, I would like to ask
you, the church, to do something. I would like for ALL of you to take an
entire church meeting, or a time of study and ask AND ANSWER these
questions. The reason I say, an entire meeting is because I want you
to be honest, not only with yourself, but with each other. And
PLEASE , ALL NEED TO PARTICIPATE AND TALK!!! The church is NOT
just the pastor or the teacher, the church is ALL who are meeting
together. We LEARN FROM EACH OTHER. When you know something, and do not
share it, you are depriving someone else of knowledge, it does not
matter if it is a small thing or a large thing. YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT
SOMEONE ELSE NEEDS to hear. This is about BELIEVING. You are in a
process of learning, so do not be ashamed to say, "I don't know this, or
I don't believe that". It doesn't matter. You are going to learn
something that you didn't know before. GOD ALREADY KNOWS YOUR ANSWER, so
answer truthfully, because I am going to show you about the things that
you don't know or don't believe. OK? Maybe you should read the questions
at one meeting and think about your answer, and the next meeting,
discuss with each other, the questions. Here are the questions:
1) Do you believe that you ARE-HAVE the FULLNESS OF
GOD?
2) Do you believe that you HAVE to die?
3) Do you believe that you are perfect?
4) Do you believe that you have to have sickness
and diseases?
5) Do you believe that you have overcome "the evil
one"?
6) Do you believe that you know all things?
7) Do you believe that there are some, who will not
be saved"
8) Do you believe that those who have seen death,
cannot come into perfection without you?
9) Do you believe that the words you speak, will
cause death and life?
10) Do you believe that you really are the image of
God?
11) Do you believe that by accepting Jesus as your
Saviour, you have salvation?
12) DO YOU B ELIEVE WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS?
Love to each of you, Linda
(these studies began by being sent to a church
group in Africia, and eventually grew to some of you receiving them).
|