Grace Bible Church
Robert R. McLaughlin
Pastor Teacher
Weekly Review
Dispensation of the Mosaic Law. The Real Issue behind the Commandments.
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EPH 4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
We have stated many times how the Lord Jesus Christ controls human history. Because of that I find it very interesting how different groups of all kind are being united together through disaster as has been in Texas and other southern states. All of a sudden it doesn’t matter what the color of your skin is or the nationality you are of, what matters is survival!
There are two major principles that really endanger man’s relationship with God and man’s relationship with man.
Familiarity.
Selfishness — Love for Self.
This is why we read in 2TI 3:1-5, But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self‑control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these.
Flexibility is not compromise – it is the freedom given to all members of the human race the right and the ability to reveal their love and worship toward God in their own unique way whether Jew or Gentile, male or female, black or white, no matter what their nationality and personal preferences may be.
JOH 1:12, But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
COL 2:16-3:5, Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day‑ things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self‑abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God. If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (which all refer to things destined to perish with the using) ‑ in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self‑made religion and self‑abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence. If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
This is also why we read in ROM 14:1-8, Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. One man has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. Let not him who eats regard with contempt him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God. For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
Whether it’s impersonal love or personal love, the royal family honor code demands no hypocrisy or mendacity.
1PE 1:8 is one of the best passages on loving God doctrinally when Peter writes and though you have not seen Him, you love Him,
When you start to love someone you have not seen, it’s because you have linked up with their thinking.
1PE 1:8, and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe (in Him is not found in the original).
Actually we have a verb.
The pres-act-part of pisteuo which refers to believing doctrine or having it metabolized. There’s the key to loving God…believing! Believing what? How do you come to love someone you cannot see? Answer: Bible doctrine, you believe the word of God!
1PE 1:8, and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believing, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
It other words there is an inexpressible inner happiness and being full of glory.
The phrase “full of glory” is a reference to the spiritually sustained believer who reflects the glory of God with the structure in his soul. This love then comes from believing the word of God and then falling in love with the Lord Jesus Christ.
So, love for God is the most important love that a believer develops. Unfortunately, in the time in which we live, a lot believers are running around, putting their doctrinal differences aside and trying to love each other. This is not a part of the Christian way of life.
How can you ever assume that loving God the Father, loving God the Son under occupation with Christ, and fellowship with the Holy Spirit be set aside for a lot of nonsense called “Christian fellowship” or social life with Christians?
Too many believers assume this erroneous concept because there is no organization of their life and thinking around Bible doctrine. Therefore, they have no focus on invisible God. All their focus is on turning churches into Christian country clubs.
Christian fellowship is nice, but it is not the Christian way of life. So learn to distinguish between fellowship with God and so-called Christian fellowship, which is nothing more than having social life with Christians.
Christian fellowship is no substitute for fellowship with God. The reason there are so many problems and sins among Christians is simply because of wrong priorities.
You never put fellowship with visible people above your relationship or fellowship with God.
However, you cannot fulfill the #1 priority of fellowship with God simply by resolving to make God #1; it comes through the daily perception of Bible doctrine.
Christian fellowship is no substitute for learning Bible doctrine from whomever is your right pastor. And this means that the most important person that you should consider in the selection of a church is the pastor-teacher.
Does he do the Job God has called him to do?
And this is because spiritual growth and the execution of the PPOG and subsequent glorification of God only occurs through perception of doctrine, not through Christian fellowship.
Assembling together for Bible study and other forms of worship must never be confused with Christian fellowship.
Let’s summarize what we have noted so far by points.
- Having personal love toward God is commanded, DEU 6:5, 10:12, MAR 12:30.
- If you do not have Bible doctrine within, you cannot and do not have love for God, JOH 5:38-42.
- If a believer really loves God, it will be manifested by his desire to hear God’s word, JOH 8:47.
- If you love the Lord, you will guard and protect His doctrines in your soul, JOH 14:15.
- It is doctrine abiding in Christians, not works, that reveals to the Father how much we love Him.
- If you guard or keep God’s Word in you, God’s love will be in you, JOH 15:10.
- Having God’s mind or Bible doctrine is that which produces God’s love, PHI 2:2
- Keeping doctrine in the soul is the only way to love with God’s love, 1JO 2:5.
- Loving God is revealed by your impersonal unconditional love toward one another, 1JO 4:7.
- Loving God and His people can only come through knowledge of doctrine, 1JO 4:16-21.
- Since God is invisible and the object of category one love, we must see and love Him through doctrine in the soul, 1PE 1:8.
- Category one love also sets up the standard for grace, Psa 119:132.
- Category one love is the basis for personal and national blessing, Deu 30:15‑20.
- Category one love motivates combat courage and military victory, Jos 23:10‑11.
- Category one love provides strength for adversity and pressure, Heb 11:27.
- There is a special curse on believers who fail to have category one love in 1Co 16:22, they are said to be “cursed until the Lord comes.”
- Even witnessing must be motivated by category one love, 2Co 5:14 “The love of Christ motivates us.”
Now, if all of these principles are true, and they are, how can you ever assume that loving God the Father, loving God the Son and fellowship with the Holy Spirit be set aside for a lot of nonsense called “Christian fellowship” or social life with Christians?
Too many believers assume this erroneous concept because there is no organization of their life and thinking around Bible doctrine.
Therefore, they have no focus on invisible God.
All their focus is on turning churches into Christian country clubs.
Christian fellowship is nice, but it is not the Christian way of life.
So learn to distinguish between fellowship with God and so-called Christian fellowship, which is nothing more than having social life with Christians.
Christian fellowship is no substitute for fellowship with God.
You never put fellowship with visible people above your relationship or fellowship with God.
Christian fellowship is no substitute for learning Bible doctrine from whomever is your right pastor.
And this means that the most important person that you should consider in the selection of a church is the pastor-teacher.
Does he do the Job God has called him to do?
The communication of Bible doctrine and the teaching ministry of your pastor-teacher is the most important aspect of your Christian life.
And this is because spiritual growth and the execution of the PPOG and subsequent glorification of God only occurs through perception of doctrine, not through Christian fellowship.
Assembling together for Bible study and other forms of worship must never be confused with Christian fellowship. And this wrong emphasis may be the result of misunderstanding such passages like HEB 10:25 which says not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.
The problem here is the phrase “one another”, it is not found in the original! The word for encouragement is the present active participle of the Greek verb parakaleo which means to be encouraged, to be exhorted, to be comforted, and even to challenge. However, this is a participle used as a noun in the Greek, and so it should be translated “encouragement.” Furthermore, this is a telic participle which indicates the purpose of the action: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.
So it should read HEB 10:25 says “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is the habit of some, but gather together for the purpose of encouraging one another.” So we assemble for the purpose of encouragement. What is encouragement in assembly? Perception of Bible doctrine, not Christian fellowship. Bible doctrine must have #1 priority in your life. Without that you will never have fellowship with invisible God.
The manifestation of invisible God is Bible doctrine.
And the only way you can have fellowship with invisible God is to learn Bible doctrine.
The only way you can learn Bible doctrine is to expose yourself to doctrine every time the doors of the church are open.
Encouragement comes from Bible doctrine, not from Christian fellowship.
Someone may inspire you to come to Bible class once in a while, but that cannot keep you there.
That’s why I’m very careful not to motivate individuals to come for the wrong reason!
The wrong reason is “Where have you been, I missed you?”
Or, “Why are you missing so many services, don’t you know how important your daily intake is?”
The real issue and your real motivation must be “I love TLJC and I am here to learn His word.”
What keeps you coming to Bible class is your own motivation from your own understanding and perception of doctrine, and making it the #1 priority in your life. So assembling with other believers in a local church or its equivalent is for the purpose of encouragement through the perception of Bible doctrine.
In other words, Heb 10:25 is talking about learning Bible doctrine in the company of other believers.
Prin-Your Christian fellowship with other believers is inconsequential!
It is your fellowship with God that counts!
The purpose of assembly worship is the function of perception, metabolization and application of Bible doctrine, and through the momentum from metabolized doctrine, to execute and fulfill the PPOG for your life.
And that’s why missing assembly worship and gathering together with other believers is a very serious thing.
In fact, without taking scriptures out of context notice the context and the next verse:
Heb 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is the habit of some, but for the purpose of encouragement.”
HEB 10:26 For if we go on sinning willfully [how? By forsaking the assembling of ourselves together] after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
Some believers even try to make sacrifice for missing services or doctrinal teaching but that doesn’t hold any weight with God.
Some believers cannot assemble for Bible doctrine and encouragement from the Word of God.
They are isolated because of Geographic’s, handicaps, illness, lack of transportation or many other reasons.
And they are not violating this verse.
Bible doctrine is the purpose of assembly, and they can learn Bible doctrine alone if they have some form of communication from their pastor-teacher.
So since they are getting doctrine, they are in effect “assembling themselves.”
The priority is to get doctrine to have fellowship with God.
And while some believers are isolated from Christian fellowship, they are not isolated from the communication of Bible doctrine.
God always supplies a right pastor with doctrine for positive believers.
In other words, positive volition will not be denied by God.
For some positive believers, doctrine is provided through face-to-face teaching in a local church.
For others, doctrine is communicated through tapes, audio, video, books, radio, etc.
God always supplies a right pastor-teacher with doctrine for the positive believer.
He does so:
(1) Through the local church under face-to-face teaching.
(2) In an isolated situation where no assembly with orthodox teaching is possibly.
Isolation can be caused by illness, handicap, or lack of accurate teaching in a geographical location.
However, while the isolated Christian cannot assemble himself with other believers, he still fulfills the concept of Heb 10:25 through his daily perception of doctrine on tapes, video, audio, etc.
Not everyone’s right pastor is located in the same geographical location.
Under the principle of supply and demand, the demand of positive volition is for accurate Bible teaching regardless of the geographical location.
Therefore, accurate Bible teaching can only come through someone who is prepared and who is teaching line upon line, precept upon precept, especially the mystery doctrine for the Church Age.
All too often, the supply for this demand cannot be provided in a given geographical location.
Therefore, the fulfillment of Heb 10:25 occurs through some other form of technology where, though not assembled with other believers, Bible doctrine is still taken in on a consistent basis.
In conclusion, Christian fellowship or social life with other believers at best is a result of taking in doctrine, whether you assemble with other believers or get it on your own in isolation.
However, Christian fellowship is not possible for isolated believers due to their geographical location, military service, illness, handicaps, or a job that conflicts with Bible class time.
But that doesn’t mean they cannot grow!
It means that other ways must be a substitute for assembling so they can learn doctrine.
In fact, being deprived of Christian fellowship may be just the blessing they need to get a good start in doctrine before they come into contact with other believers.
Often positive believers will not assemble in a local church because of false doctrine or wrong emphasis.
These people are not wrong as others say; they are right!
For a believer who is positive, Bible doctrine is never denied.
Bible doctrine is denied to no believer.
Positive believers in isolation can receive Bible doctrine through tapes, books, radios, video, and other modern conveniences.
Positive believers can have Bible doctrine, but often they cannot have Christian fellowship.
Christian fellowship is nice to have if there is no legalism involved, but Christian fellowship cannot advance the believer in God’s plan, purpose, or will for his life.
Bible doctrine is never denied.
Bible doctrine is denied to no believer.
Even positive believers in isolation can receive Bible doctrine through tapes, books, radios, video, and other modern conveniences.
Positive believers can have Bible doctrine, but often they cannot have Christian fellowship.
Christian fellowship is nice to have if there is no legalism involved, but Christian fellowship cannot advance the believer in God’s plan, purpose, or will for his life.
Prin-If you have to ever make a choice between fellowship or doctrine, you better choose doctrine or you will be a loser!
PRO 8:17 says “I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me.
The most important love in your life is to love doctrine which is the means or the vehicle of personal love toward God.
And doctrine will always respond and love you back.
PRO 8:17 says “I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me.
Notice the word diligently.
It takes “effort” to search for doctrine!
Bible doctrine is not going to force itself upon you.
Bible doctrine requires some aggression on your part!
“diligently seek” is the piel participle of shachar and the piel stem is the intensive stem and therefore this is an intensive search for Bible doctrine.
And the participle denotes that there is a purpose in searching for Bible doctrine which is the ultimate purpose in life, knowing and loving God.
And so shachar is an intensive search,
an extreme search,
a fervent search,
a passionate search,
a very strong search.
So personal love for God the Father and occupation with Jesus Christ is confined to perception and metabolization of doctrine, and thereafter thinking doctrine; not emotion, human affection, or visual attraction, but a combination of perception of doctrine and spiritual growth.
This is what is important in loving God.