"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1)

"Thy Testimonies

also are my delight and my counselors"

(Psalm 119: 24)

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     During his second missionary journey the apostle Paul discovered a group of people in the city of Berea who delighted in the Holy Scriptures.  Of them we are told:

     "And these [Bereans] were more noble [well-born or noble minded] than those in Thessalonica, receiving the word with all readiness of mind, daily searching the scriptures if these things were so.

     "Therefore many of them believed, including many distinguished Greek women and men." (Acts 17:10-12)

     This website is for all who delight in God's testimonies, and who have a "more noble" "Berean" attitude.  Having a "Berean" attitude means that you desire to walk in love in the light of His holy word, and to worship the Author and Finisher of faith. (Heb. 12:2)

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Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth 

     In one of his prison epistles Paul the apostle encouraged his son in the faith Timothy:

     "Study (strive diligently) to show thyself approved unto God, a workman who needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (cutting in a straight line) the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15)

     Sincere Christians intend to "rightly divide" God's word, knowing that only by doing so will its true meaning emerge.  But as we prayerfully study the Scriptures we soon realize we cannot cut "in a straight line the word of truth" unless we pay close attention to dispensational truth.

     What is a dispensation?  The Greek word oikonomia occurs 8 times, and in the King James Version is translated "stewardship" 4 times, "dispensation" 4 times, and once it is translated "edifying."  This word oikonomia describes the economy, or administrative activity, of the owner of a household, (or of the steward of that household).  It also describes that which he administers and dispenses.  It refers to the duties the steward carries out in his master's household.  So how does that relate to the study of the Word of God?

     God has dispensed various features of truth to mankind at different periods in history.  For example, when Israel's Messiah was on earth He instructed His disciples:

     "Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Mat. 10:5)

     God's long-term plan for Israel is that they shall be the vehicle for the salvation of all the Gentile nations. But first they must themselves be converted.  Once they believe in Christ their Messiah the following marching orders would apply to them:

      "Go and make disciples of all the nations" (Mat. 28:19)

     However, Israel failed to believe, so this command to preach to both Jew and Gentile could not be implemented until Acts 10 when God specifically commanded Peter to open the door of the early kingdom church to Gentiles [non-Jews]. Until Acts 10 the door of the kingdom was open only to members of the Jewish race. The Lord's command in Matthew 28:20 "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" was still in force, and that meant there were no Gentiles in Christ's church at Pentecost.  The 'body of Christ' composed of spiritually equal Jews and Gentiles simply did not exist at that time.

     At Acts 10, (several years after Pentecost), Gentiles were finally invited to share Israel's prophesied kingdom blessings, and to act as an irritant to provoke Israel to Jealousy. Nevertheless, during this period from Acts 10 to the end of Acts the Jew continued to be first and foremost in God's plan.

     Finally, at the close of the book of Acts, a very devastating climax occurred which placed Israel's National privileges on hold and put the acceptability of Gentiles and Jews on an entirely new footing.  This new change finally abolished any distinction between Jews and Gentiles, bringing both into full equality totally apart from any covenants having to do with National Israel's prophesied blessings.  It also temporarily set aside Israel's sphere of blessing on earth and for the first time unfolded to believing Gentiles and Jews a newly revealed sphere of  blessings known as "in the heavenlies in Christ" (Eph. 1:3).

     Why the changes in instructions?  Simply stated; like Jonah of old, Israel was not ready to be God's missionary nation to preach good news to the pagan nations (gentiles) of the world. (Israel will become ready to obey God in a future day).  But for now, God, sovereignly, chose to shut up Israel, and to dispense certain specific features of truth that had been kept secret in times past.  This is dispensational truth.  If the disciples had attempted to "make disciples of ALL the nations" at the particular time when the Lord was telling them, "Go not into the way of the Gentiles," they would not have been "rightly dividing" the word of truth.  The result would have been the confusion that exists today in many sectarian belief systems.

     On this web site we present studies on many topics, including dispensational truth, and particularly the importance of Acts 28:28 in understanding what God is dispensing to us today.  Other topics will discuss God's way of gathering together as a local church to worship Him, His sovereignty in election and predestination, and especially the importance of everyone making sure he or she has a right relationship with the eternal God.

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We have "Nothing to sell,"

eternal life is a free gift (Romans 6:23).

We have "Nothing to join," because

Christ's church already embodies all who have placed their full God-given faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior, regardless of any local church affiliation.