The Catholic Church says Jesus is our Savior—got that right—that’s Biblical.
“Jesus said, ‘I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life—no one comes to God the Father except through Me.'”

The Catholic Church adds stuff to Christianity, stuff to do to be right with God—got that wrong—that’s not Biblical.
“By grace you are saved, through faith. It is the gift of God, not of works, so no one can boast.”

Keep it simple—the Bible keeps it simple—come to God as a little child would come to God.
Keep it simple—the Catholic Church makes it complicated—and they are not the only church that makes it complicated.

– – –

Is there a test, a rule of thumb, something to check if a church is keeping things simple, Biblical ?
Yes.

Does the church teaching and preaching quote and emphasize what the Bible says more than what the church says ?
Can the listener tell when the leader is saying words from the Bible or saying words from people ?
Does the church’s theology start with Bible passages or with the church’s doctrinal statements ?

– – –

Can a church offer half Christianity—what the Bible says, plus what man says ?
Trusting any theologian, however educated or revered, is more dangerous than trusting someone from the government, however impressive or persuasive.
Trust the Bible, first, last, always—know what’s in it yourself—read it, study it, live it—then you will discern what teaching is directly from the Bible.

“If anyone desires to do God’s will, he will know the doctrine, whether my teaching is from God, or whether I speak on My own.”—–Jesus said that, and every preacher should also.

If I put that title in quotation marks, who should I credit with the statement, the question ?
Think I’ll save that for a bit, for anyone who doesn’t already have the answer (the author).

I looked up at the stars a few minutes ago, as I do on every clear night.
Did God really say, “Let there be light” ?
One of the most fascinating phrases in the Bible, when God made the lights, is included almost as an afterthought, a minor detail—ABSOLUTELY NOTHING MINOR ABOUT IT—“Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.”
“He also made the stars.”
“HE ALSO MADE THE STARS.”
“HE ALSO MADE THE STARS.”

We (mankind) always knew there were a lot of stars, a whole lot of stars !
But only now, after 6,000 years of seeing them by every person who ever lived—only now have we learned just how many stars there are.
Correction—we only know how many we don’t know are out there, besides the ones we know.
It keeps getting harder to count them.
It keeps getting harder to comprehend God.
It keeps getting more ridiculous to think there is no God behind everything.

Isn’t it interesting how all the scientific discoveries of the millennia, and everything we’ve uncovered in the tiniest particles of the universe, and the most massive stuff out there, and in the earth—how it all, ALL, fits perfectly in what the Bible tells us from the beginning.

I see bridges in massive highway interchanges, and I thank God for placing that potential in man and the materials to do it with—all of that built-in during the one week of creation.

I DO BELIEVE GOD IS GREAT ! ! !

Did God really say, “Let there be light” ?

Did God really say, “Let there be . . . everything else in all the world, in all the universe ?

Did God really say, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” ?

Did God really say, “Let Us make man in Our image.” ?

Did God really say, “In the image of God He created man—male and female He created them.” ?

Did God really say, “In the beginning was the Word—and the Word was with God—and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us.” ?
That would be Jesus—check it out in the first chapter of John in your Bible.

Did God really say ?
You better believe it !

What are you going to do about it ?
READ YOUR BIBLE—IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE—GUARANTEED !
– – –
And now, if anyone has any doubts about what God really said—
Who raised the question, “Did God really say ?” ?
The devil said it, and tricked people into sin ever since the Garden of Eden.

First–
Find all Bible verses that might speak to the subject.

Second–
Read, re-read, study, re-study these verses.

Third–
Refrain from saying anything about the doctrine you’re thinking about defining/nailing down.

Fourth–
Let the Bible verses speak for themselves, by themselves, without commentary.

Fifth–
When you think you ‘have to’ formulate a doctrine statement, just use Bible verses.

Where do we get the idea that we can say (must say) ‘it’, that is ‘anything’, better than the Bible says it ?

– – –

What about Bible verses that seem to say different things than other verses on a subject ?

Do we think we can solve that by adding man’s words, to explain what God didn’t make clear to our satisfaction in the Bible ?

“Oh, let me explain it, and I can make it clear” ? ? ?

“Oh, let Me explain it, and I can make it clear” ? ? ?

“Oh, let ME explain it, and I can make it clear” ? ? ?

There’s more where that comes from.
Example—30,000,000 “explanations for the trinity” (right there on the internet first time I looked)—just because Bible verses alone weren’t enough to tell us about God—Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

We get in trouble “comparing ourselves with those who commend themselves . . . measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, they are not wise.”*

We have a theological pattern of creating doctrines, for 2000+ years — — — shake it off ?—but nobody does that—why not ?—we’re stuck—everybody refers to some revered person or statement in the past — — — almost impossible to start fresh with just the Bible, without somebody ‘enlightened’ telling us . . . how it is . . . what it really says . . . what it really means.

Why do we refer to what people say about God, a long time ago, and today, to form our doctrine ?

XX– Is it because the Words in the Word of God are not enough for us ?
OR
XX– Is it because it is too much work for us to spend time in the Bible, for ourselves, to see what God says about Himself ?

Who do we want to impress with our knowledge of theology ?
How do we expect to impress them ?
— By quoting important people to show our knowledge of church history ?
OR
— By quoting God to show everything we must know about Him and History !

“Study to show yourself approved unto God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately explaining the Word of Truth.”

* “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
But ‘he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.’ For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.”

TRUMP CAMPAIGN
+ Promises
+ Personalities
+ Rhetoric

TRUMP PRESIDENT
+ Strictly Policies
+ Action
+ Rhetoric Left Behind

– – –

To all Trump supporters/commentators:
Please, follow Trump’s example—since inauguration, consistent pattern of sticking to business, strictly keeping his promises with action to follow through.
He has no time—He’s wasting no time—on election style trivia—laser focused on what needs to be addressed, now.
Same for us ! ! !
Discontinue the disclaimers of mentioning Trump’s imperfections, and get on board with supporting and praying and thanking God for what He is doing through this President.
Before November 5 the consistent compulsion to always mention something about Trump that wasn’t quite to our liking—that pattern of talking could have cost us the election, with voters hearing that hesitation and losing conviction to vote for Trump—LEAVE THAT BEHIND !
The same is true for us now—the momentum must be maintained and reinforced with the same commitment from before the election.

+ + + AND, communicate to all republicans in Congress—Please leave all previous patterns of reservations about Trump, and get behind the MAGA agenda NOW, before this window to restore America closes again.

“Turn around—Don’t drown”
—–Noah