IAUA End Time Ministry
Preparing for the End of Time
The Lord is Coming! Are you ready?
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IAUA End Time Ministry |
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Preparing for the End of Time | |
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The Lord is Coming! Are you ready? | |
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in
IAUA
(ee-ah-oo-ah) our Father,
Greetings on this day of preparation for the weekly Sabbath. I pray this newsletter finds you in good health and happy in the service of IAUA. This is the 22nd day of the 3rd month of God's Sacred Calendar in the estimated year 6014 Anno Mundi. The yearly Fall Sabbaths begin in 13 weeks and 6 days starting with Trumpets Sabbath the evening of the 1st day of the 7th month (Thursday, September 29th on the 2011 Gregorian Calendar, beginning sunset on Wednesday, September 28th). An amazing thing occurs in the Gregorian Calendar years of both 2011 and 2012. Those who follow the Millerite Calendar and the Jewish Calendar agree with what my research, and many others, has determined for the Gregorian Calendar dates of God's Sacred Calendar! _____ In Pauls' prayer for the Colossians the importance of the knowledge of God and His will is emphasized. 9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;Peter emphasizes the importance of knowledge throughout his second letter from Babylon. 2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. The foundation of this knowledge is a study of God's Word, guided by the Holy Spirit. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. I often hear discussed questions about how to study the Bible. There are two primary categories of Bible Study, group and personal. Both are important. Sabbath School is a good example of group Bible Study, particularly for beginner and intermediate Bible students. Personal, individual, study is also vitally important for spiritual growth. This is my practice of personal study broken down into steps from beginner to advanced to grow into deeper study methods. These steps of individual study are after you have spent the time you need in daily preparation for the group Sabbath School lesson. You do attend(!) Sabbath School, don't you? First, you must read two or three chapters of the Bible every day. Begin at Genesis and read every word through to Revelation. This may take a year or two. Pick any translation with which you are comfortable. Don't use a paraphrase unless you are really a beginner in the Word. Think about what you are reading. Visualize the story in your mind to deeply ingrain the words. Begin every study session with prayer for the guidance of the Holy Spirit to help you gain a blessing. Make it a daily scheduled habit. Do not let Satan distract you from your purpose. Your diligence will be blessed by God and your understanding will grow and increase. No matter how advanced you become in your study, this daily habit must be repeated. When you finish Revelation, go right back to Genesis and start again. As you become better acquainted with the Word, you will begin to notice the thoughts and ideas which are regularly repeated. In different ways, from different viewpoints, there is a common theme, which the Holy Spirit will reveal to you. Take the time to ponder these themes in your mind as you read. Don't overlook this very important point. This basic study is an individual study but there is an important principle to keep in mind when it comes to spouses. "They shall be one flesh". Study, pray, and worship God together. Second, you must pick a time period or two during the course of the week, for at least an hour or two, where you focus on a specific topic of deep Bible Study. As you become sensitive to the guiding of the Holy Spirit the choice of topics will become obvious. This deep study time may be individual or shared with your spouse. Shared study is good but at a deep level there needs to be some individual study guided individually by the Holy Spirit. There are several methods you can use in your deep Bible study. It is best to use many methods, which you mix and match as the Holy Spirit guides you. Here are some possibilities. Pick a key word, such as knowledge (172 occurrences KJV), and look up every (or many) reference in the Bible using that word. Obviously, this is a lot easier using a computer but it can be done with just the concordance you may have in the back of your Bible. The computer is a valuable study tool. Pick a key chapter or text and look up many different translations of the Bible for that text. You may have access to a few translations of the Bible in your home. I recommend having a couple on hand for regular use. This is a lot easier using a computer and an Internet web site such as http://www.biblegateway.com which provides access to many translations of the Bible. Pick a key text and look up cross-references for the text. Many Bibles have a center column cross-reference of footnotes. Again, this is a lot easier using a computer and an Internet web site with the NASB such as http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-American-Standard-Bible-NASB/ which provides many cross-references and footnotes for texts of the Bible. Look up the Greek or Hebrew dictionary definition of a key word or two in a key verse. Look up all (or many) of the verses using the Greek or Hebrew word and note the various ways it is translated. This can be done with the appropriate book, such as "The Complete Word Study". This is again much easier with the computer. There are even free sources. You can use software such as eSword without the Internet. This software is available from http://www.e-sword.net. You can also use http://www.blueletterbible.org on the Internet. This is an incredible study tool. This is only a sample of many different ways to do deep Bible study. Let me caution you. Your primary study is to be directly in the Word. It is valuable to read other authors and commentators but only as secondary sources. In particular the writings of Ellen White give valuable insight and understanding. Note her own words on this topic. "The words of the Bible, and the Bible alone, should be heard from the pulpit." {PK 626.1} "Leave the impression upon the mind that the Bible, and the Bible alone, is our rule of faith, and that the sayings and doings of men are not to be a criterion for our doctrines or actions...." {SSW, January 1, 1889 par. 8} "When God's Word is studied, comprehended, and obeyed, a bright light will be reflected to the world; new truths, received and acted upon, will bind us in strong bonds to Jesus. The Bible, and the Bible alone, is to be our creed, the sole bond of union; all who bow to this Holy Word will be in harmony. Our own views and ideas must not control our efforts. Man is fallible, but God's Word is infallible. Instead of wrangling with one another, let men exalt the Lord. Let us meet all opposition as did our Master, saying, "It is written." Let us lift up the banner on which is inscribed, The Bible our rule of faith and discipline.-- The Review and Herald, Dec. 15, 1885." {1SM 416.2} The reason I quote Scripture so much in what I write is to continually point you back to the Bible, the true Source. Are you studying deeply into your Bible on a daily basis to grow in a knowledge of truth? I pray we may all continue to seek love, peace, and unity in truth preparing for the soon coming of IAUShUO (ee-ah-oo-shoo-oh) Messiah, the Son of God.
Frank T. Clark
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| Revised 2011-07-01 |