Dispensations are divine categories of human history; therefore, both the divine outline and the divine interpretation of human history.
Dispensations are the vehicle by which believers living at a specific time in history can orient to God's will, plan, and purpose for their lives.
Dispensation = a period of time during which a particular revelation of God's mind and God's will is operative, and during which man is tested as to his obedience to that specific manifestation of God's will, purpose, and plan.
Dispensationalism answers - "After salvation, what?"
Why does God go so far as to magnify His Word above His person (PSA 138:2)?
Only the Scriptures allow us to glimpse God's absolute character and to love the revealed member of the Godhead, who is Jesus Christ (JOH 1:18).
Bible doctrine is called the “mind of Christ” (1CO 2:16). It is absolute truth, the very thinking of Jesus Christ (PHI 2:5).
1PE 1:8 “Though [we] have not seen Him, [we] love Him” when we learn who and what He is and begin to share His frame of reference.
Transformation of the believer’s life occurs on the inside, in the inner person, in the soul (ROM 12:2).
His persistent intake and application of Bible doctrine enlarge his capacities for life, for love, for service, for blessings, for happiness (2Co 9:7-8).
God’s “greater grace” fills up the mature believer’s greater capacities “to all the fulness of God” (JAM 4:6; EPH 3:19; cf.ROM 8:32).
Blessing the believer, God is glorified (EPH 1:3).
"to bring to light" is the aorist active infinitive of the verb photizo = to illuminate or to bring to light, to make clear; to clarify.
The greatest responsibility of all pastors in the Church-age is to communicate the dispensation of the mystery.
How important is the doctrine of dispensational truth? It emphasizes what God wants you to do after salvation.
The infinite is an infinitive of purpose to indicate the aim or the objective of the pastor i.e., to communicate the dispensation of the mystery.
There is only one dispensation in all of history that emphasizes every believer being on equal basis and that is the Church-age.
In the dispensation of the hypostatic union one individual is emphasized = TLJC. In the dispensation of the Church-age every believer is emphasized - Christological dispensations.
In the dispensation of the hypostatic union one person is emphasized, our LJC, the God-man, undiminished deity and true humanity in one person forever.
In the dispensation of the Church-age we are all given equal privilege and equal opportunity and this is the dispensation of glorifying Christ.
COL 1:27 "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
We are equated with Christ in the sense that the power and the assets which were given to the humanity of Christ are now given to each one of us.
This, (the Church-age), is a special dispensation because never before in O.T. dispensations was there such a tremendous emphasis on the individual.
In every other dispensation such as the O.T., one individual one spiritual leader was emphasized at a time.
For the first time in human history the emphasis is upon the man in the pew, the housewife, the mother, the individual believer.
In Genesis 12:2-3, God made a promise to Abraham that continued far beyond this patriarch’s lifetime. What was this promise? Does it still apply today?
The command was “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you” (GEN 12:1).
Explaining the promise He would give Abram a new name called Abraham in exchange for his obedience.
This promise had multiple components, including the promise of multiple descendants, fame, divine protection and that Abraham through his descendants would be a blessing to all people.
Abraham’s son, Isaac, and grandson, Jacob, were “heirs with him of the same promise” (HEB 11:9).
HEB 11:9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;
Physically, Abraham’s descendants would become a great nation, Israel, the Jews.
The spiritual blessing to all people was fulfilled in the coming of the Messiah, a descendant of Abraham, through whom people of all nationalities may receive salvation (Acts 4:10-12; GAL 3:16).
The word for administration is the predicate nominative singular from the Greek noun oikonomia = dispensation.
Until you understand where you are in history, and until you have located yourself in God's plan, it is impossible for you to execute God's plan or to do His will.
"mystery" is the Greek noun musterion which refers to the mystery dispensation of the Church-age.
In God's plan when he says E
In reality the future of our nation does not reside in the hands of the politicians but in your personal attitude toward B.D. and so, as goes the believer so goes the nation.
The doctrine of dispensational truth reveals that for the first time in human history special significance is placed on each individual believer.
One of the "at least" 40 things that happened to you at salvation is that you became a member of the royal family of God.
The sooner you become briefed on how royalty should function, and what your role you have in human history, the sooner and better chance you have to glorify God and become a recipient of the most fantastic blessings ever.
You are the apple of His eye; PSA 17:8 Keep me as the apple of the eye; Hide me in the shadow of Thy wings.
ZEC 2:8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, "After glory He has sent me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.
ZEC 2:5 'For I,' declares the Lord, 'will be a wall of fire around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.' "
God Is Making His Jewels, and You Are One of Them!
MAL 3:16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.
MAL 3:17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
You are not as important to people as you think you are.
This is a reference to the Church-age dispensation which had been hidden from all O.T. saints.
"which has been hidden" is the per-pass-part of apokrupto = to conceal; to hide; to keep secret.
When our Lord said "upon this rock" it was the word Petra meaning the massive rock, the fact that He is Messiah - or - what Peter said in
MAT 16:16 Thou art the Christ the Son of the living God.
We are all pebbles or chips but He is the foundational rock; 1CO 10:4.
For when the Lord said, on this rock I will build my church that is the fut-act-ind of the very oikodomeo = the church did not exist at the time that the Lord said it.
The envy that would have existed on the part of the O.T. saints as they would envy what you have, would have been a distraction to their spiritual life in a sense.
No pastor can exercise his spiritual gift apart from dispensational orientation.
Because of this there are all kinds of substitute programs that have infiltrated the church, which we call the dog and pony show.
1. The stereo type Christian is someone who has personally believed in Christ.
2. He is someone who is totally ignorant of God's plan as a member of the Royal family.
3. The stereo type Christian is someone who has no understanding of God's plan and therefore substitutes what he assumes or feels must be God's plan for his life.
4. The stereo-type Christian generally concludes that the goal of the Christian life and spirituality is living moral.
5. The stereo-type Christian assumes that the key to the Christian life is a sweet personality.
6. The stereo-type Christian attends church at least once a week.
7. The stereo-type Christian classifies anyone who is relaxed and enjoys life, especially when being pressured, as being worldly or carnal.
8. The stereo-type Christian regards the mature believer as a fanatic or cultish because he has never heard certain things or certain doctrines.
9. The stereo type Christian respects the pastor who doesn't have the time to study because he's too busy hustling around the church.
The sad result is the congregation never really begins to study and learn the plan of God for them as a member of the Royal family.
10. The stereo-type Christian is always striving to be sweet but behind that facade of sweetness lies his real face of hypocrisy.
11. The average stereo type Christian is a critic and whatever he doesn't understand he considers to be wrong!
12. The stereo-type Christian is not usually interested in the sermon except for its length, he wants it to be short!
13. The stereo-type Christian likes a convenient pastor, one who councils when he needs attention and one who doesn't offer the challenge of truth!
14. The stereo-type Christian can be easily conned.
15. The stereo-type Christian therefore, being ignorant of God's plan, is proud, legalistic, self-righteous, and a dropper of spiritual words and phrases.
16. The result of the stereo type Christian is a total failure in time and at the Bema seat judgment he is going to shrink away in embarrassment.
17. The stereo-type Christian develops mental blocks toward doctrinal teaching, 1TI 4:1, the results are an arrogant subjective believer.
18. The stereo type Christian can counterfeit an outward righteousness through change of behavior pattern, but he cannot counterfeit an inner change of integrity.
19. The stereo-type Christian loses to use cliché's or stereo type holy language, calling the Lord Thee or Thou, calling people brother, and always saying "praise the Lord."
20. The stereo-type Christian uses facial expressions which stand for sincerity, such as the intense or serious look.
O, every believer's decision does count----and it true according to HEB 6:18; Titus 1:2.